Subject: REVIEW: STRANGE DAYS

From: [email-masked] (Ram Samudrala)
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 1995 17:30:00 GMT

STRANGE DAYS
                       A film review by Ram Samudrala
                        Copyright 1995 Ram Samudrala

     STRANGE DAYS, like most other thrillers in the cyberpunk genre,
depicts a dystopian future.  The year is 1999 going on to 2000.  Crime
is rampant, and the city of LA has turned into a police state.  In this
universe, Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) is a fast-talking ex-cop salesman
who peddles in people's memories.  These memories are recorded and
played by a device called the Wire, which is available only on the
black market.  It offers a virtual reality, one that is based on other
people's experiences and emotions.

     The Wire is an interesting device.  Contrary to traditional ideas
of "jacking in" to a virtual reality, there's no implant
required---anyone can use it by placing the device on their heads.
However, in this movie, where Nero spends a lot of time peddling the
virtues of this device using phrases like "Santa Claus of the
Subconscious" (which the ads for this movie have drilled into my head),
the technological aspect isn't explored very much.  Most of the time is
spent on the plots which involve Lenny possessing a memory clip that
two police officers are desperate to obtain, and chasing after his old
love Faith (Juliette Lewis), who is a singer for a punk rock/noisecore
band.

     How this is done is what makes watching this movie on the big
screen worthwhile for the most part.  Director Kathryn Bigelow uses in
your face point-of-view camera shots to translate the virtual reality
that the users of the Wire are experiencing to the audience.
Interestingly enough, I found the virtually violent scenes lacking
urgency and shock value whereas I thought the "simpler" experiences
(such as Nero and Faith rollerblading and his crippled friend running
on the beach with the waves splashing) more effective.  In fact the
violence from the point-of-view of the person committing it gets really
boring after a while, and Bigelow's ideas of transmitting the emotions
of the attacker to the victim doesn't come across well.

     The other thing that makes this movie worthwhile is Angela
Bassett's presence.  Here, she plays a Limo driver Mace, who doesn't
approve of Nero's actions.  It is she that manages to invoke empathy
from the audience by her actions, all the way to the end.  If Bigelow's
theme is to suggest that there's hope even in the darkest despair, it
is the character of Mace that manages to get this across.

     In the end, STRANGE DAYS isn't commentary about the future, but
the present.  The current state of police oppression (LAPD) in this
country are epitomised well: the killing of a popular black rapper, and
the beating up of Mace.  The plot involving the killing of the rapper
is similar to the Rodney King beating and I don't think the movie helps
LAPD's reputation much.  Generally, I think the importance of recording
devices when it comes to confrontation with the law is the best lesson
one can take home from this movie.  The music is quite decent, but
unlike the technology in the movie and like the plot itself, it is very
rooted in the present.

--
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