Deja Vu

 

 

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An ATF agent, Doug Carlin, is called in to investigate a ferry explosion.
During his investigation he stumbles upon the body of a murdered girl. He knows she is somehow connected to the bombing. With the help of some very high-tech, Einstein inspired, government equipment, he is able to watch the last four days of her life.
As he watches her last moments, he cannot stop himself from falling in love with her and becomes determined to recover her life. Carlin needs to travel back in time, save the girl and stop the terrorist, but has to be quick for the clock is ticking....
A Tony Scott/Denzel Washington collaboration is always worth watching as they usually deliver a movie with an intricate plot, thrilling action sequences, and characters that are driven by their emotions. These are rare qualities in action movies to-day. Déjà vu is no exception for it has all these qualities and more. The supporting cast is fantastic, a sublime Adam Goldberg makes a great super intelligent and witty side kick to Washington and Jim Caviezel is unnerving as the psychopath who believes his actions are for a greater good. Be warned; if you are a Val Kilmer fan, you will be a little bit disappointed as he seems to be a bystander in most events and not a participant. I have the impression that most of his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.

Like all time travel stories it will leave you with questions e.g. if this event did not take place how come Carlin knew to go back and stop it happening. Unfortunately as with all time travel tales I don't think this can be avoided but don't get too hung up about it; just let it wash over you and enjoy the film. The ending is slightly weak and leans towards the saccharin but you can forgive Déjà Vu these few flaws. This is the thinking person's action movie and after you have watched it you will probably be compelled to watch it all over again.

This movie was incredible and quite interesting. Despite the fact that many folks seem to embrace Ridley Scott's grandiose directorial style, they often refer to younger brother Tony's work as "amateurish." I on the other hand can't help but be wowed by Tony Scott's flashy, in your face, kinetic editing style. "Déjà vu" would have been "just another thriller" had it not been for Scott's trademark touches. That being said it's Scott's style coupled with some solid performances that are the only things holding together what otherwise probably would have been just another dumbed down Bruckheimer explosion fest helmed by Michael Bay. It's also heartwarming to know that the film was shot on location in New Orleans post-Katrina.

We may have time travel, time warp movies before but "Déjà Vu" is special in that the production made the city of New Orleans, its people and landscapes very much 'a character in the film. The performances from the leads were solid all around. Denzel is of course... well he's Denzel. When he rants and raves on the big screen he commands the attention of the other characters as well as the audience. Val Kilmer pulls his own weight, literally, putting on the pounds to amply play a supporting role. His performance is pretty straightforward, but the performance I was both impressed and disappointed was Jim Caviezel's. As much as I was wowed by his character I was so intrigued by him that it made me a bit disappointed hat he got such little screen time. True they did describe in brief what motivated him to do the things he did but it all felt so rushed as he only showed up as the film was hitting it's stride. Producer-turned-actress Paula Patton is beautifully exotic, which makes Denzel's decision to save her digestible. Adam Goldberg as stereotypical looking scientist provides welcome comic relief, aptly punctuating tense or mind-numbing scenes.

Nonetheless, "Déjà vu" is a good, neat thriller, even if it doesn't pack a punch or feel as twisted and comfortably numbing as "Domino," "Man On Fire," "True Romance," or even Scott's earlier works." Déjà vu" might explain the all-too- familiar characters or the never-ending cycle of love interests that just has to lay its turf in every adventure film. At the end credits, it's thoughtfully included that the film is dedicated to the strength and enduring spirit of the people of New Orleans. Action fans will have a good time with it, thriller fans will love it,

Looks like a bit of terrorist hanky panky is about to take place; we get a front row first hand view of the action. The real story starts when one of the apparent victims Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton) washes upon shore an hour too early. This intrigues an ATF Agent Doug Carlin (well acted by Denzel Washington.) During the investigation Doug starts to fall in love with the victim (yes this has happened before in "Laura" with Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney -Déjà Vu.)

The question is will life and technologies allow Doug to make a small correction to future history? Or is this a world of "what will be will be"?

This film has a lot of good explosive action and beautiful people that just can not be replaced by CGI. And don't overlook the acting ability of Val Kilmer.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
It's hard to add anything to the comments other reviewers have made about this marvelous film. Probably two of the most interesting parts of the story are Denzel's character,... Read more

Published 10 months ago by M. Bailin

4.0 out of 5 stars surprisingly good
I just sat down to watch this, with family.
What we expected: a typical Hollywood action-packed blockbuster with a great idea, destroyed in all ways possible. Read more

Published on Aug 6 2007 by Francesca Jourdan

5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie with an incredible cast!
First of all, any movies with Denzel Washington is worthy of a good credit due to his generosity as an actor and this one is no exception, since he pulls out another great... Read more

Published on May 3 2007 by D. Landry

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great movie with an incredible cast!
First of all, any movies with Denzel Washington is worthy of a good credit due to his generosity as an actor and this one is no exception, since he pulls out another great... Read more

Published on May 1 2007 by D. Landry

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