Surrogates – Review

Reviews, Theatrical Reviews

Bruce Willis delivers another good, but not great, film

surrogates
Image Courtesy of IMPawards.com

Director: Jonathan Mostow
Notable Cast:
Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames, Jack Noseworthy

In today’s world, one can log onto a computer and craft a whole new persona then the one that actually comprises the one that is in the real world. The person you are, and the person you see yourself as, can become one (so to speak) when you sit behind a computer. Surrogates takes this and postulates it further: imagine you could turn a machine on and live your life through a body custom-designed body that feels no pain, never gets sick and allows you to have the sort of perfection that only hard work and genetic luck provides.

Set in this world, something unspeakable has happened: a homicide. When two people die when their surrogates are destroyed (something that isn’t supposed to happen due to fail-safes), Detective Greer (Bruce Willis) and his partner (Radha Mitchell) find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery that reaches to the highest levels and reaches the leader of a group of rebels (Ving Rhames) who eschew the “surrogate” lifestyle and instead rely on living their lives through their own bodies. And chocking in at 100 minutes, this is a film that deserves to be longer because it’s so fascinating.

The story itself is nothing we haven’t seen and there isn’t anything new developed from the characters and their motivations, et al. Jonathan Mostow, who last delivered standard actioneer Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines to theatres, delivers a detective story with action trappings that’s pretty standard for the genre. This isn’t L.A Confidential, nor does it try to be. The better comparison would be to I, Robot without the sort of development that film had. This is a detective story that throws in all the usual plot twists and turns, plus standard characters (F.E, detective with family issues? Check) to lead to the perfunctory conclusion. Without the sci-fi trappings this is a standard film for the genre, but the trappings are what make the film that much better.

Mostow develops a world similar to ours, set ostensibly 20 years from now, and manages to deliver one significantly different and alluring. The makeup and design of the film are interesting; Willis, in his surrogate form, looks nearly the same as he did in Die Hard twenty years ago (with significantly more hair), and yet manages to look real enough to pass for human. Radha Mitchell, already a markedly beautiful woman, has any of what could be flaws polished out for her surrogate form as well, and that can be said of the rest of the cast (including extras). The makeup and effects people definitely earned their salaries on this one; everyone looks flawless and yet just enough to look like approximations of humanity as opposed to flawless people. It’s disconcerting enough to make one notice but at the same time it makes for a wonderful environment. Mostow’s ability to develop an atmosphere is on display in force.

Willis is also a highlight of the film, both in his surrogate form and later in his regular form (graying with a goatee). This isn’t him playing John McLane, or any other variant of the tough guy detective. Willis is expanding his repertoire to a developed character, as opposed to merely his action persona, and he delivers quite well. Greer is a man who’s lost a child and has a failing relationship with his wife. The script goes beyond the usual sorts of relationship a grizzled cop and his wife should have, giving them a sort of humanity that most movie couples in this genre don’t have. It’s a rare touch and isn’t explored nearly as well as it could be.

This is a film that is pared down to the bone when it could’ve allowed more time for exploration. The film is heavy on plot but takes compresses and condenses it to the point where the film is affected significantly for it. Surrogates is a solid resume-padder for Willis, who has embraced his status as an action icon after almost a decade between action films, but isn’t anywhere near the top of the films he’s been associating with.

FINAL RATING (ON A SCALE OF 1-5 BUCKETS):