Equilibrium (2002)

Written and Directed by Kurt Wimmer
Starring Christian Bale, Taye Diggs and Emily Watson
108 mins / Miramax / Rated R
Retail: $29.99 / Street: $22

The Cover

Low budget is one way to describe Equilibrium. It's a stark, futuristic world that looks a lot like every concrete parking structure in the world. That's not to say that the film looks cheap. Wimmer has managed to strike the perfect visual tone for a movie like this. It reminds me a lot of the movie Gattaca, they do a lot with whatever they have. Really though, the gun-based set pieces are the real draw of the movie. Wimmer has invented a style of gun fighting called "gun kata" which is more like a balletic dance than actual point and shoot. The guns are held at strange angles as the fighter strikes poses and mows down hordes of enemies. These sections fit well with in the context of the story, but at times it's seems a little gratuitous. It's violence for violence's sake, which is fine if you enjoy that sort of thing. But if you don't like violence, this really isn't the movie for you.

As usual, Christian Bale (American Psycho) succeeds at playing yet another cold-hearted bastard with a penchant for violence. Also bringing a heavyweight status to the little film is the renown Emily Watson (Punch Drunk Love, Red Dragon) who with the short time that she spends on screen, clearly shows she's a real actress in a pretty silly film. But acting isn't the reason you watch this movie. You watch because it's cool, loud and pretty.

Equilibrium is the perfect action movie to watch with popcorn and beer. Don't expect it to rock your world, but expect to have fun.

Movie Grade: B-

Video: 4 out of 5
There's some weird scratches at the beginning of the film, but otherwise an otherwise nice transfer. The "seams" of the CGI backgrounds often show, but what else do you expect?
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Gun Kata in 1100 Social Sciences. I know, I'm a dork.

Audio: 4 out of 5
Loud. Gun fire. That pretty much sums it up. I wish that there was more to say about the subtleties of the presentation, but there's no subtlety here. Pump it up.
English (Dolby 5.1)

Extras: 3.5 out of 5
The highlight are the two commentaries. One is with the director and the other is with the director and producer. And although the commentaries are informative, Wimmer comes off as a liberal, artsy-fartsy type that nervously talks about the intricacies within the film that just aren't there. Otherwise, they're worth a listen. There's a making of that's four minutes and a waste of time, plus a trailer. The heavy hands of Bob and Harvey didn't allow much else.

Overall: 3 out of 5
This is definitely more of a rental. Even the director suggests that there may be an special edition DVD sometime in the future. And besides, it's just not one of those movies that you watch over and over again. Rent it and enjoy the fights.

Buy it: Amazon