Even the great ones can learn from and redeem themselves for past mistakes. With Minority Report, Spielberg shows that he has taken the things that bogged down A.I. (namely incongruent storytelling) and smoothed it into something slick and beautiful, albeit slightly conventional.  Cruise almost provides redemption for his Vanilla Sky fiasco, also mirroring aspects of that film in this one as well.  Granted, the story starts compelling and begins to fade into typicality as it progresses, but Spielberg makes it so smart, so enjoyable, and so well done, that even the expected and typical are much better than 99.9% of the regurgitated faire currently produced. 

The story reminded me of an updated mixture of Blade Runner and The Fugitive, with doses of Total Recall and hints at Vanilla Sky thrown in (and shown how those films could have been better).  It is the year 2054, and crimes can now be foretold thanks to the gift of three psychics (or Pre-Cog’s as they are referred to in the film).  Their visions are captured through the monitoring of brain waves, and captured for evidence and investigation.  The procedure is explained in understandable detail, as are the repercussions (displayed in a great scene between Farrell and Cruise, involving a ball dropping off of a counter).  It is these misgivings and questions that bring Farrell, an FBI agent, into things.  The unit that handles things, called the Pre-Crime division, is seeking national funding so it is coming under scrutiny and analysis for “flaws or glitches” in the system.  The opening scene, which shows how, the system works, is simply wonderful in its detail of combining modern technology and human intuition and observation.  Cruise is John Anderton, the lead investigator of the Pre-Crime division who is far from perfect or flawless himself.  He has an estranged wife, a son whose loss still haunts him, and a drug habit that may end up being his downfall.  When Anderton’s name comes up, he must run from the unit, while trying to prove his innocence. There are other details and revelations, both into the procedure and into the futuristic world that Spielberg has created, they are wonderful to discover and encounter.  This story could have been another typical futuristic cop movie in lesser hands, but in Spielberg’s masterful ones, it rises above the expected.  He knows when and how to use dialogue, knows how to make the impossible seem not only possible, but probable (such as the personalized commercials and nearly invisible cell phones) and still weave a story that is compelling and has some twists, surprises and unexpectedly joyful quirks to give it his own. While the story follows expected paths, it’s still a joyous journey.  Just as watching a favorite movie repeatedly is.  We know what is going to happen, we are not surprised, but we are entertained, amazed and enthralled by the whole experience.  Just when you think you’ve got him figured out though, he does have one more trick up his sleeve to reveal that keeps the audience guessing and on edge until the conclusion. 

It’s not the main performances from Cruise, Farrell, Morton or Von Sydow that stand out, but rather the eclectic cameos which raise this movie about the others.  Cruise is in true action hero form, cocky, confidant, but flawed, while Farrell exudes a similar confidence and arrogance, albeit quieter, as he did in Tigerland.  The shining stars are appearances by Nelson (as a futuristic warden/mortician), Smith (as a reclusive genius with a flair for botany) and Stormare (as a twisted, unsanitary underground physician).  You can see how working on A.I. with Kubrick has gotten Spielberg in touch with not only his darker side, but also the eccentric aspects of society.  These are what give the film character and style, and combined with beautiful visuals from Janusz Kaminski, and futuristic effects, which look impossible, yet seem believable, and give this film substance.  This could easily have been yet another brainless sci-fi flick, with an interesting premise but typical execution.  Spielberg’s ability as a visual and literal storyteller makes the ordinary seem interesting.

Ultimately, Minority Report is an atypical summer movie that has not only a heart and brain, but a flair for what is visually and mentally stimulating.  There are millions of great ideas, interesting premises and promising stories in Hollywood, a lot of them now coming from the under appreciated genius of Phillip K Dick.  Turning these into a solid motion picture is another story, and usually where failures occur.  With the genius of Spielberg and company, Minority is beautiful and amazing to look at, progresses the story intelligently, resolves things satisfactorily and still gives the audience morality issues to think about regarding evil, the potential for it, the prevention of it, and the effects of seeing and knowing the future.  While the story doesn’t do anything unique or original, it still works because no matter how many times a story is told, if it’s being told by an expert storyteller.  When given the majority of movies during the summer that are paraded out for initial box office jackpot, but which lack any thought excessive of marketing plans and positioning, Minority report is a refreshing breath of recycled air filtered through the mind of a cinematic genius and delivered with a glamorous flashy panache that is deep and intellectual without being pointless or verbose

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