Let me say that the Minority Report on this movie is the one that will say it is bland, not captivating, and a waste of film. As far as summer movies go, this is brilliant, but as far as a real movie is considered, this still can hold its own, largely due to the prowess of director Steven Spielberg and star Tom Cruise.

Captain John Anderton (Cruise) is the head of the District of Columbia Department of Precrime, a revolutionary project in which detectives use "precogs" Agatha (Samantha Morton), Arthur, and Daschle to sense murder before it occurs and stop it. Six years after being implemented in the nation's capital, the murder rate has dropped to zero, and hundreds of people have been arrested and imprisoned by Anderton and his men.

However, trouble is afoot. A nationwide referendum on the extension of Precrime is set for a few days in the future, and the Justice Department has sent Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell) to observe the department in action. When the "precogs" sense case number 1109, everything goes haywire. Anderton is seen as the next perpetrator, and promptly takes off. The rest of the movie focuses on his race against fellow Precrime officers to prove his innocence, in that his destiny is not to kill a man he's never met.

The plot, based on Phillip K. Dick's short story, is what provides the foundation for this wonderful film. The performances delivered by all involved are wonderful, but those that stand out as noteworthy are Samantha Morton as the precog Agatha, Max von Sydow as Director of Precrime Lamar Burgess. That plot is complicated by twists and turns, and the fact that as Anderton seeks his innocence, nothing is truly as it seems until the very end of the movie.

Other support players who really shine are the incredibly eccentric technician who cares for the precogs, Wally (Daniel London, whose credits include Big Trouble and Four Dogs Playing Poker). With Wally, you can see a role that could have been easily filled by a predictable guy with three lines delivered with a plastered look upon his face; instead, the audience is treated to a character with personality coming out of his ears, someone the audience can really appreciate as very human. Also delivering an unexpected performance is Lois Smith as the "mother" of Precrime, Dr. Iris Hineman. In a scene that is at the very least incredibly surreal, she explains the background and fills in the holes that Cruise's Anderton was unaware of, even in his lofty position of Captain. While some have criticized her scene with Cruise, it leaves her as just the sort of eccentric woman you would expect in a role of inventor of a whole system, though she actually had little to do with the implementation of Precrime. Her delivery is top-notch, especially when Anderton inquires as to which precog has the minority reports. She responds effortlessly, as if it were obvious, "Why, the more gifted of the three - the female, of course." This produces a laugh from the theater, and a mutter from the three guys sitting next to me. But we all laughed anyway.

Also appearing in cameo roles are director Cameron Crowe as a man who recognizes Anderton on the DC Metro system, and Peter Stormare as the slightly deranged, but nevertheless funny surgeon who helps Cruise evade capture from the Precrime forces.

Spielberg and writers Scott Frank and Jon Cohen pull out all the stops to make the movie hinge on effective plot twists. Even when it seems as if the movie has ended in a manner reminiscent of Orwell's 1984, one last surprise has been slipped into the mix, giving the movie a resolution that is satisfying, if hokey.

The dialogue between characters is authentic and though the supporting players remain somewhat underdeveloped, Anderton is given a degree of time and character development such that you truly believe you understand what makes him tick by the end.

This, combined with the special effects courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic, creates a winning formula. Frpm Precrime officers armed with jetpacks to department airships soaring across the Potomac River, you can truly believe you are in Washington, DC, circa 2054, with cars that drive down the sides of buildings and retinal scanners that control advertising.

This becomes clearly evident when Witwer and his team of federal agents (who I noted are wearing the exact same bad suits - great costuming there) chase Anderton into a Lexus factory, where Witwer and Anderton face off several times with a few different weapons. (Speaking of which, that shotgun-like energy gun the feds were carrying - I have to get me one of those). The scene is suspenseful despite the special effects, because you think that Cruise might actually get captured or injured. The ending isn't quite that, but is creative at that, and certainly good advertising for the fine folks at Lexus Automobiles.

The only complaint that I have is that Spielberg's editors needed to watch more closely the dates they used. Said prominently is that the year is 2054, Precrime has been in effect for six years, and that the initial year of Precrime was 2046. Now, you do the math. However, that is a minor error at most, certainly forgivable when there is greatness of this magnitude present.

The real strength of the movie lies in the fact that the information is not dumped on the viewer in a deluge, but is instead given piece-by-piece until the history of Precrime and the explanation as to how Agatha, Arthur, and Daschle are able to sense murders is (horrifyingly) clear to all viewers. As Anderton and Witwer piece together what has happened, the date ticks nearer to the national referendum on Precrime, until everything comes to a head at the gala banquet celebrating Precrime's success.

All in all, this movie has far too many positives and far too few negatives to be considered a summer movie at all. Not just a mindless action thriller, this includes a respectable thinking-man's element and keeps the audience guessing until the very end, when the plot becomes one coherent line from start to finish. Kudos to director Spielberg and star Cruise on their first collaboration; it is a winner on every front.

Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older