Equilibrium

If you are a fan of "Dark City," you will enjoy this visual treat - a dance macabre, a vicious, graceful delight, and critique of antidepressants. Totally original, yet an homage to Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" and Lang's "Metropolis." Christian Bale is subtle in portraying both control and loss of control, each emotion a careful part of the narrative, he grows in depth as each painful experience of emotion is peeled back from the drug-induced onion-skin. There is nothing over the top with this layering, this cleric/assassin grows in character and depth. The song "What Have They Done to Me" by Visage (The Anvil) could be the soundtrack here, or just about anything by "Sisters of Mercy." Sean Bean is always excellent, as is Emily Watson. As an aside, never has a puppy looked so lovable. This movie haunts the past and suggests a possible future. Wake up. Take off your gloves. Feel life. As with true Sci-Fi, moral questions are framed within new technologies, our choices as human beings are further stretched by each innovation, perhaps to breaking point. Is this the future, is it the past? In an almost recognizable, unfamiliar environment, the elements that consist of a soul, of a society, are confronted, making "Equilibrium" both futuristic and ancient in its concerns. You also might enjoy the "Riddick" and "Underworld/Evolution" films.

At the dawn of the 21st century, society was faced with a great Third World War, and knowing that something had to be done to prevent further problems, humanity was faced with the dilemma of solving all of man's troublels. As a result, they created a new enforcer of the law, the Grammaton Clerics, a collection of warriors who practice gun kata to improve their lethality while executing their sole task of eradicating any instance of feeling within humanity.

To control the general public, daily dosage of Prozium are self-administered, similar to the daily dosages of Soma in Brave New World, except this opiate of the masses elimites melancholy, rage, hate, and jealousy, as well as the suppressing positive feelings of pathos, joy, and love. Similarly, destruction of all that creates feeling, literature, art, all that gives us emotion, just like the firemen in Fahrenheit 451. Large-scale indoctrination is accomplished through the visualized, Apple commerical-esque, Big Brother screens of 1984 (used later in V for Vendetta). The combination of the three classic dystopian tales is flawless, each blending into the other, and the collective producing realism and fear for what could easily be a not-so-distant future.

Two Grammaton Clerics, John Preston (Christian Bale) and Errol Partridge (Sean Bean), have worked together to "protect" society. However, Errol has been confiscating sense offender material. Eventually, John catches Errol because he had been sneaking outside of the city to commit sense crimes. When he is eventually uncovered face-to-face, John must bring his partner in for justice. His partner would rather die than be captured or give up feeling, and in a final act of defiance he quotes a passage from his book and raises his book to cover his eyes.

Partridge's final words would later haunt John in a dream, as they serve as the catalyst for his finaly memory of his wife, the moment of her sense crime incarceration and eventual incineration, and he remembers with horror his still, emotionless inaction.

The following morning John drops his dosage of Prozium. His sone recommends a trip to Equilibrium for a replacement dosage. Only, John doesn't go, and he begins to feel, to sense and perceive all the wonderful feelings previously unknown. Soon, he enjoys the touch of an intricately designed vase, cries at the sound of Beethoven, and risks everything by protecting a puppy from extermination.

The gun battles are equisitely designed and choreographed, a little Matrix crossed with a little Jet Li action. Christian Bale delivers an impressive performance as a man who is initially wooden, and later severely troubled by his actions.

Eventually John must face the battle between his logic and his emotions, his allegiance and his freedom, as he comes to terms with what he has done, what he has become, and what he wishes for the future.

Like all good sci fi, Equilibrium is about the world of today, not tomorrow. How much of our souls are we willing to trade for physical security? As our government continues to strip us of our freedoms in order to "protect" us, like the Cleric we need to seriously consider what we have lost.

When I first saw this film at its first release, I confess that I would have given it only maybe 3 stars. But it has haunted me over the years and when I watched it again just recently I saw so much more in it.

And the action sequences, especially the famous Gun Kata, have a terrible beauty.

Being a sci-fi movie fan, I recently rented Kurt Wimmer's EQUILIBRIUM. Not expecting much I sat down to watch the picture and less than 10 minutes into the film I was convinced that this was going to be a GREAT MOVIE. By the time the movie ended I couldn't have been more right. EQUILIBRIUM, while not Academy Award material, is, nonetheless, an excellent science fiction film with a wonderful "classic sci-fi B-movie" feel. Set in a futuristic, post-World War III era, a new "war-less and peaceful" society has gradually risen from the ashes of a nuclear-decimated early 21st century world. Things, however, are not as peaceful as they may appear. The brave new world is not without its flaws. In an effort to prevent WW IV and to maintain "peace" at any cost, the entire population is under the control of Big-Brother Government through a zombifying, emotion-killing drug known as "prozium". The film chronicles the journey of one man - a high-ranking, highly trained, government enforcer known as John Preston - who comes to realize the serious errors (and crimes) of the supposedly "utopian society" which he's sworn to protect. In the vein of classic science fiction films like, METROPOLIS, 1984 and FAHRENHEIT 451, EQUILIBRIUM delivers the goods in terms of excellent film production, set and costume design, special effects and acting. A must-see film for any sci-fi fan that stands on it's own and apart from comparative films like MATRIX and MINORITY REPORT ( a much, much better film than Minority Report! ). A+ Highly Recommended!

First off, this tendency for comparing this film to the Matrix should cease. I feel that Equilibrium is a under-rated movie and deserves more of a better rating, i was surprised to discover that this movie came out in 2002, i heard about it only last year!
I enjoyed watching the "Gun Kata" fight sequences and Christian Bale kicking pretty much everybody's rear with a Katana Sword.
As far as the story goes, although there is nothing ground breaking, it was directed reasonably well, without being excessively cheesy and Chrisitan Bale as usual rocks.

Recommend to own. Good Movie.

---"Now the who the devil is Mr. Yochum ???"-- (check the last three reviewers)