Thoughtcrimes is a 2003 science fiction thriller with a little known cast and a “made-for-TV” feel about it, but still a very enjoyable and fairly intelligent film. It starts with a young woman (Freya McAllister) going to her high school prom, and while there suddenly hearing voices inside her head. She can’t get rid of the voices and ends up in a mental institution for years, where her fragile grip on sanity is only preserved by her finding a way to quiet the voices – at the expense of any kind of human interaction whatsoever.

After several years someone turns up to take her away, and it turns out that she has, not a disease, but a gift – a gift the NSA (National Security Agency) want to harness for their own benefit. After some initial training and some tantrums she is put on her first case, with maverick agent Brendan Dean. He doesn’t know about her gift, which makes their relationship very strained – and when he finds out, that strain becomes even worse. However, they must find a way to defeat an assassination plot – and time is running out…

I don’t remember seeing any of the cast members before, but the acting is pretty good in this film. Navi Rawat plays Freya, and her portrayal of the character’s initial vulnerability, fear, and slow comprehension of her true possibilities is very believable. I liked Joe Flannigan’s acting as Brendan Dean, and there were quite a few humorous moments between the two which went a long way to making this such an enjoyable film. He looks a little like a cross between David Duchuvny and Keanu Reeves, with a little bit of Owen Wilson in his voice. At any rate he puts in a good performance, and his character is always fun to watch, whether he’s in action mode, comedy mode, or embarrassed mode. Jocelyn Seagrave is the only cast member whose name seems familiar, though I can’t place it, and she plays Freya’s older sister. Peter Horton fills the other main character as Dr Michael Welles, who initially rescues Freya from the asylum and teaches her how to use her abilities. His character is caring but limited to what he’s asked to do by those who supply his funding.

All in all this is very enjoyable sci-fi action thriller material, well acted, with decent effects, and a storyline that keeps you guessing as to who the real villain is. Director Breck Eisner does a good job of balancing the action and humour. There are one or two cheesy moments but nothing to make you want to turn it off. As mentioned earlier this really does look like a TV movie, with dramatic fade-outs that seem to invite a commercial break, but nowhere does it seem to suggest that this actually was made for TV. More than anything it actually feels like a feature-length pilot episode, and indeed many people who’ve seen it would like to see it made into a series, or at least have a series. This brings me to the main failing of the film – as it stands on its own, it is very enjoyable but had several gaping plot holes and unanswered questions. Some of these were so gaping – i.e. just why was Freya identified by the NSA as having this gift in the first place, was that what her mother really had (this is hinted at), if she’s really one of a kind then how did all the relevant technology to help her get developed, etc. There also seemed a possibility of a love triangle between Freya, Brandon, and Michael, but this is never explored (though Brandon seemed to like her sister more anyway). So, as a film in its own right, it does leave too many unanswered questions.

This doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable film though, it just means that you’ll have to suspend your belief perhaps a little more than usual for this type of movie. If a sequel did come out (or a series), I’d certainly want to watch it.

It seems to have originated in Canada though possibly made initially for Argentinan TV. Runtime is 89 minutes, and UK rating is 12 (roughly equivalent to PG-13 – there’s certainly very little offensive material in it, though young viewers might get upset with earlier scenes when Freya is institutionalised. The back cover of the UK DVD says "Contains moderate violence", which I guess is a fair description.)

Unfortunately the DVD edition is quite difficult to get hold of. (If enough of us email Universal Pictures and maybe we can get a re-release or even a sequel?!?) It's presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with a nice clean print and good sound quality. There are no extras on the DVD apart from English subtitles.

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If you want proof that made-for-TV sci-fi movies can actually be brilliant, check out Harrison Bergeon starring Sean Astin in a future society where everyone is equal – by being handicapped if they had special talents. Unless, that is, they are to become one of the ruling elite…

And, shocking as it may seem, proof that even Hollywood can produce excellent science fiction thrillers may be found in the form of I, Robot, starring Will Smith as the cop who just can’t believe all these robots are quite as safe as their manufacturers make out. Loosely based on the Isaac Asimov story / stories.


See also my Top Ten Science Fiction Films


NB - my review title actually has no relevance to the film, but I liked it so it's staying! :-D

Thanks Sue (Millinocket) for adding this to the database for me.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD