Strange Days
STRANGE DAYS (18)
D: Kathryn Bigelow
UIP/Lightstorm (James Cameron & Steven Charles
Jaffe)
US 1995
145 mins
Science Fiction/Thriller
W: James Cameron & Jay Cocks
DP: Matthew F. Leonetti
Ed: Howard Smith
Mus: Graeme Revell
PD: Lilly Kilvert
Ralph Fiennes (Lenny Nero), Angela Bassett (Lornette
Mason), Juliette Lewis (Faith Justin), Tom Sizemore (Max Peltier), Vincent D'Onofrio (Burton Steckler), Michael Wincott (Philo Gant), Glenn Plummer (Jeriko One)
It's quite unfortunate that Strange Days is less than the
sum of all its parts. Possessing a reasonably interesting and very original plot and utilising some groundbreaking filmmaking techniques, especially in the cinematography field, it's hindered
by taking place in 1999 and therefore dating itself almost immediately upon release.
Ralph Fiennes plays a former detective who now plies his
trade in the dealing of a new variety of video clip, filmed using a POV recording device. Many of the clips he deals are of pornographic content, but he gets drawn into a world of police
corruption when a snuff recording makes its way into his possession.
The bare bones of the story make this a entertaining
near-futuristic thriller and the performances are decent, but the new world order subplot is completely wasted.
6/10
