In an oppressive future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system and state.In an oppressive future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system and state.In an oppressive future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system and state.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
Videos3
Angus Macfadyen
- Dupontas Dupont
- (as Angus MacFadyen)
Danny Lee Clark
- Lead Sweeperas Lead Sweeper
- (as Daniel Lee)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions: books, art and music are strictly forbidden and feeling is a crime punishable by death. Cleric John Preston (Bale) is a top ranking government agent responsible for destroying those who resist the rules. When he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the new regime, suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing it. —Anonymous
- Taglines
- In the near future, Freedom is a thing of the past.
- Genres
- Certificate
- 15
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaDespite popular belief, absolutely no wires were used in the film at all. All of the gravity-defying stunts were done through conventional means. For example, the backflip off of the motorcycle was done with a trampoline.
- GoofsAfter the raid on a sense offender's hideout, Preston takes off his gloves and touches a wall, during which he finds a bullet hole which reveals a stream of light coming through, hinting a hidden room on the other side. However, when he enters this room, no lights are on and it is pitch black.
- ConnectionsEdited into Honest Trailers: Lord of the Rings (2012)
- SoundtracksSymphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125: I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Top review
Criminally underrated dystopian effort
A strong film with plenty to recommend it, EQUILIBRIUM was released to the noise of "not another MATRIX rip-off" and similar sentiments. This instant decision is a little unfair, because – although obviously inspired by the Keanu Reeves blockbuster in places – EQUILIBRIUM is a decent and intelligent science fiction thriller with a pleasing change of pace. Once again we're in an Orwellian style future of grab greys and mundane apartment-block buildings, where emotion is suppressed and evil henchmen in motorbike helmets go around shooting little dogs. In this world we meet Christian Bale, a martial arts superhero who goes around murdering all those emotional and artistic folks.
Sure, it's an old story, but it works well here. CGI cityscapes aside, there are no fancy special effects robots or monsters; instead the basis is on good old-fashioned characters, and with a supporting cast that includes Sean Pertwee, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs, William Fichtner, and Emily Watson; you can't go wrong. Much of the story is predictable and there are a couple of sappy moments, but for the most part this is suspenseful, exciting stuff. A handful of violent, ultra-stylish action sequences (displaying originality, even in this day and age) add to the impact and help make the underlying dreariness rather enjoyable. Very entertaining viewing that deserves to be given a chance. A lot of this works thanks to Bale; once again, he's excellent in the part. I'd go so far as to say that this is actually better than THE MATRIX; whereas that film was all action, this one makes you think in a moral sense, and the action supports the story – rather than the action being the story.
Sure, it's an old story, but it works well here. CGI cityscapes aside, there are no fancy special effects robots or monsters; instead the basis is on good old-fashioned characters, and with a supporting cast that includes Sean Pertwee, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs, William Fichtner, and Emily Watson; you can't go wrong. Much of the story is predictable and there are a couple of sappy moments, but for the most part this is suspenseful, exciting stuff. A handful of violent, ultra-stylish action sequences (displaying originality, even in this day and age) add to the impact and help make the underlying dreariness rather enjoyable. Very entertaining viewing that deserves to be given a chance. A lot of this works thanks to Bale; once again, he's excellent in the part. I'd go so far as to say that this is actually better than THE MATRIX; whereas that film was all action, this one makes you think in a moral sense, and the action supports the story – rather than the action being the story.
helpful•171
- Leofwine_draca
- Jul 7, 2016
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Librium
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,203,794
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $541,512
- Dec 8, 2002
- Gross worldwide
- $5,368,217
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content

Recently viewed
Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.



































