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IMDbPro

Strange Days

  • 19951995
  • RR
  • 2h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
74K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
694
345
Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, and Juliette Lewis in Strange Days (1995)
CrimeDramaSci-Fi
A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
74K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
694
345
    • Kathryn Bigelow
    • James Cameron(story)
    • Jay Cocks(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ralph Fiennes
    • Angela Bassett
    • Juliette Lewis
    • Kathryn Bigelow
    • James Cameron(story)
    • Jay Cocks(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ralph Fiennes
    • Angela Bassett
    • Juliette Lewis
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 269User reviews
    • 108Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Strange Days
    Trailer 2:54
    Watch Strange Days

    Photos104

    Angela Bassett in Strange Days (1995)
    Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett in Strange Days (1995)
    Kathryn Bigelow in Strange Days (1995)
    James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow in Strange Days (1995)
    Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett in Strange Days (1995)
    Ralph Fiennes in Strange Days (1995)
    Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Lewis in Strange Days (1995)
    Ralph Fiennes in Strange Days (1995)
    Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, and Juliette Lewis in Strange Days (1995)
    Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, and Juliette Lewis in Strange Days (1995)
    Ralph Fiennes in Strange Days (1995)
    Ralph Fiennes in Strange Days (1995)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ralph Fiennes
    Ralph Fiennes
    • Lenny Nero
    Angela Bassett
    Angela Bassett
    • Lornette 'Mace' Mason
    Juliette Lewis
    Juliette Lewis
    • Faith Justin
    Tom Sizemore
    Tom Sizemore
    • Max Peltier
    Michael Wincott
    Michael Wincott
    • Philo Gant
    Vincent D'Onofrio
    Vincent D'Onofrio
    • Burton Steckler
    Glenn Plummer
    Glenn Plummer
    • Jeriko One
    Brigitte Bako
    Brigitte Bako
    • Iris
    Richard Edson
    Richard Edson
    • Tick
    William Fichtner
    William Fichtner
    • Dwayne Engelman
    Josef Sommer
    Josef Sommer
    • Palmer Strickland
    Joe Urla
    Joe Urla
    • Keith
    Nicky Katt
    Nicky Katt
    • Joey Corto
    Michael Jace
    Michael Jace
    • Wade Beemer
    Louise LeCavalier
    Louise LeCavalier
    • Cindy 'Vita' Minh
    David Carrera
    David Carrera
    • Duncan
    Jim Ishida
    Jim Ishida
    • Mr. Fumitsu
    Todd Graff
    Todd Graff
    • Tex Arcana
      • Kathryn Bigelow
      • James Cameron(story) (screenplay)
      • Jay Cocks(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Kathryn Bigelow found that no existing camera system could accomplish the shots necessary for the point-of-view sequences, so the research division of Lightstorm Entertainment (the company of writer/producer James Cameron, who was Bigelow's husband at the time) spent a full year designing and fabricating a special camera for the production. Weighing only 8 pounds, the 35mm camera literally fit in the palm of the hand and featured interchangeable lenses, remote follow focus, and video assist (necessary since the camera had no viewfinder). The camera was then mounted on a SteadiCam-style portable rig, which gave the camera stability and mobility similar to the human eye.
    • Goofs
      Bullet holes appear in Mace's limousine before the shooting occurs, and the limousine becomes undamaged during the chase.
    • Quotes

      Mace: This is your life, right here, right now! It's real-time, you hear me, real time! Time to get real, not playback. You understand me?

    • Alternate versions
      The older special edition laserdisc and DVD are the same. Both formats feature two deleted scenes and other extras. The solitary difference is that the laserdisc contains the Skunk Anansie music video for "Selling Jesus", which was not included on the US DVD release. The only DVD to feature the music video is the German special edition.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Assassins/Dead Presidents/How to Make an American Quilt/Strange Days/Persuasion (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Strange Days
      Written by The Doors

      Performed by Prong featuring Ray Manzarek

      Courtesy of Epic Records

    User reviews269

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    What a great movie!
    I had no idea this film even existed until it showed up in my Netflix 'recommended' column, and I decided to give it a shot after reading some good reviews on there. Wow, am I happy I did.

    This was a truly fantastic sci-fi thriller, with intense action and a truly engaging story. The characters were very well constructed and had a lot of substance to them, and of course the acting was superb. Who knew Ralph Finnes could play such a good lowlife?

    Set in an alternate (but totally recognizable) Los Angeles of 1999, the world has seemingly gone completely to hell, due to rampant poverty and class/racial tensions which are pushing society towards an all-out state of anarchy. The authorities are barely maintaining order, despite resorting to draconian measures to try and keep things in check. The director does an excellent job of painting this picture for us through fantastic environment and background shots which effectively build the tension and make us fully believe what is happening.

    In this world, they have invented a type of virtual reality which allows an individual to record everything they are seeing and feeling directly through their brain, so as to then be played back later through someone else's brain, which allows the user to then see and feel exactly what was recorded without any danger (other than possible addiction). So needless to say a huge black market has sprung up to provide people with recordings of all kinds of illicit, criminal and sexual activities that they'd never actually get to experience in the real world. The plot of the movie builds from this technology.

    However, other than this particular device and general state of social affairs, the alternate 1999 is pretty much identical to our 1999 (very much to it's credit). No flying cars, no wacky fashion, no aliens, no laser guns or anything like that. It was a great decision by the filmmakers to not bite off more than they could chew in that regard, as it would have distracted from a very solid story.

    The films weaknesses are few, but are there nonetheless. It was a bit long... although I'm not usually one to complain about that kind of thing, so long as the time is necessary to tell the story. In this case an argument can be made either way, though I personally feel they could have lost about fifteen minutes or so (but to me it's a minor issue).

    The director also felt the need to very quickly explain the origin of the virtual reality technology through a throwaway line of dialog, which really added nothing to the plot, and honestly made no sense; they said the technology was originally developed for the FBI so that informants wouldn't have to wear a wire, which is just dumb. The device is WAY more cumbersome and easily discoverable than a wire transmitter. How about saying that the military invented it to train soldiers more realistically? Or just leave it alone... true virtual reality is a technological holy grail. I don't think anyone questions why something like that would be invented in the first place, even if it's purely for entertainment.

    Additionally, in my opinion, a couple of the 'bad guys' could have had their motivations fleshed out a tad better, but that is a also very minor quibble.

    Beyond that, the look of the movie is quite dated, which could hinder the enjoyment for some people. The 1990's did not age very well to our eyes, and this movie is VERY much a product of that era. If you lived through it, you know what I mean. Younger viewers may not fully get the social and cultural allusions that this movie is built upon (Rodney King riots, 90's hip hop culture, rave clubs... things like that)... just something to keep in mind, although if you did live though it, you'll appreciate the depth that these references add.

    But really, I can't recommend this film highly enough. It's a completely under-appreciated piece of work, and one of the best sci-fi thrillers out there.
    helpful•56
    17
    • tpaladino
    • Mar 26, 2011

    FAQ5

    • In the final scene, the riot cop that tells Mace to get on the ground, am I crazy, or is that Mark Hamill?
    • So, did nero invent the "telepathy" machine or did he just deal the tapes. If not, who invented it?
    • What are the differences between the British BBFC 18 Version and the Uncensored Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 13, 1995 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites - 404 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Lightstorm Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 25 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital
      • (original/open matte)

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