Minority Report - Film ReviewWho wouldn't want to live in a world where murder didn't exist? The citizens of Washington, DC, have it in the year 2054, and it's been that way for them for six years. Law enforcement benefits from having three people with an extraordinary gift of foresight. They are called pre-cogs, and have the same names as three well-known mystery writers - Agatha, Arthur, and Dashiell. They live a very controlled life inside a part of the police department building, where their minds and bodies are controlled to the point where their only function is to foresee crimes and name the future victims and perpetrators. They never leave the room especially created for them. A ...view middle of the document...
The release of "Minority Report" comes at a time where Americans are questioning the intentions of others more often than usual. Should we, or do we, give up freedoms in exchange for security? The answer is we cannot, for no measure of protection assures total security. Today, police occasionally use psychics, and do get a few results. In this future society, the psychics not only get more prominence, but they are used to prevent crimes when they feel crimes are going to occur. This is in direct opposition to the belief used in the justice system today, where someone is innocent until proven guilty. Also, humans will always be a part of any system of justice, and will, therefore, not be perfect. Anyone with intimate knowledge of a justice system, such as the one in this movie, will know how to sway this justice. This, naturally, does happen during "Minority Report."Two of the themes of many a Steven Spielberg movie have been the secrecy and selfishness of man, especially of men in authority. In films like "E.T." and "Raiders Of The Lost Ark," Spielberg featured characters who wanted to keep discoveries to themselves, but the tone of these films was lighter. Beginning with "Schindler's List," though, Spielberg has pointed his focus more toward a darker side of human nature. In "Minority Report," Anderton has to fight both a system and his own demons. Anderton knows how unforgiving the system can be on both counts. The key question I would have, however, is that nobody ever openly questions why people who haven't committed crimes are being incarcerated. I'm sure some lawyer, or group of lawyers, would have tied up the courts with arguments against pre-crime.The performance from Tom Cruise is one he doesn't get to deliver often enough. On the job, he is a maestro, orchestrating both the technology and his staff to enforce the law. He is as passionate for his work as he is tough and smart. When he's off duty, he is dealing with the death of a son who was kidnapped and killed. In addition to his sorrow, he is separated from his wife, and he turns to drugs to drown his sorrow. Anderton is a torn man, with only a quest for justice to keep him from completely unraveling. He also gets a chance to show some comic skills, such as the scene where he inadvertently grabs some old food from Dr. Solomon's refrigerator.Cruise is his usually appealing self, but in a more complex way than his usual fare.Morton gives a strong performance as Agatha, the brilliant pre-cog who, like Arthur and Dashiell, is a prisoner of her own mind. In spite of all the visions of murder she has, she shows she can have just as much room in her heart for love and compassion. Farrell and Von Sydow are also very good the police officials who are trying to ensure that the nationalization of Pre-Crime go off without a hitch, but for entirely different reasons. Four other actors make memorable impressions in very limited roles. First, there's Lois Smith as Dr. Hineman, who explains ...
