In 2005, Steven Spielberg once again proved why he is one of the world’s most popular directors. In late June, just in time for the 4th of July celebration, Spielberg wowed audiences with his intimate tale of survival during an alien invasion with War of the Worlds. The Beard showed his superiority to his contemporaries by giving us a film that wasn’t your typical stupid Action film, but instead made his story personal and gave it some real life.
As if that wasn’t enough, Spielberg gave us his Oscar contender Munich, which has garnered much critical praise. The film has already outraged some, but landed as many critics’ Top 10 lists as any other film to come out this year. With these two great films, 2005 marks the third time Spielberg has given audiences a one-two punch of exceptional crowd pleaser and wondrous drama.
The first time this occurred was in 1993 and was probably the most successful year in the director’s career. That year, Spielberg broke Box Office records with Jurassic Park and then finally got his coveted Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture with Schindler’s List. With these two films Spielberg displayed his prowess in giving both crowds and critics what they wanted.
In 2002, Spielberg showed us his adeptness again. Once more, the director gave us a Summer Blockbuster and Winter Masterpiece. While the success of both was not on the same level of his 1993 achievements, few directors could pull off the quality of films that the Beard was able to.
Minority Report Starring Tom Cruise, Max Von Sydow, and Colin Farrell. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
The summer of 2002 brought fourth many huge movies to cinema screen. Spiderman, Star Wars: Episode II, and Signs all gave audiences reason to cheer, but with Minority Report, Spielberg gave them something to think about too. Using a tale from Science Fiction author Philip K. Dick, Spielberg wanted to seemingly make a film similar to that of Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner.
According to Imdb.com, three years before production began, Spielberg gathered together a team of experts to discuss what the world of 2054 would be like. With the help of MIT’s Neil Gershenfeld, car designer Harald Belker and many others, the director was able to approximate what the future would look and feel like. To Spielberg and his team’s credit, the world of Minority Report feels as authentic as any other created for the screen.
Helping the film tremendously is the Scott Frank and Jon Cohen screenplay that was adapted from Phillip K. Dick’s original short story. Though the story exploring a Police Force that can see crimes before they happen feels as deep in the roots of Science Fiction/Fantasy as possible, the story of Police Chief John Anderton feels very much in tone with the best works of Alfred Hitchcock. Stories of “men on the run from the law” seem to be able to fit in any era, and Spielberg is able to exploit that to it’s fullest.
In the tradition of Ridley’s Scott’s Bladerunner, Minority Report’s heart is actually closer to the tradition of Film Noir than Futuristic Thrillers like Total Recall or Equilibrium. Spielberg loves Noir, but this film may be the closest he ever comes to actually directing one. Then again, this movie is so good, who could ask for more?
Minority Report is the story of Police Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise). Cruise’s character is the office in charge of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Pre-Crime Unit. The unit employs three psychics, called Pre-cogs, to determine beforehand when violent crimes are about to take place. In response, the Pre-Crime officers spring into action, trying desperately to stop the crime.
Anyone complaining about Tom Cruise’s performances should check out his role in this film. This may actually be my favorite performance by the actor as he is able to portray Anderton’s confident public face, and the broken man that Anderton has become at home after the kidnapping of his young son. Anderton is secretly a drug addict and fighting his inner demons by night, while he has all but eliminated premeditated murder during the day.
After a nifty opening demonstration of the Pre-Crime procedure, Cruise reaches then another level of performance after he is actually accused of Pre-Crime. Both of Anderton’s faces come together as the desperation of the man on the run must be used to channel the veteran officer who must fight to stay out of prison. Fortunately for us as the audience, Spielberg is able to stage some of the most inventive action sequences of his filmography as Anderton struggles to stay out of custody.
The initial chase scene is a nonstop combination of stunts, special effects and photography. This odyssey of action begins with Cruise jumping from one futuristic car to the next until finally making it to an alleyway where he fights off his fellow officers on jetpacks, then finally having a shootout of sorts with federal agents in an ultramodern Lexus plant. THIS IS JUST THE FIRST CHASE.
Those constantly accusing Cruise of vanity have no leg to stand on with Minority Report. In order to prove his innocence, Anderton has to endure a plethora of tortures. Sequences where Anderton has to have surgery on his eyes as well as relax the muscles of his face to avoid detection are less than flattering to the actor. A scene where a blind Cruise accidentally consumes rotten food is nearly vomit inducing.
Perhaps the best sequence of the film (and it’s really hard to pick which of the film could really actually be the best), has Anderton avoiding mechanical infrared detection spiders. One Scorcese-esque shot seems to last forever as the camera takes a rooftop view of an apartment building where the spiders keep searching for Anderton. Employing CGI, real sets, real actors, and an incredible amount of well-paced suspense, the scene has everything we love about Spielberg’s adventure films.
To acquit himself of the Pre-Crime, Anderton kidnaps a Pre-Cog named Agatha (Samantha Morton) to figure out the plot against him. Morton is a revelation in this film. The Pre-Cogs are virtually prisoners themselves as their abilities are seemingly harvested for public use. Playing Agatha as a scared, child-like creature; Morton is pitch-perfect in her performance. In turn, her innocence adds another level to Anderton’s struggle trying to both keep her safe from harm as well as using her to try and clear his name.
A beautiful scene setup by Spielberg has Agatha trying to talk Anderton out of confronting the man he is supposed to kill. The scene has Agatha pointing one direction while Anderton points the opposite, neither looking at each other. Agatha pointing the way to salvation the scene is breathtaking in its simplicity as is the next sequence where the prophecy of Anderton’s supposed murder runs its course.
These performances are so good that it would not even be essential for Spielberg to cast other fine performers in supporting roles, but Minority Report has its share of gems outside of its main stars. Colin Farrell was just an up and comer when he was cast as Danny Witver, the Federal Agent sent to investigate Pre-Crime. In the beginning it’s really easy to not like Witver at all, but oddly enough, Farrell’s performance starts to grow on you. Minority Report is an important early role for the actor who now is as big as any actor in Hollywood.
I have a theory that Max Von Sydow came out of the womb at 70 year’s old. Looking at nearly any Von Sydow performance, from Conan the Barbarian to Dune to The Exorcist, to Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring he looks just as he does today. Some actors are eternally young, Von Sydow is eternally old. Is that a bad thing? No, not really. I consider Von Sydow one of the best actors to ever have lived and here he gives another great turn as Pre-Crime Director Lamar Burgess. The actor brings another layer of legitimacy to a picture already with the biggest star in the world and the cinema’s most popular director. If this is Max von Sydow’s last great role, it’s a hell of a one to have.
Minority Report would mark Spielberg’s best venture into hard Science Fiction. This film doesn’t have the child-like wonderment of E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but does have awe-inspiring moments. Minority Report is a picture intended for an adult audience willing to think about the choices made in the film. War of the Worlds shows an even more adult Spielberg than Minority Report did, but the story isn’t nearly as moving. This movie is action packed entertainment, but has a soulful undercurrent that really stays with you.
Spielberg wasn’t done in 2002 entertaining the masses. His “men on the run” theme would keep going through his second entry of the year where again he would find success. Next time I’ll go into Catch Me if You Can where Spielberg would prove once again that he doesn’t need huge battles or monsters to make a great film, just a great story and tremendous acting.
