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Cast:
Story:
Pre-Crime is the brain-child of scientist Dr. Iris Hineman (Lois Smith). The Pre-Cogs are treated like freaks. Nobody sees them and they are always immersed in tanks that are sealed off and present in maximum-security building. They are looked after (guarded?) by Wally (Daniel London). Agatha (Samantha Morton) is the unspoken leader of the pre-cogs. Anderton is haunted by an incident years ago in which his son went missing from a poolside. For six years Anderton leads the department with a firm belief in its system and faith in its infallibility. Until the system comes after him, that is (I couldn’t resist borrowing this line from the trailer). The Pre-Cog’s latest vision shows Anderton killing someone, a person called Leo Crow whom he does not even know till then. Shades of “The Fugitive” to an extent follow as Anderton goes on the run. He has 36 hours to learn the truth about the future crime. He is dogged by Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell), an Investigator from the Justice Department.
Lara (Kathryn Morris), Anderton’s ex-wife comes to his help as he is arrested and is about to be consigned to the care of nasty jail guard Gideon (Tim Blake Nelson). Another quarter from where he receives help is the underground doctor Solomon Eddie (Peter Stormare) who replaces Anderton’s eyes to help him escape detection in an age where the retina is the main source of identification. Does he succeed in learning the truth and proving his innocence? He does, after some nerve-rattling scenes. Review: Steven Spielberg comes out of the box yet again. From the man who is a child at heart (E.T.), movies like “A.I.” and now “Minority Report” are a reflection of his urge to get more serious and produce films that explore territories unexplored or under explored till date. “Minority Report” is at once a dark and an illuminating film. It exposes the grim side of human ambition, mind power and technology. It also provides hope.
This film is not all about technology though. It is also a whodunit. And a film, that forces you to think how much, should others know of your private life. Spielberg certainly explores that to the hilt and the reality can be frightening. Tom Cruise appears to have pulled off his best here. He tried that with “Vanilla Sky” last year but was a total failure because that movie had a bad script and poor direction. Here he scores pretty heavily and seems to have dared the Oscar committee again with this movie. He has long been ignored and seems determined to keep knocking till he gets the coveted prize. He is the true superstar who knows his limitations as an actor and stays well within them and delivers consistently terrific performances. “A Few Good Men” and “Jerry McGuire” come to mind immediately when we think of other great performances by Cruise. Performance wise, you can hardly fault anyone. Samantha Morton as the vulnerable and shaven-headed Agatha makes you feel protective towards her. She is one hell of an actress. Von Sydow is impressive as Director Burgess. Farrell turns in yet another delightful performance as the Justice Department Investigator. Peter Stormare as the underground eye surgeon is a scene-stealer. As are Lois Smith, the founder of Pre-Crime and Tim Blake Nelson, the organ-playing caretaker of the Pre-Crime convicts.
The pace of the movie is breakneck. The script is very tight, specially so for a sci-fi movie. The tension never snaps and the performances are very very compelling. If I ever get a chance to vote on the best moviemaker of the twentieth century, I would cast my vote unhesitatingly for Spielberg. Final Rating: Four out of four stars. Running time: 2:25 hours Sam Walker
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Unusually long for an English movie, “Minority Report”, set in 2054, is definitely futuristic, but with a sense of realism that is startling. Bureaucrats have discovered that murder can be eliminated through a system that is designed to detect crime even before it occurs. A department of Pre-Crime is accordingly created and operations headed by Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise). The future crimes are seen by three psychic “Pre-Cogs”
(pre-cognitive). Anderton and his team comb the images, identify the location and literally swoop down to stop the crime. Anderton’s boss Lamar Burgess (Max Von Sydow) wants to take the system from Washington D.C. to the nation and wants federal funding. 
Danny is evaluating Pre-Crime before an upcoming referendum that could take Pre-Crime national. Danny comes close to the truth and pays for it with his life. 
Technically, the film is at par with the best. Some of the scenes are definitely hair-raising. Like the scene in the mall or the vertical highway or the one in the automobile assembly plant. The way the cameras scan your retina even as you walk on the road and spit out your name and image in less than a second are also awe-inspiring. This is also a definitive guide toward the future. 
And therein lies the greatness of the movie. It is marvellous at all levels. Spielberg’s “A.I.
- Artificial Intelligence” was perhaps one of the most misunderstood movie of all time and failed at the box office. But it was also actually one of the finest ever made. “Minority Report” is even better; perhaps Spielberg’s best ever. I remember a few months ago, in an Oprah Winfrey program, Spielberg and Cruise were interviewed together. The chemistry between the two was simply unbelievable. And that was brought forth on the screen in “Minority Report”. 
