Impostor (2001)

In the future, an alien race uses androids as bombs to attack Earth. A government weapons specialist is accused of being one such android and sets out to prove his innocence.

Director:

Gary Fleder

Writers:

Philip K. Dick (short story "The Impostor"), Scott Rosenberg (adaptation)

Stars:

Shane Brolly, Vincent D'Onofrio, Gary Sinise

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Sinise	...	Spencer Olham
Madeleine Stowe	...	Maya Olham
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Hathaway
Tony Shalhoub	...	Nelson Gittes
Tim Guinee	...	Dr. Carone
Mekhi Phifer	...	Cale
Gary Dourdan	...	Captain Burke
Lindsay Crouse	...	Chancellor
Elizabeth Peña	...	Midwife (as Elizabeth Pena)
Jason Beck	...	Gang Boy #2
Judy Jean Berns	...	Disgruntled Woman
Veena Bidasha	...	Frowning Nurse
Ellen Bradley	...	Nursing Mother
Shane Brolly	...	Lt. Burrows
Golden Brooks	...	Cale's Sister

Storyline

Originally a 30 minute portion for an anthology film, Impostor was retooled into a full length feature film. Based on the Philip K. Dick short story of the same name, it follows the lead character Spencer Olham's quest to regain his identity after being suspected as an alien android, in an future Earth at war with aliens that use the androids as bombs to destroy their enemies homeworlds.

---

Plot Keywords:

android | alien | bomb | future | weapon | 

---

Taglines:

In the Future, not everyone is who they seem to be.

---

Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Uljez

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,022,523 (USA) (4 January 2002)

Gross:

$6,114,237 (USA) (18 January 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, Marty Katz Productions, Mojo Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 102 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film takes place in 2079.

---

Goofs

After Spencer fires the Glock at the guards, though the gun is out of focus in the foreground, you can see that it has a round "stovepiped" (jammed sideways in the firing chamber and preventing the slide from closing). The gun is useless in this condition, yet Spencer continues to point it as if he were ready to fire.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Spencer Olham: There wasn't always a war with the Centauri, but in my lifetime it's all I've ever known. By the year 2050, six years after the first attack, we'd lost so many things. We'd lost the sky to electromagnetic domes, to shield the Earth from frequent air raids increasing in intensity. We'd lost the uncovered cities that the government forgot. We'd lost democracy to global leadership. We didn't expect peace anymore with the Centauri, because we came to see that peace wasn't their goal. ...

---

Connections

Features Gattaca (1997)

---

Soundtracks

Tribal Flight 1
by Richard Downing
Courtesy of Associated Production Music LLC

User Reviews

Skip the full length movie; watch the short version!

I watched the feature length "director's cut", then viewed the 37 minute short version on the dvd. The short film is much better! It's more faithful to the PKD story and captures the theme of identity and illusion vs reality more concisely. It's essentially the beginning and ending of the feature w/additional scenes that flesh out the characters. The short makes Olham a little more contradictory - he tells his wife that his project is a good thing, then he questions what he's doing with his friend at the Project. What's missing is the interminable chase that's been done better in innumerable films (see The Running Man for example). Vincent D'Onofrio is a particularly good villain who's not really a villain (or is he?)......................