CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

Equilibrium

Director

Kurt Wimmer

Year

2002

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

For some strange reason Equilibrium never took off with American audiences. It got a limited release and went unnoticed. Sure, its stars are not really box-office draws, but it is one of those movies that could’ve found a pretty big niche for its fight sequences alone. It certainly is not The Matrix (1999), but it ain’t a turkey either.

In a future world, the government has stopped war and crime by suppressing human emotions from the population. This means citizens must use a special drug to stop feeling. But there are those who oppose the system, and Cleric John Preston (Christian Bale) is one of the best men to go after them. That is, until he meets Mary (Emily Watson) a beautiful rebel who reminds him of her late wife. Suddenly he stops using his drug and starts seeing the world as it really is. But his new partner (Taye Diggs) does not find that any amusing.

Equilibrium works in two levels. It is a fascinating movie when it deals with what it would be like to have a world without emotions. Human beings become mere puppets and yes, there is no crime. But what’s the cost? Where does happiness lie? Where does sadness lie? At the beginning of the movie we see some officials burning the Mona Lisa. It is a world without anything worth remembering. A lifeless world.

Sure, the movie becomes a little slow and contradictory at times, but the entertainment and suspense factors never vanish. And it keeps bringing interesting ideas that are worth your time.

But then the movie is a little bit more than that. Director Kurt Wimmer shot Equilibrium in as stylish a fashion as he could. The movie looks simply amazing. But what’s really mind-blowing is the way the fight scenes are shot and choreographed. I sometimes think that I’ve seen it all, but once in a while a movie comes that brings something new to the table. I wouldn’t know how to describe this fight technique, except that it has martial arts and guns involved. They’re simply breathtaking, from the opening scene shoot-out to every other sequence of the sort in the movie.

The movie is impeccably acted. Christian Bale delivers a strong, conflicted performance as a man with no emotions that suddenly starts to feel. Emily Watson is also amazing, but her character is clearly underwritten and she’s barely in the movie at all. I also enjoyed Sean Bean in a small part at the beginning.

“Be careful Preston. You’re treading on my dreams.”

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