"Equilibrium"
was shot for $20 million, a pretty small budget for an ambitious
action film. It was filmed in Europe using a German crew and received
wide release throughout most of the world. It was such a big hit, that
the producers decided not to risk it flopping in the United States due
to the cast of unknowns. It received limited release and disappeared
in the blink of an eye. Pity. What most Americans don't know is that
they missed out on one of the best action films in years.
"Equilibrium" is an homage to two genres: science fiction novels like
Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" and George Orwell's "1984," and
hard-boiled action films. Like "1984" and "Fahrenheit 451,"
"Equilibrium" takes place in the near future. The government of the
world realizes that war and crime bridges from one thing: feelings.
They decide that if they eliminate emotions, no one will hurt anyone,
and society can be productive. Everything that can trigger emotions is
ordered to be destroyed. Books, artwork, music, movies, and even video
games are burnt. Pets are outlawed. At regular intervals, everyone is
required to inject themselves with Prozium, a drug that stops
emotions. Naturally, not everyone is happy with this lifestyle and
they choose to fight it. Since the regular polic force is inadequate
to fight the rebels, a special team is created: the Clericks. This is
a highly trained and deadly team of officers who hunt down and
eliminate rebel activity and destroy art. One of the most respected
officers, is John Preston (Christian Bale), who's wife was burnt alive
for "feeling" four years earlier. His kids are emotionless zombies, he
kills without remorse or regret, and his life is straight...until he
finds out that his partner Partridge (Sean Bean), has been secretly
reading poetry and meeting with rebels. Preston ends this problem by
shooting him in the face, and he gets a new partner: the vigilant
Brandt (Taye Diggs). Preston's life soon changes forever, when he
accidentally drops his supply of prozium and is unable to acquire
more...and he starts to feel.This is a
fascinating movie on every front. Writer/director Kurt Wimmer has
crafted a film that will easily be a science fiction masterpiece in a
few years (it already has a strong cult following). It does what few
films of this type do: bridge an emotionally harrowing story with
kick-ass (I rarely use that phrase) action sequences. Since these two
parts of the film have their own positives and negatives, I will
examine each of them individually.
THE STORY, ACTING, AND DIRECTION
As you must of guessed by now, Preston discovers why people fight to
keep emotions, and naturally, he joins the rebels. This doesn't
immediately take place, though. It first establishes Preston's
character through his encounter with art. When Preston raids a house
looking for art, he stumbles across a record player. With his newfound
emotions taking over, he plays a record and hears Beethoven. Preston's
reaction is so moving, and very sad, mainly because this is a man who
has never heard music before. Unlike most of us, who take simple
things like music for granted, Preston realizes the true magic of the
medium. Another equally moving scene occurs when Preston saves a dog
from being shot by police after the dogs licks him on the face. Such a
simplistic thing, being discovered for the first time. This film truly
shows Bale's power as an actor. He is easily one of the best young
actors out there right now.
Most of the acting is very stiff and emotionless, but of course, this
is intentional. The only truly bad performance comes from Diggs, who
is supposed to show no emotion at all, but does so openly and quite
often. I can't blame Diggs too much. He's a decent actor, and the
director should have told him to cut the emotion.
These are minor quips about the story and acting. I'm a big fan of
both "1984" and "Fahrenheit 451," so this type of story really appeals
to me. Even the design of the city reminds me of these novels. A
slightly futuristic city landscape that is almost entirely neutral
colors. The city at first does look a little fake, but after a few
moments when the city design blends with the action sequences, you
notice that while the city's faults may be because of the low budget,
it actually works extremely well and gives the film a very comic book
look. Whether intentional or not, it's very impressive.
THE ACTION
Many think that the action in "Equilibrium" is a rip-off of "The
Matrix," but they are actually quite different. The only similarities
are that the main character wears a long coat (but a different design
than Neo), and he wields dual pistols (but the reason for this weapon
choice is actually explained). There is no bullet time, and none of
the reality bending stunts, either. In fact, the action is some of the
most original and mind-boggling I have ever seen.
Instead of slow-motion, the director seems to being using sped up
film. The action scenes are very fast and furious. The main action
scene must last for no more than a minute or two. But what a bang for
the buck! The choreography is based on a training technique that is
shown earlier in the film, where gun-fighting becomes an elaborate
dance of death and the gun is an extension of the body. In addition to
the gun battles, there is an equally fast sword fight that you have to
see to believe. I won't say anymore, because it's too good and I don't
want to spoil it anymore.
So, why not an A+ for a film like this? Well, when everything really
boils down, "Equilibrium" is still a science-fiction film, that, while
excellent, doesn't break too many barriers. The story, as good as it
is, deserves a longer running time. And Taye Diggs' performance
practically contradicts the entire film.
Despite these minor quibbles, I highly recommend this film to any
science fiction or action fan. If you like "Dark City," "The Matrix,"
or "Minority Report," you should like this film. It's a fascinating,
exciting, and re-watchable film featuring Christian Bale, whom I
guarantee you will be one of the most respected actors within a few
years.
Highly underrated, and simply excellent |