A ferry filled with over 500 Navy sailors and their families is blown up in New Orleans on. ATF Agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) is brought in to assist FBI agent Andrew Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer) in the investigation, and gets attached to an experimental FBI surveillance unit, one that uses space folding technology to look back a into the past. While tracking down the bomber, Carlin gets an idea in his head; could they use the device to actually travel back in time and not only prevent the bombing but also the murder of a local woman whose truck was used in the bombing?
I saw the trailer for this back in November and thought it looked interesting because it dealt with reliving the same events over, much like the new show Day Break, but I wasn’t exactly sure how it was supposed to be done.
I had no idea what to expect as it began to unfold like your standard detective thriller with a ferry exploding, ATF Agent Doug Carlin (Denzel) questioning witnesses, families of victims, watching surveillance videos – your standard gumshoe. Then it got weird after FBI agent Andrew Pryzwarra (Kilmer) brings Carlin into the FBI’s investigation, and shows him a experimental FBI surveillance unit which can look back in time four and a half days utilizing satellite images. I thought “Okay, I can buy that.”
The main focus of Carlin’s is that of a young woman, Claire, who was killed around the same time as the ferryboat explosion. He believes that if they can find her killer, they’ll also find the person who planted the bomb.
But then Carlin starts questioning it and eventually they tell him that it is indeed a kind of time machine. From here on out, the movie changes from a standard detective thriller into a sci-fi time travel paradox film.
I really liked the story and a little bit more when the time travel part began. This isn’t usually something I’d expect Denzel to take a role in but he did great. Some people hate the paradoxes involved with time travel stories, like they always do, or nitpick but, let’s face it, none of us has ever time-traveled (that I know of!) so it’s just a matter of opinion and speculation. It just takes a little thought to understand how events unfold and change (as if the film writer’s time theories are fact, at least within this film) and you’ll enjoy it. Yes, there are plot holes.
The acting is great. Denzel Washington puts in a solid performance (as usual) as the caring, sensitive ATF Agent Doug Carlin. We don’t get to see much of his life or past though. Val Kilmer does an adequate job as FBI Agent Andrew Pryzwarra but, after Denzel’s character really gets involved in the case, Kilmer is reduced to a supporting cast member with mostly describing how things work to Denzel. The gorgeous Paula Patton plays Claire Kuchever, the woman Denzel needs to save. Her character doesn’t talk much until the last quarter of the film. A great, soft, pleasant music is often played during her scenes which made me really care for her character. The rest of the cast is fairly your standard supporting cast.
As a side note, Adam Goldberg, who plays Denny, one of the time travel “engineers”, looks just like Al Pacino in Serpico.
The music is excellent, especially Claire’s sad but beautiful theme. The SFX aren’t bad, mostly high-tech computer equipment and explosions.
Overall, a well-acted, intriguing story with a little bit of a thinker aspect due to the time travel paradoxes, especially the ending. If you can understand or get past that sci-fi bit, you’ll love it. If you can’t, it won’t be as well received. If you’re a Denzel fan, this is a must see!
Claire Kuchever: What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew they’d never believe you?
Doug Carlin: I’d try.
