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How many times have you seen a sci-fi film where the cops want
to do their job and uphold justice but somehow their morality gets
to them and it’s about protecting the innocent? We have seen it
in films such as “Logan’s Run” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”
and even in “Minority Report”. Well, in “Equilibrium”, the story
is not so new, but the action scenes are electrifying and some of
the dialogues are thought-proving enough to see this film. Look
Out Vin Diesel – Taye Diggs is the next great action star.
In a world where human emotions are suppressed and controlled by
pills, one man begins to break out of his shell. Under the leadership
of the Father (Macfadyen), the nation is under his control. Although
no one has physically been in contact with him for some time, his
image represents power. His edict is to destroy all forms of art
or “creative expressions”. Death to all whom disobeys. Clerick John
Preston (Bale) is the top dog of the enforcement unit. He is a Grammation,
an officer who tracks and kills who defy the Father. When he fails
to administer his dose of Prozia II, the drug used to control emotion,
he begins to feel and connect with the “outsiders”. Starting to
recollect memories of his past, including those of his wife, John
starts helping those captured escape death. The leader of the other
side then recruits John to overthrow the government he works for.
Sensing some compassion coming from John, his partner (Diggs) gets
more dangerous as the civilians are starting to become more dangerous
than before. It’s a race before time as John is torn between saving
the lives of the innocent, including a future love (Watson), and
obeying the government that has given freedom for him and his family.
Director Wimmer has done a good job of taking a tried story and
injecting it with some action that matches “The Matrix”. Bale, who
is becoming a better actor with each different role he takes, is
solid as the cold soldier who starts to feel compassion and can’t
shake it. It also helps out the Bale is physically able to carry
out some of the action in which he runs and shoots and fights numerous
foes. Diggs, in an unromantic role for a change, is very debonair
and ice cold as the partner of Bale’s character. It’s a change that
Diggs needs for his career and it works. His expressions may always
look the same, but represents different meanings. With the right
script, he could easily make the transition to the action genre.
The rest of the cast (Watson, Bean, and Macfadyen) is completely
wasted. For a film that’s about controlling emotions, EQUILIBRIUM
will definitely make you ponder as come to see what many will consider
to be an action driven film.
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