Minority Report

My cousin, a self-proclaimed film junkie, once told me that he never watches a film twice. There is a part of me that adheres to this approach, that film watching should be kept fresh and innovative, but another part of me really enjoys going back to an old favourite and appreciating its different facets or discovering a new layer of meaning. The very best films can be watched again and again. I would not put Minority Report in this elite category but last night I sat down in front of the television only intending to watch the first 20 minutes of this sci-fi action flick before bed and ended up watching it through to the end. The main reason for keeping me glued to the box was the original and interesting premise to the film and the way the story unfolded with all its pleasing twists and turns. The year is 2054 and Tom Cruise is a detective who heads a law enforcement department called Precrime, the idea being that with the help of three psychics they can stop a murder before it happens. Tom Cruise soon finds himself on the run when the psychics predict that he will commit a murder and feeling that he has been set up Cruise must prove his innocence and get to the bottom of the mystery. Spielberg does a good job of balancing the intricate plot with character development, while dealing with such themes as free will, fate, guilt and loss. Tom Cruise carries the film well, as he usually does, and is aided by a strong supporting cast of Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton and Max Von Sydow. Minority Report goes to show that with an intelligent script and good acting not all films have to rely on special effects to score points. 7.5/10