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Total Recall

  • 1990
  • R
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
341K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
690
256
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall (1990)
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99+ Photos
ActionAdventureSci-Fi

When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he... Read allWhen a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?

  • Director
    • Paul Verhoeven
  • Writers
    • Philip K. Dick
    • Ronald Shusett
    • Dan O'Bannon
  • Stars
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger
    • Sharon Stone
    • Michael Ironside
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    341K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    690
    256
    • Director
      • Paul Verhoeven
    • Writers
      • Philip K. Dick
      • Ronald Shusett
      • Dan O'Bannon
    • Stars
      • Arnold Schwarzenegger
      • Sharon Stone
      • Michael Ironside
    • 561User reviews
    • 266Critic reviews
    • 60Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 7 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos7

    Total Recall (1990)
    Trailer 1:00
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    Total Recall (1990)
    Trailer 2:08
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    Total Recall (1990)
    Trailer 0:57
    Watch Total Recall (1990)
    What Roles Has Colin Farrell Been Considered For?
    Clip 3:40
    Watch What Roles Has Colin Farrell Been Considered For?
    Total Recall: Make-Up And Special Effects (German)
    Featurette 1:53
    Watch Total Recall: Make-Up And Special Effects (German)
    Total Recall: Writing The Script (German)
    Featurette 0:42
    Watch Total Recall: Writing The Script (German)
    What Roles Has Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down?
    Video 3:34
    Watch What Roles Has Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down?

    Photos774

    Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall (1990)
    Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone in Total Recall (1990)
    Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone in Total Recall (1990)
    Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bob Tzudiker in Total Recall (1990)
    Rachel Ticotin in Total Recall (1990)
    Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall (1990)
    Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall (1990)
    Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone in Total Recall (1990)
    Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rachel Ticotin in Total Recall (1990)
    Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronny Cox in Total Recall (1990)
    Michael Ironside, Debbie Lee Carrington, Michael Champion, and Dean Norris in Total Recall (1990)
    Dean Norris in Total Recall (1990)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Arnold Schwarzenegger
    Arnold Schwarzenegger
    • Quaid
    Sharon Stone
    Sharon Stone
    • Lori
    Michael Ironside
    Michael Ironside
    • Richter
    Rachel Ticotin
    Rachel Ticotin
    • Melina
    Ronny Cox
    Ronny Cox
    • Cohaagen
    Marshall Bell
    Marshall Bell
    • George…
    Mel Johnson Jr.
    Mel Johnson Jr.
    • Benny
    Michael Champion
    Michael Champion
    • Helm
    Roy Brocksmith
    Roy Brocksmith
    • Dr. Edgemar
    Ray Baker
    Ray Baker
    • McClane
    Rosemary Dunsmore
    Rosemary Dunsmore
    • Dr. Lull
    David Knell
    David Knell
    • Ernie
    Alexia Robinson
    Alexia Robinson
    • Tiffany
    Dean Norris
    Dean Norris
    • Tony
    Mark Carlton
    • Bartender
    Debbie Lee Carrington
    Debbie Lee Carrington
    • Thumbelina
    Lycia Naff
    Lycia Naff
    • Mary
    Robert Costanzo
    Robert Costanzo
    • Harry
    • (as Bobby Costanzo)
    • Director
      • Paul Verhoeven
    • Writers
      • Philip K. Dick(inspiration)
      • Ronald Shusett
      • Dan O'Bannon
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      After seeing Sharon Stone's performance as Lori in this movie, director Paul Verhoeven would cast her in the movie Basic Instinct (1992) due to her ability to play a character that could change from a timid charming sweetheart to a diabolical person and back again at a moment's notice. He also stated that this is the way Sharon Stone is in real life.
    • Goofs
      Quaid touches walls, switches on lights, and grabs Lori's arms to explain that he is being hunted by spies, then shows his blood-covered hands to her, yet there is no blood on her arms or the walls.
    • Quotes

      Lori: Doug, honey... you wouldn't hurt me, would you, sweetheart? Sweetheart, be reasonable. After all, we're married!

      [Lori goes for her gun, Quaid shoots her in the head, killing her]

      Douglas Quaid: Consider that a divorce!

    • Crazy credits
      Play the Total Recall (1990) video game by Acclaim.
    • Alternate versions
      The Finnish theatrical release (1990) was rated K/F-18 but still cut by 23 seconds. The VHS release (1991) was rated K/F-16 and cut by 68 seconds. The DVD release of 2001 is rated K/F-18 and is listed as uncut.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Total Recall/Strapless/Fire Birds/Class of 1999/Jesus of Montreal (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Mutant Dancing
      Written and Performed by Bruno Louchouarn

      Produced by Joe La Mont

      Published by Lygon St. Music and Barney Sue Music

    User reviews561

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Great action, great suspense, great cultural satire, and a great mind-bender
    Set during an unspecified future era, Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a construction worker who longs for a trip to Mars. His wife, Lori (Sharon Stone) isn't so keen on it--she'd prefer a trip to Saturn, or a space cruise. Riding on the subway one day, Quaid notices a television advertisement for a company named Rekall, which specializes in memory implants of vacations. Quaid checks into it as an alternate means of having a "Mars vacation". While at Rekall, he chooses an alternate personality upgrade of a secret agent. However, while undergoing the procedure, something goes wrong. He learns that his Quaid identity was a memory implant and he really _is_ a secret agent. Now that he has his real memory back, he's on the run and he escapes to Mars. But why is everyone after him?

    Total Recall, based on "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale", a short story from 1974 by Philip K. Dick (and novelized in conjunction with the film production by Piers Anthony), had a laborious history getting to the silver screen. Tens of drafts were written. Production companies were attached then went out of business. Many directors and stars were attached who either changed their minds or who were dropped. Luckily, Arnold Schwarzenegger talked Carolco into picking up the project for him, with Paul Verhoeven--who'd already proved his mettle on the similarly toned RoboCop (1987)--on board as director, because this is an excellent film.

    While Total Recall certainly has influences, including "The Martian Chronicles" (1980), Dune (1984) and the first major film based on a Philip K. Dick work, Blade Runner (1982), it's more notable for the films that it has influenced in subsequent years, including The Fifth Element (1997) and many of the "rubber reality" films such as Abre los ojos (1997)/Vanilla Sky (2001) and The Thirteenth Floor (1999). It's also yet another film on the very long list that have had various elements "adapted" into part of The Matrix (1999)--most explicitly here, the "bug" that Quaid has to remove from his body with a high-tech machine and the possibility of "waking up" from a particular reality by taking "the red pill".

    Although it's easy to interpret Total Recall in a very straightforward manner, so that the bulk of what we're seeing at any particular moment and the bulk of the dialogue are the literal reality, very convincing arguments can be made that the majority of the film is a depiction of Quaid's memory implant while in the "patient's chair" at Rekall. And those certainly aren't the only two interpretations possible.

    What matters more than thinking one has a "right answer", though, is the deeply captivating story that provokes our interpretations and the amount of fun we have getting there. Verhoeven and the scriptwriting team, which included Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, the writing team behind the Alien films (beginning with Alien, 1979), never let us go very long without another plot twist, most of which force a reinterpretation of the material that went before. The twists occur about once per every ten minutes, if not more frequently.

    The film is notable for its special effects by Rob Bottin, which were far ahead of their time, and its fantastic production and art design, which manage to make us feel both that we're experiencing a vicarious trip to a "future grunge" Mars and an almost "Doctor Who" (1963)-ish absurdly artificial reality, complete with supersaturated red skies, ala Frank R. Paul's illustrated covers for the Amazing Stories fiction magazine.

    Some locations in Mexico were used for the film, including some subway shots on Mars, and actual commercial sign age was incorporated into the film. There's a lot of fun to be had noticing all of the cultural differences and similarities that the future era of the film will bring. Verhoeven delights in subtle glimpses of various symbols and accoutrement's. His view of the future is one full of corruption, commercialism and decadence. He doesn't have much confidence in a "bright new world" as humans spread out to new territory.

    Verhoeven is basically extending the way things are now to the future; it's as if he sees our state as indicative of human nature, so that as long as we're humans, people are going to be taking advantage of one another, trying to control one another, engaging in behavior that's a conflict between desires and societal mores, but also helping out each other when the going gets tough. In these respects, Total Recall has culture-satirical similarities to later films such as Starship Troopers (1997), which isn't surprising given that Verhoeven directed both films. It's notable that Total Recall's future is not quite as bleak as Starship Trooper's.

    But the film is hardly less violent. Verhoeven's initial cut was given an X by the MPAA for violence. A number of scenes had to have small edits, most of which have thankfully been restored on at least one special edition DVD. The violence here is a lot more small scale and personal than Starship Troopers. In terms of the visceral, Total Recall often rides a gray area somewhere between action and horror. While the action isn't as explosive as many Schwarzenegger films, the suspense never resolves until the end. This is an amazing thrill ride of a film.
    helpful•320
    44
    • BrandtSponseller
    • Mar 21, 2005

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    FAQ13

    • What was Richter's relationship with Lori? Was he her boyfriend? Was he her husband?
    • How is "Minority Report" a sequel to Total Recall if Arnold is not in there?
    • What is 'Total Recall' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 1, 1990 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Mexico
    • Official site
      • Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El vengador del futuro
    • Filming locations
      • Estudios Churubusco - C. Atletas 2, Country Club Churubusco, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico(Studio, Mars Federal Colony and Pyramid mines)
    • Production companies
      • Carolco Pictures
      • Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $65,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $119,412,921
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $25,533,700
      • Jun 3, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $261,317,921
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 53 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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