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Equilibrium

  • 20022002
  • RR
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
328K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,753
126
Christian Bale and Taye Diggs in Equilibrium (2002)
Trailer
Play trailer1:18
3 Videos
99 Photos
ActionDramaSci-Fi
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.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
328K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,753
126
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Kurt Wimmer
    • Writer
      • Kurt Wimmer
    • Stars
      • Christian Bale
      • Sean Bean
      • Emily Watson
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Kurt Wimmer
    • Writer
      • Kurt Wimmer
    • Stars
      • Christian Bale
      • Sean Bean
      • Emily Watson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.2KUser reviews
    • 156Critic reviews
    • 33Metascore
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos3

    Equilibrium
    Trailer 1:18
    Equilibrium
    Equilibrium
    Trailer 1:18
    Equilibrium
    Equilibrium
    Trailer 1:18
    Equilibrium

    Photos99

    Christian Bale and Taye Diggs in Equilibrium (2002)
    Taye Diggs in Equilibrium (2002)
    Christian Bale and Emily Watson in Equilibrium (2002)
    Christian Bale and Taye Diggs in Equilibrium (2002)
    Christian Bale and Taye Diggs in Equilibrium (2002)
    Christian Bale in Equilibrium (2002)
    Director Kurt Wimmer with Emily Watson
    Equilibrium (2002)
    Christian Bale and Taye Diggs in Equilibrium (2002)
    Christian Bale and Taye Diggs in Equilibrium (2002)
    Equilibrium (2002)
    Christian Bale and Taye Diggs in Equilibrium (2002)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Christian Bale
    Christian Bale
    • John Preston
    Sean Bean
    Sean Bean
    • Partridge
    Emily Watson
    Emily Watson
    • Mary O'Brien
    Taye Diggs
    Taye Diggs
    • Brandt
    Dominic Purcell
    Dominic Purcell
    • Seamus
    Christian Kahrmann
    Christian Kahrmann
    • Officer in Charge
    John Keogh
    John Keogh
    • Chemist
    Sean Pertwee
    Sean Pertwee
    • Father
    William Fichtner
    William Fichtner
    • Jurgen
    Angus Macfadyen
    Angus Macfadyen
    • Dupont
    • (as Angus MacFadyen)
    David Barrash
    • Evidentiary Storage Officer
    Dirk Martens
    Dirk Martens
    • Gate Guard
    Matthew Harbour
    Matthew Harbour
    • Robbie Preston
    Maria Pia Calzone
    Maria Pia Calzone
    • Preston's Wife
    Emily Siewert
    • Lisa Preston
    Mike Smith
    Mike Smith
    • Enforcer Commander
    Florian Fitz
    • Gate Guard
    Danny Lee Clark
    Danny Lee Clark
    • Lead Sweeper
    • (as Daniel Lee)
    • Director
      • Kurt Wimmer
    • Writer
      • Kurt Wimmer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Despite 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.
    • Goofs
      After 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.
    • Quotes

      Partridge: You always knew.

      [begins to read from Yeats]

      Partridge: "But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." I assume you dream, Preston.

    • Connections
      Edited into Honest Trailers: Lord of the Rings (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125: I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
      Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

    User reviews1.2K

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    A rare dose of originality
    If there is one complaint about the Hollywood system that rings true, it is that Hollywood seems quite bereft of ideas. Then films like Equilibrium come out and remind us that it's not that we're out of ideas so much as we're just not trying hard enough. Not that Equilibrium is inherently new - it borrows a fair few plot concepts from Farenheit 451 and Nineteen Eighty-Four, to name the most prominent examples. It is the way in which the old ideas are combined with the new that makes Equilibrium a fun and underrated experience.

    The premise is simple enough. In a kneejerk reaction to the horrors of World War Three, the survivors outlaw what they blame the chaos upon. Their own emotions, in other words. As the lead character has a series of revelations, we begin to understand that in so doing, they have also outlawed much of what gives our existence a point. In the bland, lifeless world that the law-abiding citizens inhabit, everything that the audience takes for granted to make their lives worthwhile is being systematically destroyed. Shades of the America of today, the whole principle of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, are shown in a stark horror show.

    I've read people comparing this film to The Matrix or its sequels. Where The Matrix series' fights were overlong, and often with no payoff, Equilibrium's fights are short and to the point. The difference this makes is, needless to say, as uplifting as Preston's fight to regain the humanity he stripped so many others of. Instead of having fights with no emotional connection to the characters, the story is given sufficient development to make the audience care what happens.

    The film is not entirely without flaws. The Prozium element seems to have been written with no regard for the facts about psychiatric medicines. Their purpose is not to suppress emotion at all, but to balance the chemical system of the brain in order to give the patient better control of them. Sure, they're not without problems of their own, but exaggerating them like this does not do the portion of the community that needs them any favours. That aside, however, the on-camera struggle is one of the most intriguing I've viewed for some time. Ergo, this minor plot problem is made up for. The only other real complaint I have is that the film could have done with a little more footage to give some characters more of a chance to develop.

    I gave Equilibrium an eight out of ten. It's not the best negative science fiction you'll ever see, but it is enough of a breath of fresh air that this won't entirely matter. If the MPAA made more films like this, it wouldn't be suffering the constant financial dire straits that it so loves to blame everyone else for.
    helpful•202
    102
    • mentalcritic
    • Nov 6, 2004

    FAQ2

    • What is the infamous "gun swap" plot hole? Can it be explained?
    • What is the significance of Dupont's opulent office?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 6, 2002 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Miramax (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Librium
    • Filming locations
      • Olympiastadion, Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany
    • Production companies
      • Dimension Films
      • Blue Tulip Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • 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
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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