Final Cut, The (2004) Genre: Sci-Fi / Thriller.
Every moment of your life recorded. Would you live it differently?
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In the end, he sees everything.
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Your life wasn't what you thought it was.
Bubba schreef:The story is set in a world where implanted microchips can record all moments of an individual's life. The chips are removed upon death so the images can be edited into something of a highlight reel for loved ones who want to remember the deceased. Caviezel portrays the leader of the organization that opposes this technology's development.
Summary written by Bubba
Michael Umble schreef:Omar Naim's The Final Cut is startlingly different than a conventional science fiction film. It's a compelling fable that offers a vision of a world where memory implants record all moments of a person's life. Post mortem, these memories are removed and edited by a "Cutter" into a reel depicting the life of the departed for a commemorative ceremony, called a Rememory. Robin Williams' powerful portrayal of Alan Hackman, a troubled "cutter," propels this character driven story that forces us to question the power of our memories and the sanctity of our privacy.
Summary written by Michael Umble
the unemployed critic schreef:The Final Cut
In the future, the greatest gift a parent can give to their child is a memory implant that allows the person to record their lives until the day they die. One they've passed on, their chip is given to a 'Cutter,' who takes the decades of footage and creates a funeral film to celebrate the life lost (or cover up dirty secrets if need be). Alan Hakman (a stealthy Robin Williams) is a cutter given the darkly controversial life of an executive who worked behind the implant. Still haunted by his own traumatic childhood, Alan's fears come roaring back when the executive's memories contain clues to Alan's own puzzled past. Hot on Alan's trail is a former cutter (James Caviezel, wearing the worst fake beard ever) who wants the notorious footage to sabotage the implant company and, in his eyes, save the world.
Beginning with 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,' 2004 appears to be the year in which we are inundated with motion pictures about how much the mind can play tricks on us ('The Manchurian Candidate,' 'The Brown Bunny,' and 'The Forgotten'). 'The Final Cut' is the most '1984' tinged of this new movement, crafting a Kubrickian film aesthetic to tell an age-old story about guilt and recollection. 'Cut' is brought to the screen by Omar Naim, a first time writer/director who shows with his film that he might have a bright future once he achieves a little more experience.
'Cut' isn't a flashy film, and considering its acting pedigree, the film is fairly low-tech in terms of production and drama. 'Cut' is glacially paced, but Naim is respectful to the audience by keeping Alan's plot thread constantly dangling to maintain interest. Naim is also careful to not embellish his world too far, keeping a tight leash on the tricky (and eventually unexplained) backstory to the cutter way and staging his action mostly in homes and businesses to keep away from cityscapes. There are no flying cars or robots to populate this future tale. Symbolism, mood, and performance guide his film, not technology. It's an interesting balance.
'Cut' clocks in at a curious 90 minutes, and the edits to the story are readily apparent when the picture focuses on Alan's confusing relationship with a sympathetic bookshop clerk, played by Mira Sorvino. Their scenes appear to be adding up to some dramatic peak that is never paid off, leaving a huge gap in this section of the picture. The last act is also where Naim trips up in execution, electing to pull a small trick on the audience by having the resolution play out exactly as promised throughout the rest of the film, while the audience might be expecting something more exciting or profound. An interesting attempt, but it ends 'Cut' on a distinctly flat note.
'The Final Cut' is a subdued experience that can't overcome some critical editing flaws. However, it is a nice debut film from Omar Naim, and I'm curious to see what will come next from this talented filmmaker. ----- 6/10
Wat verwachten jullie ervan? Met Robin Williams erin kan er niet veel fout gaan toch...?
