Surrogates (2009)

Director:

Jonathan Mostow

Writers (WGA):

Michael Ferris (screenplay) &
John D. Brancato (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 September 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

How do you save humanity when the only thing that's real is you?

Plot:

Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others’ surrogates.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Futuristic | Robot | FBI Agent | Husband Wife Relationship

Cast

Bruce Willis	...	Tom Greer
Radha Mitchell	...	Peters
Rosamund Pike	...	Maggie
Boris Kodjoe	...	Stone
James Francis Ginty	...	Canter Surrogate
James Cromwell	...	Older Canter
Ving Rhames	...	The Prophet
Jack Noseworthy	...	Strickland
Devin Ratray	...	Bobby
Michael Cudlitz	...	Colonel Brendon
Jeffrey De Serrano	...	Armando
Helena Mattsson	...	JJ
Michael Phillip	...	Uniformed Cop
Danny F Smith	...	Victim (as Danny Smith)
Brian A. Parrish	...	Hard Hat (as Brian Parrish)

Also Known As:

Vicarious (Philippines: English title) (review title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a drug-related scene.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45570) | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-13 | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Norway:11 | Australia:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | South Africa:13V | Hong Kong:IIA | Sweden:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Japan:G | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Some scenes were filmed at the Draper Factory in Hopedale, Massachusetts.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Greer is talking with the colonel in charge of the surrogate soldier program, the colonel's right shoulder shows a Ranger qualification tab. This tab should actually be on his left shoulder.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Male Newscaster: Still no official word on when, or if, surrogate services can be restored. It appears, at least for now... that we are on our own.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Late Show with David Letterman: (#17.14)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

HiJacker

Exhilarating and fresh idea in the realm of murder-mysteries

I really enjoy watching fast-paced thrillers and murder-mysteries. Unfortunately most films which are released these days do not put the time nor effort into flushing-out a story. Often times I resort to seedy little horror films to watch a good whodunit film. Therefore Surrogates was definitely a great surprise to me. I went in expecting some idiotic action film which should have gone straight to video and was very surprised at how engaging this film was!

The only reason I didn't give this film a 10/10 rating is because Brancato and Ferris most obviously got the idea for their script from the Wachowski Brother's of "The matrix" fame. The only difference is that instead of entering another reality people enter the body of a robot for which they use to interact with people in the world right from their homes, never having to leave the house. These Surrogates act and talk just like their counterparts back home, linked-up in their cyber-kinetic chairs, although as you will find in the first act, don't always look like them. The entire benefit of using a surrogate is to never be hurt or killed, and also to look the way you want people to see you.

Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell play two FBI agents investigating the destruction of two surrogates and their operators who were connected to them at the time, which up until then has never been possible. Now, I won't ruin anything, but lets just say that if you can use a surrogate to be "anyone you want to be" you might not really always know who you are talking too...or what their ulterior-motives are!!

The storytelling, twists & turns, and fast-paced action really move this film along. Also, the special effects are so well put together that when you are watching people on the screen you really believe out of this world things are happening to them...but to me the best part or character of the film is Radha Mitchell. She is required to take on so many different things here and also be believable, and she pulled it off very well indeed!

I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie and at a midnight screening as well. "Surrogates" is definitely worth seeing on the big screen, so don't miss it!