Equilibrium (2002)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Kurt Wimmer

Writer (WGA):

Kurt Wimmer (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 2003 (Belgium)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

In a Fascist future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.

Plot Keywords:

Book | Underground | Death | Futuristic | Gun Kata

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Dominic Purcell	...	Seamus
Christian Bale	...	John Preston
Sean Bean	...	Partridge
Christian Kahrmann	...	Officer in Charge
John Keogh	...	Chemist
Sean Pertwee	...	Father
William Fichtner	...	Jurgen
Angus Macfadyen	...	Dupont (as Angus MacFadyen)
David Barrash	...	Evidentiary Storage Officer
Dirk Martens	...	Gate Guard
Taye Diggs	...	Brandt
Matthew Harbour	...	Robbie Preston
Maria Pia Calzone	...	Preston's Wife
Emily Siewert	...	Lisa Preston
Emily Watson	...	Mary O'Brien

Also Known As:

Cubic (Europe: English title) (video title)
Librium (USA) (working title)
Эквилибриум (Russia) [ru]
Cubic (Sweden) (DVD title) [sv]
Cubic (Denmark) [da]
Cubic (Finland) [fi]
Cubic - uuden maailman kapinalliset (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Ekvilibrijum (Serbia) [sr]
Equilibrium (France) [fr]
Equilibrium (Brazil) [pt]
Equilibrium (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Equilibrium - Killer of Emotions (Germany) (DVD box title) [de]
Isyan (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Rebellion (Japan: English title) [en]
Tasakaal (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Iceland:16 | Canada:A (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Sweden:15 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Kurt Wimmer]1. Silhouetted figure in the Grammaton Cleric introduction with narration, 2. Rebel who is pushed up against the column in the warehouse raid and executed.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the fight in the hall outside of DuPont's office, when Preston throws the two gyroclips into the hall and kills the two running guards, the standing guards raise their weapons to fire upon Preston. However, in the wider shot when you see the two dead guards dropping to the ground, all the guards still have their weapons at their sides.

Quotes:

[first lines]
DuPont: In the first years of the 21st century, a third World War broke out. Those of us who survived knew mankind could never survive a fourth; that our own volatile natures could simply no longer be risked. So we have created a new arm of the law: The Grammaton Cleric, whose sole task it is to seek out and eradicate the true source of man's inhumanity to man - his ability to feel.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Intuition Shorts (2004) (V)

it was good

I think this movie was a good movie, and I also think that most critics were unjustified in their reasoning for panning it. Almost seems like a conspiracy. Anyway, the story was interesting, it set up some kind of a reality where we have this "gun kata", and stuck with it. The "gun kata" never became a deus ex machina, it just drove the action sequences, while staying clear of the actual plot, which had some interesting twists, certainly more than the matrix. I think Christian Bale's character was a kind of clone of keanu reeves in the Matrix, but he is clearly a better actor, and his range was really challenged. The other characters were much less "wooden" and comic book like than the evil characters in the matrix, which ironically made them more human, almost too human for an action movie, and that is probably why the critics were so hard on it. The matrix (at least the first one) didn't take itself too seriously, but this one did...and I think it lived up to the challenge as much as any action movie set in the distant future with some reality bending. I really enjoyed it, and would have liked to see it in the theatre, none the less a great rent if you liked the first matrix, kill bill, or any other film that blends action with choreography and weaves an interesting tale of reality. My suggestion might have been more extreme antagonists, but then, perhaps this movie will help me accept more human-like villains in action movies. Anyway give it a try!