Minority Report (2002)

In a future where a special police unit is able to arrest murderers before they commit their crimes, an officer from that unit is himself accused of a future murder.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Philip K. Dick (short story), Scott Frank (screenplay),

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Colin Farrell

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 16 wins & 50 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Chief John Anderton
Max von Sydow	...	Director Lamar Burgess
Steve Harris	...	Jad
Neal McDonough	...	Fletcher
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Knott
Jessica Capshaw	...	Evanna
Richard Coca	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Keith Campbell	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Kirk B.R. Woller	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Klea Scott	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Frank Grillo	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Anna Maria Horsford	...	Casey
Sarah Simmons	...	Lamar Burgess' Secretary
Eugene Osment	...	Jad's Technician
James Henderson	...	Office Worker

Storyline

In the year 2054 A.D. crime is virtually eliminated from Washington D.C. thanks to an elite law enforcing squad "Precrime". They use three gifted humans (called "Pre-Cogs") with special powers to see into the future and predict crimes beforehand. John Anderton heads Precrime and believes the system's flawlessness steadfastly. However one day the Pre-Cogs predict that Anderton will commit a murder himself in the next 36 hours. Worse, Anderton doesn't even know the victim. He decides to get to the mystery's core by finding out the 'minority report' which means the prediction of the female Pre-Cog Agatha that "might" tell a different story and prove Anderton innocent.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | future | washington d.c. | computer | psychic | 

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Taglines:

Everybody Runs...

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Genres:

Action | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, brief language, some sexuality and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Foxjapan [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swedish

Release Date:

21 June 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Minority report: Sentencia previa

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$102,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,543,533 (Japan) (6 December 2002)

Gross:

$15,916,084 (Japan) (31 January 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, DreamWorks SKG, Cruise/Wagner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The small storage media used throughout the film are clear plastic versions of Iomega's PocketZip disks.

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Goofs

The year when the PreCrime program started, is referenced variously as 2045, 2046, and 2048 by the different characters.

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Quotes

[while he's kicking Leo on the floor]
John Anderton: Is he alive? He's alive. Where've you got him? Is he all right?
[shouting]
John Anderton: Tell me, you fuck, where is he?

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Crazy Credits

The distributor and production company credits look like they are underwater, which ties into the opening shot of Agatha in the tank.

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Connections

References Dead Again (1991)

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Soundtracks

"Sma Grodorna (Little Frogs)"
Traditional
Performed by 'Caroline Lagerfelt (I)'

User Reviews

One of the best/most complex science fiction films

Steven Spielberg sets Minority Report in the near future of 2054, in which the technology is advanced, but not far-fetched. Cars can drive themselves and ride up elevators, computers come with holograms as a user interface, and stores recognize you from your eyeball scan. As all science fiction fans know, however, the genre is not about technology but about ideas. The big idea for Minority Report is based on a short story by the venerable Philip K. Dick. In this future, there is a "pre-crime" unit in the police force, which revolves around three psychics who are able to see violent crimes before they occur. These visions are projected in a flat screen panel and manipulated by detectives with the grace of a symphony conductor. Equipped with futuristic stun guns, jet packs, and search robots, these cops then arrest and intern the criminals before the crimes are committed.

We learn all this in the first ten minutes of the movie. After this introduction, the plot really starts when Detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise) finds out that the precogs saw him kill someone, someone that he has never met. He finds himself in a race. With the forced recruitment of a precog, Agatha (Samantha Morton), he must clear his name before the predetermined murder. All the while, his old buddies, now helped with a special agent from the FBI (Colin Farrell), are trying to track him down.

Spielberg, with Janusz Kaminski, his cinematographer for many films, have crafted a visually stunning movie. The special effects are seamlessly incorporated of the world they created. The muted blues echo the style of black & white film noirs. John Anderton is similar to noir's morally ambiguous characters--a good cop with an illegal habit that is forced (by circumstances and desire) to betray the very things he loves.

But this is not just a special effects or mystery movie. The characters, all well drawn, are supremely acted by the cast. Tom Cruise is a good physical actor and he shows it here. By the way he sits or walks, we can intuit the grief and confusion that's going through him. Samantha Morton does a good job of portraying a haunted young lady who has seen too much. Colin Farrell skillfully balances the ambitious and professional sides of his character. As always, Max von Sydow authoritatively plays the respected father figure.

This is one of my favorite Science Fiction films. I would also recommend the following films. These (I think) influenced Minority Report.

"The Maltese Falcon" ~ film noir "A Clockwork Orange" ~ science fiction "Blade Runner" ~ science fiction (also based on a Dick story)

***** out of *****