Strange Days (1995)

A former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writers:

James Cameron (story), James Cameron (screenplay)

Stars:

Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Fiennes	...	Lenny Nero
Angela Bassett	...	Lornette 'Mace' Mason
Juliette Lewis	...	Faith Justin
Tom Sizemore	...	Max Peltier
Michael Wincott	...	Philo Gant
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Burton Steckler
Glenn Plummer	...	Jeriko One
Brigitte Bako	...	Iris
Richard Edson	...	Tick
William Fichtner	...	Dwayne Engelman
Josef Sommer	...	Palmer Strickland
Joe Urla	...	Keith
Nicky Katt	...	Joey Corto
Michael Jace	...	Wade Beemer
Louise LeCavalier	...	Cindy 'Vita' Minh

Storyline

In 1999, Los Angeles is racial war zone with the army and LSPD and SWAT officers fighting Afro-American people. The former cop Lenny Nero is a dealer of illegal recording in CDs that gives the memories and sensations of the recorder to the user. He buys the recordings from the supplier Tick; he misses his former mistress Faith, who was a hooker and now is a singer; his best friend is the private eye Max Peltier and the limousine driver Lornette 'Mace' Mason, who has unrequited love for him. Two days before the turn of the century, the black rapper Jeriko One is murdered. The hooker Iris seeks Lenny out but there is an incident and they do not talk to each other. However she drops a recording into Lenny's car while he unsuccessfully tries to meet Faith at a night-club. However her boyfriend Philo Gant does not let them talk. When Lenny learns that Iris was sadistically raped and killed, he gets involved in a sick scheme and discovers dirty hidden secrets.

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Plot Keywords:

cyberpunk | virtual reality | murder | rape | year 1999 | 

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Taglines:

strange days are coming

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for intense disturbing violence, sexuality and pervasive strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Cameron first conceived the story in 1986, but shelved it due to his commitment to other projects. He revived the idea at the behest of ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow after he had also helped her re-write Point Break (1991). Cameron handed in what he called a 'scriptment', a cross between a script and a story treatment, but had to leave due to other commitments. The screenplay was finished by Jay Cocks who was mainly responsible for the dialogue.

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Goofs

The pre-recorded clip of Lenny watching himself in a mirror shows him in profile, not from directly in front.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tick:

• you ready?

Lenny Nero: Yeah, boot it.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was cut by 1 sec with a further 12 secs of cuts to shots of Iris being electrocuted and raped for the standard video and laserdisc releases, though the 1997 widescreen VHS was accidentally issued fully uncut. The UK DVD features the cut VHS print.

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Connections

References The Bullwinkle Show (1959)

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Soundtracks

Anastasia
Written by E. Mouquet, M. Sanchez
Performed by Deep Forest
Courtesy of 550 Music/Epic Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

One of the best (and also most underappreciated) films of the 90's

"Strange Days" is a unique science fiction and mystery film. Set in Los Angeles during the last two or so days prior to the new millennium, the cast is helmed by Ralph Fiennes as the charming, brave, but shady Lenny Nero. Lenny is a former LAPD officer who loses his job for mostly unknown reasons. He then becomes a black market hustler who sells people's recorded memories for profit. For the most part, these recorded memories are either violent or sexual in nature.

Angela Bassett does a great job complementing Fiennes' "Lenny" character in her role as Macy, Lenny's close friend who makes a more legitimate living as a limo driver and security specialist. Lenny and Macy soon become embroiled in a murder mystery involving corruption within both the LAPD and the music industry. This seemingly ever-deepening mystery also involves Lenny's other close friend, Tom Sizemore's character "Max". Max is a private eye who, despite seeming to be very well-intentioned, is just as shady as Lenny. Juliette Lewis rounds out the cast as "Faith", Lenny's troubled and devious rock singer ex-girlfriend.

Besides the awesome and well-acted performances, what made this movie stand out to me is just how on the nose some of the background references are in it. References to an economic collapse, increasing gas prices, and strained relations between the police and minorities make this a very odd foreshadowing of the actual real-life future.

In conclusion, great acting, a very deep and interesting storyline, and great cultural references make this a very highly recommended film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Strange Days 1999

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$42,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,062, 8 October 1995

Gross USA:

$7,959,291

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,959,291

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lightstorm Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SDDS Dolby SR

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1