reviewed by: Carissa Horton

           

Imagine a world bereft of emotion. During the beginning of the 21^st century, a third world war breaks out on earth, leaving most of mankind either utterly annihilated or near extinct. The remnants band together to form a unity that sounds too good to be true, and in fact is too good to be true. Through the use of a drug by the name of Prozium, emotions of any kind are completely repressed. Humans no longer possess humanity but have become little more then machines. They willingly follow the orders of their master; known as Father (Sean Pertwee).

There is a resistance to this drug however, and they are called "sense offenders." In short, they are people who refuse the medication and instead believe in the depth of feeling. An elitist society by the name of Libria has within its ranks a group of men known as Clerics. They were joined together with the common cause of rooting out dissenters and "sense offenders." At the head of this organization is the true master of his art: John Preston (Christian Bale) and his partner Partridge (Sean Bean). Preston has never felt emotion, so has no qualms with his seek and destroy mission. Partridge on the other hand has discovered the joy of feelings. In spite of his cautious nature, Preston uncovers his secret, and Partridge does not live to face a trial which would have led to his death anyway.

Through coincidence, or perhaps providence, the next day Preston drops and breaks his morning dosage of Prozium. He promises his son, a hardened miniature of himself, that he will get a replacement at the Equilibrium center. 

Preston never keeps that promise. Going without his medication for even a few short hours has already altered his outlook. He is beginning to sense, to feel, to see. It is almost more then he can handle, but handle it he must. There is a greater need now, for he must join the resistance against these nearly impossible odds. And he must do it in secrecy. Time is running out, for both Preston and the few groups of survivors still strong enough to fight.

I do not generally give R rated films even a once over, let alone an actual viewing. But as I browsed my local library system, this movie jumped out at me. With Christian Bale and Sean Bean as leads, and Sean Pertwee in the background, I couldn't resist. The violence was rather as I expected, with a lot of gunplay. Some scenes are fairly graphic, but most involve remarkable tests of skill, with movements and shots that are simply stunning. Preston can be very brutal when he's not using a weapon, preferring his fists or the butt end of his guns. Blood flies and you'll even hear and see the disturbing crack of bones being shattered, having fallen prey to his overzealous nature. Even swords are used, for the clerics are highly skilled in every aspect of battle savvy. And the swords, to me at least, were more disturbing than the guns. I've never been partial to seeing half a mans face sliced away (not much blood), or watching countless men being slaughtered. Any type of pet is forbidden in this new order.

When a group of dogs are found, they are immediately eliminated, with echoing gunshots and howls of pain, with the exception of a puppy Preston manages to rescue. Language is kept at a wonderful minimum. Very surprising for an R rated action film, and quite impressive. There are only a few uses of sh*t, GD, da*n, along with minor other swearing. Nothing more severe. Sexual intonations are kept at a fair minimum. When Preston begins to feel again, he discovers a very strong attraction for a woman he arrested and had imprisoned. Nothing occurs apart from him having to defend himself when she attacks and landing her firmly beneath him on a table. You can tell he's experiencing deep emotion, but he pulled away. There are mentions of his needing to fulfill his desires through this woman in later scenes. There's also an accusation that he has already, but it is entirely false. A painting of a nude female is seen briefly at the beginning of the film.

Acting was impressive on all scales. After seeing and loving Batman Begins, I wasn't sure if I could handle "Bruce" being in a different action adventure film. But he definitely rose to the challenge and expresses emotion and talent far beyond his years. Sean Bean is a favorite and although his part is rather brief, I was pleased to see him. You also have such lesser names as Dominic Purcell, Taye Diggs, and Sean Pertwee involved, all excellent actors. I hadn't heard of this film until I actually looked under one of these actors names, so it obviously is not very well known. Some of the movements during the various battles were a tad on the brittle side, but I believe that was due more to the camera angle than anything else. All things considered, the cinematography is excellent. There are a few plot point difficulties, but nothing too unbelievable. Mostly its fast-paced action that keeps your heart pounding and gets you emotionally involved with the characters.

I will say that I did not appreciate the terminology used for this new fascist order, this apocalyptic government. They are called a clerical order, resplendent with a Father and a monastery for training. It alludes too much to Christian heritage to be entirely comfortable, but there the similarities end. This is a dictatorship of the highest magnitude and cruelty. It cannot be described as anything else. One government, one religion. Its vastly similar to the rise of the anti-Christ. Watching Preston discover reality with all its beauties and sorrows was like watching a delicate flower unfold into the sunshine. Our emotions are what make us human. For good or ill that is what must be unlocked from our souls. Some emotions are never meant to be indulged such as jealousy or hatred. But others, meaning sorrow, joy, even anger, and fear are important. Seeing him experience each of these is beautiful. His very touch is soft and hesitant, his eyes reveal his struggle to take in the vastness of his discovery. He has found truth after many years of blindness.

One irony is this. This society is held together by the extermination of anything outside of their beliefs. That is what the Clerics are for; that is the reason for their existence. But, when any of the drugged people backslide, it is always one of the Clerics. They have seen how the other half lives, they have touched items of art, and some of it has sunk in. Some day, the hunters would have become the hunted by their own society. The Father set up an entire group of men, guardians if you will, knowing full well that someday they would need to be slaughtered. How callously calculating. Another interesting item is the bizarre connection the Cleric seem to have with their victims. Almost as if they can sense what the offenders are thinking and feeling. These men were chosen from birth because they were most likely to turn away from the drugs. They seem to be an elite force, but in reality, are trained men who have the same hunger for emotion as the so-called betrayers. They're being vilely used to the utmost level.

I can honestly say that I loved this movie. Its not entirely perfect, that's true, but with this cast, and this particular plotline, it made for a fantastically emotional viewing. Not for kids, I would have to say that Equilibrium is perfectly safe for teens and adults who enjoy movies of this genre. Its been done before, but perhaps never in quite this fashion. An old idea has been given a facelift.