Equilibrium (2002)

Director: Kurt Wimmer

Starring: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs, William Fichtner, Emily Watson, Angus Macfadyen

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: In a future where freedom is outlawed outlaws will become heroes.

Plot: 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. Whe 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.

My Rating: 9/10

Would I watch it again? Shit, yeah!

Lousy tagline. Great movie.

I've repeatedly heard this compared to THE MATRIX. Why? I don't know. I just watched this for the fourth or fifth time and I just don't see it. Maybe it's the look of the film and that the main characters wear black. The poster art doesn't help distinguish it. If anything it's more related to FAHRENHEIT 451 (1966) than anything else. And that's just because it's a futuristic tale where emotion has been suppressed by the government. Outside of that we're looking at a major contribution to a bleak future where humans are more robotic than human. It ain't pretty, folks.


Bale makes this picture. If you stuck 'Ole Woodenhead (Keanu Reeves) in this it would be retarded. Bale is surrounded by a great cast and crew. There are several HOLY SHIT moments in this that it will beg you for more viewings. The special effects are fun and unique, the new fighting style of Gun Fu is neat and the ending is a jump up and scream kind of climax. Mmmmmm.

Klaus Badelt's score works great, too. Emily Watson is either miscast or her look is off. I'm too tired to give it much thought.


One thing I REALLY like about this movie is the action/fight scenes are cut in such a way that YOU CAN FREAKIN' SEE WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! I'm so tired of modern films using the shaky cam/quick edits to cover up the lack of talent and skill of the film makers. With this picture you're allowed to see every move and soak in the experience without sacrificing its effectiveness. Nicely, nicely.


Now, I liked the first MATRIX movie A LOT (the sequels were terrible) but EQUILIBRIUM is even better. Highly recommended.