Equilibrium

In a heavily policed, oppressive future society, all feelings are illegal. All emotions are forbidden and this ethos is heavily enforced. A man in charged of enforcing this law, finds it within himself to fight back. This man, John Preston, is played by one of the best actors of our time, Christian Bale. His solemn and brooding character patrols the streets of this totalitarian state with a prideful sense of duty and justice. But when he accidentally misses a dose of the mind-numbing, emotion-suppressing drug “Prozium II”, his perception of his reality begins to fracture, and he starts “coming to his senses” regarding the truth of his purpose. This movie can seem at times somewhat of a mishmash of different sci-fi films, and thus a critique can be its at times disjointed pace. But what it succeeds at is the escapist ability of exciting visuals and innovative action, that works best for a late-night viewing.

Perhaps theres no element more innovative, or strange, than Equillibrium’s use of the martial-art “Gun Kata”, a combination of gunfighting and hand-to-hand fighting in close combat. It’s use of Gun Kata brings an essence of 70s era Kung Fu films into the Futuristic Sci-Fi world. It’s Gun Kata sequences are similar to scenes in The Matrix, as is it’s cyberpunk aesthetic. With clear parallels between this film and more popular properties like Fahrenheit 451 and 1984, it can seem slightly derivative, but in no way does that make it less fun, or interesting to watch.

Directed By: Kurt Wimmer

Starring: Christian Bale,Emily Watson, Taye Diggs

Year Released: 2002 Runtime: 107 minutes