Déjà Vu Review
by Clint Morris
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I didn’t need to experience the trailer for Denzel
Washington’s newie to know that it intrigued me about as much as
interning under a Mix amitosis specialist. And I don’t need to see the
film any more than once – though, funnily enough, it does feel
cacophonously familiar – to know that my initial assumption wasn’t far
off the mark.
I don’t know where. I don’t know when. I don’t know in what form. I just know I’ve seen Déjà Vu before.
Here’s
what I remember: Denzel Washington as an ATF agent, investigating a
tragic act of terrorism that killed a boatload of innocent New Orleans
residents. Gets recruited by an off-the-book government troupe that has
invented a time-travelling machine (of sorts). Determined to save the
people – in particular, one woman (Paula Patton) whose murder he has
been especially fixated on solving – the lone gun volunteers to be the
first human to use the time-travelling machine, and fix the past. Hmmm.
Something about this…. But, I don’t remember Denzel being in it….. and,
I don’t think it was a ferry…. But there was a time-travelling machine
like that…and, well, I dunno.
Does it ring a bell to you? Is it Timecop? Is it Memento? Is it Frequency – nah, surely it’s not Frequency;
after all why would Jim Caviezel, who plays the villain in this thing,
do two films that are so similar? - or is it simply a ‘best bits’
of other time-travel films trying to pass itself off as something fresh
and imaginative. Hard to say. What is easy to admit is that the script
for this wannabe mindroot is a smug bastard of a blueprint. It may be
pieced well together, it may even have some good dialogue, but it sure
does think it’s the valedictorian of science-fiction thrillers. In all
frankness, it ain’t that smart. In fact, once you join-the-dots –
which, for me, happened pretty early on – you’ve got nothing to do but
to watch the film play out. (It’s in instances like this, that I wish
there were an ‘off’ button for my brain).
At the same time, filmmaker Tony Scott (who worked with Washington on Crimson Tide and Man on Fire)
and producer Jerry Bruckheimer know how to hold an audiences attention
– even if it isn’t with their storytelling skills. Here, they keep us
captivated with some snazzy visuals, good use of music, a snappy pace,
and, of course, an always-engaging lead man.
Washington
mightn’t have a lot to chew on here, but the film is all the more
better because he’s in it. He gives the role his everything – and even
if you’ve guessed the outcome of the movie by the third act, keeps you
interested, almost to the tune of the audience questioning whether they
actually have got the right plot outcome in their head. I think he
makes you believe it’s a better movie – and therefore, there must be
more to the plot – than it is.
Same with the supporting cast,
though unlike Washington, they’ve got nothing to do. Folks like Val
Kilmer, Jim Caviezel, Bruce Greenwood, Adam Goldberg, Elden Henson and
Matt Craven seem to have been cast for “why not?” reasons. Obviously,
Scott’s worked with them all before –or knows he can pull in favours
from elsewhere – so has cast names in even the most inconsequential of
parts. It’s sad to see actors wasted like this – just to make a film
look prettier.
If you like your time-travel movies, you’ll like
this one too. You have seen it all before – or have you? – but it’ll
still keep you in the game until the final quarter. 3 out
of 5 Déjà Vu
Australian
release: 18th January,
2007
Cast: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Paula Patton, Bruce Greenwood, Adam Goldberg
Director: Tony Scott
Website: Click
here.
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