I first saw Strange Days in theater when it came out, and liked it a lot. The film is superb both visually and aurally, so when seen on the big screen, the visceral effect it has is tremendous. Until a couple of months ago I had good memories of the film, but then I saw it again on video, and had to revise some of my opinions.
First of all, the plot, the dialogue and the characters in the movie are somewhat clichéd. At times Strange Days feels genuinely fresh and innovative, but the basic suspense film setup, used in thousands of movies, makes some of the scenes appear pretty awkward. The actors are a mixed bag as well; Ralph Fiennes and Angela Basset do a fine job, but Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore and Michael Wincott pull off with their usual mannerisms, so I felt like watching Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore and Michael Wincott instead of their characters.
The film's worst flaw, however, is the conclusion of the murder mystery; I didn't like it when I first saw Strange Days, and on the second viewing it felt even more blatant. Without giving away the ending I can say it is the most basic kind of solution a thriller could ever offer. Worst of all, it comes straight out of the blue, making it quite hard to swallow. Also, the resolution of the cop conspiracy plot was a bit too easy; this is a dystopy, so the explanation given felt somewhat too optimistic. I would've liked a stronger anti-police message.
I think the movie would've probably been better without the whole whodunit angle. Strange Days has a great cyberpunkish feel to it, so it could've just been an atmospheric mixture of politics, science fiction and romance. Now it is just a good-looking sci-fi flick with some originality and far too much conventionality.
First of all, the plot, the dialogue and the characters in the movie are somewhat clichéd. At times Strange Days feels genuinely fresh and innovative, but the basic suspense film setup, used in thousands of movies, makes some of the scenes appear pretty awkward. The actors are a mixed bag as well; Ralph Fiennes and Angela Basset do a fine job, but Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore and Michael Wincott pull off with their usual mannerisms, so I felt like watching Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore and Michael Wincott instead of their characters.
The film's worst flaw, however, is the conclusion of the murder mystery; I didn't like it when I first saw Strange Days, and on the second viewing it felt even more blatant. Without giving away the ending I can say it is the most basic kind of solution a thriller could ever offer. Worst of all, it comes straight out of the blue, making it quite hard to swallow. Also, the resolution of the cop conspiracy plot was a bit too easy; this is a dystopy, so the explanation given felt somewhat too optimistic. I would've liked a stronger anti-police message.
I think the movie would've probably been better without the whole whodunit angle. Strange Days has a great cyberpunkish feel to it, so it could've just been an atmospheric mixture of politics, science fiction and romance. Now it is just a good-looking sci-fi flick with some originality and far too much conventionality.