Strange Days (1995)

Strange Days (1995) – A former cop stumbles on a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.

Director – Kathryn Bigelow                 Starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis

This may be the lamest attempt at a “science fiction” movie ever. It’s in “the future” (four whole years) and projected that L.A. would collapse into a cheap, knock-off “Blade Runner” type dystopia in that time. Having established that, the movie pretty much ignores the whole sci-fi thing and settles into a noir-style drama.

Sadly, it’s really not any better at that than the other.

There are three “selling points” for this one. First, the cast. A very nice group of talented pros. So that’s good. Second, the director Kathryn Bigelow. This is near the beginning of her career (which now includes Oscar wins for “The Hurt Locker”) but shows some skill. The movie is visually great and the pace is generally excellent. So, check here, too.

The third and final point is that James Cameron (“Avatar”, “Titanic”, etc.) wrote the script. This ought to be the final element in a great movie. Instead, it’s what stops this whole thing dead. First, you have the faux sci-fi element. Add in the ridiculous dystopian society and you’re off to a bad start. An interesting idea, a device that can record and playback all our thoughts and feelings, is encouraging but piddled away. When the plot gets thin, more violence is inserted.

And the cast simply can’t overcome it all. Fiennes and Bassett often appear to be in physical pain delivering the lines. The story lurches and veers without any apparent direction. Bigelow deserves some blame for some directorial choices, but I’m unconvinced anyone could have saved this script.

I was checking my phone by the last 45 minutes.

Why You’ll Like It – Some visual interest and some decent acting moments.

Rating – ** Not Impressed