Film Review: Minority Report

The Minority Report is the ultimate summer blockbuster; a killer science-fiction movie with entertaining action sequences, phenomenal special effects, a big-name star, and Steven Speilberg in the director's chair. However, it is more than that. Unlike some of the typical flashy summer fare, it is also an intelligent, well-made film that will not disappear from memory the moment you leave the theater. The Minority Report is science-fiction of the same caliber as Blade Runner and The Matrix and is one of the summer's few must-see films.

Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, The Minority Report provides a vision of a futuristic society in which murder can be stopped before it occurs. The discovery of three pre-cognitives, two men and one woman who can see murder before it occurs, has encouraged Washington D.C. to embark on the Pre-Crime experiment. When the pre-cognitives see a murder, agents are alerted and the person is arrested before they get a chance to commit it. At the head of the elite Pre-Crime unit is Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise). As the Pre-Crime experiment is threatening to go national, it falls under the scrutiny of the Justice Department and Detective Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell, Hart's War, American Outlaws) begins an investigation of the Pre-Crime unit, looking for doubts of its effectiveness or for corruption among its members. Then, the pre-cognitives see a murder that will take place about two days into the future, and John Anderton is targeted as the suspect. The film then follows Anderton on a race to discover more about his intended victim and find proof of the possibility of his innocence, all while confronting his personal demons and attempting to avoid the ever-watchful eye of the government.

The Minority Report, for the most part, keeps the audience riveted from its opening sequences. Part of the film's appeal and one of the reasons it is captivating, is the vision of the future it provides. From electronic spiders and cool cars to personalized advertisements, the film bombards the audience with images, some rather amusing, that show how the world could change in 50 years. What is most interesting and disturbing, is how despite some advancements, this future still bears a resemblance to our own time. In combining the familiar and stunning technological advances, The Minority Report's world of the future resonates in a way a film like Star Wars cannot.

Other qualities that make The Minority Report successful are the complexity of its main characters and the questions the film raises. Unlike in many action films, The Minority Report allows the audience to see what motivates the characters and lets the audience feel empathy for them. This quality of the film is only enhanced by excellent performances by Cruise, Max Von Sydow, and particularly Samantha Morton as the pre-cognitive, Agatha. Moreover, while there are very few action films that make people think, this one of them. The film raises questions about the choices people make and the role chance and personal decision play in determining outcomes as well as the ethical dilemma in imprisoning people for what they are going to do instead of what they have done, despite the benefit it could have on society. One cannot help think that if Pre-Crime ever became a possibility, the ACLU would have a field day.

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