The survivors of World War Three have created the city of Equilibrium,
where all human feelings are compulsorily suppressed by drugs, and where
specially trained 'cleric' enforcers hunt down any outlaws. Cleric John
Preston (Christian Bale), filled with doubt after both his wife and a
partner have been killed for committing 'sense offences', secretly stops
taking his drugs, tunes into his own feelings, and starts to develop a
sympathy for the underground movement of rebels that he has previously
been working to destroy. All of which leads inexorably to an Oedipal confrontation
with 'Father' (Sean Pertwee), the ruler of Equilibrium, who is not quite
what he seems.
While Kurt Wimmer's 'Equilibrium' is a fast-paced science-fiction thriller
with some extraordinary action set-pieces, it is also a subtle meditation
on the relationship between passion, violence and aesthetics, lent great
depth by its elaborate allusions to other books and films with a similar
dystopian vision. As in 'Fahrenheit 451', Preston is a state book-burner
who goes over to the other side. As in '1984', he lives in a world where
the aphorisms of a Big Brother figure are constantly broadcast everywhere,
and where 'sense crimes' are outlawed. As in 'Dead or Alive: Final', he
is a policeman in a state where all citizens are forced to take drugs,
and rebels are eradicated. As in 'The Matrix', his quasi-religious martial
skills enable him to dodge bullets and take out whole armies. As in 'A
Clockwork Orange', he discovers that the medical suppression of his base
impulses has also prevented him from appreciating Beethoven's Ninth. And,
finally, as in 'Fight Club', the full force of destructive urges being
unleashed on a city is shown in an astonishingly ambivalent, highly aestheticised
manner.
Christian Bale brings from 'American Psycho' a poker face perfectly suited
to the role of Preston. His cold, inscrutable features bring real tension
to the film, making it unclear whether he is actually devoid of emotions,
or is merely concealing them. The same can be said of Taye Diggs as Preston's
ambitious colleague Brandt, Angus MacFayden as his controller DuPont,
and Matthew Harbour as Preston's son, Robbie, who is a chip off the old
ice-block. Emily Watson, on the other hand, brings a glowing warmth to
her role as the sense criminal and unconventional love interest Mary.
Wimmer's ability to write intelligent science-fiction could already be
seen in his earlier film 'Sphere', but in 'Equilibrium' it is more fully
developed. Indeed the effective blend here of thoughtfulness and entertainment
is reminiscent of last year's excellent 'Minority Report'; and while 'Equilibrium'
may be less polished around the edges than Spielberg's film, it has a
denouement which is far bolder and more provocative.
Recommended.
Anton Bitel, 5.3.3
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