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In a Fascist future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.
Christian Bale: John Preston
Who doesn't want to see Christian Bale in a Sci-Fi futuristic dystopia where feelings are against the law where he can unleash hell with guns? Like someone seriously on speed; this kicks some awesome choreography, stunt work and major shoot outs that will have you cheering for more.
Christina Bale turns in some emotional acting and shows a tormented soul that once he starts feeling again, he enters a new world of senses that ultimately sets him free from the bonds of a totalitarian society.
Equilibrium(2002) is the perfect example why I do not rate lower for derivativeness or unoriginality. The film is basically high-concept combination of Fahrenheit 451(1966), George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four(original published in 1949, film versions appeared in 1954, 1956 and 1984), The Matrix(1999) and a bit of The Wizard of Oz(1939) thrown in for good measure. What matters is not how original the ideas are (assuming it's not a case of plagiarism); as whether something is original or not is an epistemological problem that tells us more about our own familiarity with other material rather than the precedent status of the artwork we're questioning, but how well the material is handled. The high-concept material in Equilibrium is handled brilliantly.
On its surface, after a brief action-oriented beginning, Equilibrium is basically a progression from a fairly complex sci-fi film (meaning simply that it takes a lot of exposition to get up to speed) to a thriller to a gun fu-styled actioner. The progression is carried out deftly by writer/director Kurt Wimmer: who unfortunately hasn't shown the same level of elegant panache in other films I've seen from him; including Sphere(1998) and The Recruit(2003), with all of the genres somewhat present throughout the film. Wimmer is so austerely slick here that Equilibrium sometimes resembles a postmodernist automobile commercial. The transition from genre to genre is incredibly smooth.
The most impressive material on this surface level is the Gun Fu action stuff; which almost out guns The Matrix in style, if not volume. Preston is so skilled to be an almost invincible opponent. His solitary misstep as a fighter occurs once he gives himself over to emotion. This is nicely related to the common advice from kung Fu Sensei that emotion lessens one's effectiveness in combat.
''Mankind united with infinitely greater purpose in pursuit of war than he ever did in pursuit of peace.''
Of course a major factor of Equilibrium is the set of philosophical points it has to make about emotion. There are sections of the film that are appropriately dialogue-heavy, and Wimmer is more than conspicuous with these concepts. Just as important as dialogue for Wimmer's commentary on man's emotions are body language and behavior. Some viewers might see it as a flaw that characters frequently show what they consider to be signs of emotions in their comments or behavior, but that's part of Wimmer's agenda. Because it's difficult to even say just what counts as an emotion, and emotions are so wrapped-up with being sentient beings, it would be difficult if not impossible to fully eliminate them, and it's certainly not recommendable. The cast does an excellent job of portraying characters who are supposed to be mostly emotionless but with cracks in the stoic armor continually poking through.
Wimmer has a harsh view of our society's self-medication epidemic--even the title of the film seems to be a stab at the common claim that drugs like Prozac and Xanax are taken to help one erase emotion, or remain emotionless, extremes of mood, or extreme dispositions. The Equilibrium government extends this agenda into the tangible material realm as they also attempt to erase mood swings by eliminating any cultural artifacts that might promote varied moods/emotions. Wimmer seems to see it as a not-too-exaggerated extension of the modus operandi behind Prozac-like drugs.
The other primary theme is one of institutional control. Wimmer has a lot to say about unquestioningly following authorities, and he's careful to show that it's not just governmental authorities that can be a problem. He does this by tightly wrapping religious allegory with his depiction of Equilibrium's government. The leader is known as Father, and the government secret service members are clerics. Those outside of this control are shown as authentic, free, individualistic and happy despite the hardships involved with their embrace of forbidden thought/items.
Equilibrium has amazing visuals, music and action with a final showdown that will leave you satisfied.
Bale shows once again that he can do action emotion and then pummel the senses with entertaining adrenaline. Equilibrium will make you feel alright...It will make you feel good. Entertaining is an understatement.
9/10
