We live in a temporal world. Most people's lives revolve around the concept of time. Picking up on that, Hollywood has put out some of the most bizarre and irredeemably stupid films ever.
In contrast, there are also films about our concept of time that are thought-provoking, intriguing and exhilarating to watch. "D?j? Vu" is a film that will clamp viewers to their seats for the entirety of its nearly two-hour run. The vast array of twists, turns and unreal adventure will slam one's mind with a host of questions and lines of thought. After watching "D?j? Vu," moviegoers won't ask what happened; instead the question that will plague them for days is "when," because continuity is totally cast aside to leave nothing but some amazing exploration of when in time anyone ever is.
Starring Denzel Washington, "D?j? Vu" is a film immersed in mystery, technology and temporal conundrums. Denzel plays his typical cop role as ATF agent Doug Carlin, an observant and intelligent officer who tends to see things all the other cops appear to be too stupid to notice. In an overdone role, Washington nevertheless manages to do a good job of portraying a human being thrust into a situation few of us would be able to grasp. Called upon to investigate a terrorist bombing of a ferry in New Orleans that killed hundreds, Carlin is recruited by the FBI to utilize a brand new type of supposed surveillance.
Omniscience is taken to new levels as audiences watch a high-tech machine capable of seeing four days, six hours into the past. Why? Because apparently the technology has to look at that point in time and that point in time only. For whatever reason, director Tony Scott decided that the audience would be restricted to watching the world unfold in real time, four days in the past.
With a high-tech gadget that anyone who has ever lost car keys would salivate over, Carlin sets out to find the terrorist and predictably save the day. What isn't so predictable are the numerous thought-provoking questions regarding time; namely what happens when someone messes with it. It will take several days to figure out the continuity of time when "D?j? Vu" tosses it to the winds.
Even though it may require some serious mulling over after leaving the theater, it is worth the $10. Add in some really intriguing mystery and one of the weirdest chase scenes in movie history, and "D?j? Vu" is a non-stop, heart pounding thriller.
