While I was having a weekend staycation last week with my wife in a nice hotel famous for its strategic location in the middle of the city, we were just enjoying ourselves in its very big room and the cable TV options. It was kind of surprising that during that Saturday night, there were quite abundant movies to choose from and I set my mind on this movie which I doubt ever released in Indonesia 8 years ago. Anyway after watching it, I really thought it was something worthwhile for me to write. OK, let us get on with it.
Brief Story Line
David Norris (Matt Damon - Downsizing, The Bourne series etc) was a congressman running for senate and had very bright future. One night he met with a woman (Emily Blunt - Mary Poppins Returns, Edge of Tomorrow etc) that he never saw before and they instantly hit it off during that very short time. As he continued his political career, David was intrigued to find out the woman he was attracted to and somehow by chance he met her again & found out her name was Elise.
However, there was a mysterious man later on revealed to be named Harry (Anthony Mackie - as Falcon in MCU movies, The Hurt Locker etc) who seemed to have been following David without his knowledge. And he and his friends were adamant to make sure David did not divert too much from his "supposed path" and could not be together with Elise.
To make things further complicated, it would appear that Harry also had a much stronger & firm superior named Thompson (Terence Stamp - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Superman etc). So could David still be with Elise despite all the challenges he had to face? And who were those mysterious guys with their hats? Find them all in this unique and intriguing romantic thriller movie.
End of Brief Story Line
Wow this movie was very unique. At first I honestly was not sure what the movie was trying to tell us. In the early part we were introduced to the main character David (played wonderfully by Matt Damon here) and then when he first met with Elise (also greatly portrayed by Emily Blunt) we immediately could feel their chemistry. Somehow I could really believed their chemistry was real and when it was convincing, we would enjoy their story a lot more. As the movie progressed, we finally understood what those people like Harry and the rest of the guys in hats were trying to do, and it certainly became even more intriguing.
The story then became a combination of romance and thriller but it was not the kind of thriller that would make it really very suspenseful. It was thriller that would make us think and anxious what would happen next while also thinking why certain things happen. There were few emotional stuff but the romance was elegantly done and the finale was amazing. The climax was wonderful and it was definitely a one of a kind type of story. Even my wife who only watched it once in a while (as she was busy with her own thing) still manage to be intrigued of how the story would end.
While I was watching the movie, I also noticed that it was said to be adapted from a short story titled "Adjustment Team" written by Phillip K. Dick who was well known for writing several other short stories that have been adapted to movies such as Paycheck, Next and few others. Phillip also wrote many sci-fi novels which were famously made into films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and many more. So it was no wonder that this movie was interesting. Got to say that he was one of the great novelist with his vision for sci-fi. Hopefully there would be other movies which could be adapted from his other novels or short stories.
Overall, I thought that this was very unique indeed. A movie that would make you intrigued and think, but not the kind that was overly complicated and overwhelmed you. It had a bit of philosophical idea as well but the way the movie made, it was easily enough to absorb and understand. If you like a romantic thriller with two quality actor/actress as the main lead (but not the erotic thriller movie), you certainly could give this one a try. Especially if you want to see a lighter Phillip K. Dick's works in here. So if you have the chance to watch this on cable TV or have access to online streaming services, you are welcome to give it it a shot. Who knows you might enjoy it as much as I did.
Mike's movie moments rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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