Deja Vu just might make you say boo!
Written: May 13 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Excellent cast, and enough action to keep you entertained.
Cons: One slow spot.
The Bottom Line: Over analyzing Deja Vu could possibly cloud the film’s basic premise.
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| cntaur5's Full Review: Deja Vu |
Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone studio thriller Deja Vu (2006) tells the story of ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) investigating a bombing of a New Orleans ferry that killed approximately 500 people including military personnel. During his investigation the decomposing body of Claire Kuchever is washed ashore but it does not tie in with the bombing. Agent Carlin begins his investigation eventually interviewing her father (Enrique Castillo) eventually searching her apartment. After finding lots of odd evidence including the words, "U CAN SAVE HER" stuck on the refrigerator with magnetic letters. Agent Carlin is invited to join a special unit run by FBI Agent Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer). This group has the ability to go back four days and six hours in the past using a high tech visual time machine. Agent Carlin wants to save the ferry and Claire, however to do it he must attempt the impossible and go back in time.
The film’s "save the cheerleader save the world" (NBC's Heroes) theme works for this film despite its lengthy 1 hour and 28 minute runtime. Action, intrigue and the mysterious plot matches the film's short title. The lines between good and evil are clearly defined as a New Orleans Ferry becomes a battleground of blood and guts in a race to stop it from blowing up. The acting in this film is good. Washington's all to familiar role stands out because his character Doug Carlin is a real man, who wants to make a difference and he's in pursuit of a quest that's as unbelievable and pragmatically impossible. The lovely actress Paula Patton idiosyncratic performance as the damsel in distress brings to mind Halley Berry and Jessica Alba as she leaves her own distinct impression in this film. James Caviezel delivered as the antagonist while Kilmer's low-key character added some interesting dynamics to the cast.
Deja Vu is rated PG-13 for its strong progression of violence, sensuality, disquieting metaphors and camouflaged nudity. Most of the swanky visuals come from the surveillance scenes of Patton's character. The difficult portions of the film are found in it post-Katrina dialogue about New Orleans, and terrorism. There are several edge of your seat moments and some scenes are a little more intense than others. For example in one violent scene a woman is bound, gagged and dosed with gasoline. Director Tony Scott's does an excellent job playing on his audiences primal fears mixing it with dynamic visuals that makes this high sci-fi concept oddly plausible.
Deja Vu is the type of movie you watch at home on a Friday night when things are a little slow. The dramatic opening of the ferry explosion sets up the viewer well. Director Scott's climatic storyline steadily pushes to a conclusion that's satisfying and yet questionable. Several times through out the film my mind wondered to New Orleans and the devastation done by Hurricane Katrina, however over analyzing a good thriller could possibly cloud the film's basic premise. Popular producer Jerry Bruckheimer DVD is not loaded with extras but "The Surveillance Window" with the behind the scene footage of the movie and the extended and deleted scenes deliver a few extra tidbits worth viewing. This is a good date flick, with enough action and surveillance voyeurism to lure in any decent action junkie.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Date Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Duration
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