Ben Affleck stars as Michael Jennings, a reverse engineer who's hired by major corporations to build products superior to all rival companies. Afterwards, his memory is erased by a partner of his (Paul Giamatti) and he's given a large paycheck for his time and troubles; usually the whole process takes about three months. His latest offer comes from an old friend of his (Aaron Eckhart), who promises an eight-figure deal at the end of the transaction. The catch is that the whole procedure will take three years. Despite some reluctance, he agrees to the deal and when the three years pass by, Jennings, thinking he's a rich man, is shocked to discover he gave up over ninety million dollars in favor of an envelope containing twenty everyday household items.
The film is superbly directed by John Woo. It's like an assembly of classic parts from technological thrillers: the vast laboratory, the cold-blooded billionaire industrialist, the hero in a situation that he doesn't understand, the professional security men who line up to get bumped off by the amateur computer nerd. The hero awakens in a situation that mystifies him as much as the audience. As he puts the pieces of the puzzle together with side kick helper Uma Thurman the script Woo has to work keeps the audience hanging on to every next revelation piece of the technological thriller. The film erupts at the end to Woo's signature hand at sublime well choreographed Hong Kong mash that in turn packs the audience's hang to a crisp.
There are concepts in this movie that specifically intrigue , the first one is choosing deliberately to erase your own memory. Take, for instance, the fact that the hero loses his memory over the three year span. Does the last thing he remembers feel like a three-year old memory or an event that happened just a second ago? The major science fiction concept, the ability to see into the future, is explored with much interest and it leads to a number of baffling questions. You see, it's revealed Jennings sent himself those twenty items because they can come in handy at a specific moment that'll help him survive or escape from a dangerous situation.
The profound lesson in the film's end resonates strongly and has the audience thinking about their future and our future here on planet Earth. If a film can do that, it can't be all that bad. The film is based on the science fiction writing of Philip Dick, a great mind and perhaps a soothsayer to what lies ahead for all of us. A great theme for this film might be little things mean a lot or thanks for the memories!
The film is superbly directed by John Woo. It's like an assembly of classic parts from technological thrillers: the vast laboratory, the cold-blooded billionaire industrialist, the hero in a situation that he doesn't understand, the professional security men who line up to get bumped off by the amateur computer nerd. The hero awakens in a situation that mystifies him as much as the audience. As he puts the pieces of the puzzle together with side kick helper Uma Thurman the script Woo has to work keeps the audience hanging on to every next revelation piece of the technological thriller. The film erupts at the end to Woo's signature hand at sublime well choreographed Hong Kong mash that in turn packs the audience's hang to a crisp.
There are concepts in this movie that specifically intrigue , the first one is choosing deliberately to erase your own memory. Take, for instance, the fact that the hero loses his memory over the three year span. Does the last thing he remembers feel like a three-year old memory or an event that happened just a second ago? The major science fiction concept, the ability to see into the future, is explored with much interest and it leads to a number of baffling questions. You see, it's revealed Jennings sent himself those twenty items because they can come in handy at a specific moment that'll help him survive or escape from a dangerous situation.
The profound lesson in the film's end resonates strongly and has the audience thinking about their future and our future here on planet Earth. If a film can do that, it can't be all that bad. The film is based on the science fiction writing of Philip Dick, a great mind and perhaps a soothsayer to what lies ahead for all of us. A great theme for this film might be little things mean a lot or thanks for the memories!