I loved the Matrix and ‘1984’ is an excellent book, so it was obvious that I would be sceptical about the release of a film that combined the two. But I was wrong! The sweeping drop of the scenery, some great images of emotionless crowds and some more than stunning action scenes provide an excellent background with which Wimmer works effortlessly.
The story revolves around John Preston (Christian Bale), a first class Grammaton Cleric whose job it is to kill those who feel emotion, fuelled by the mind-altering pill Prozium provides. The film is set in Libria (ironic because it sounds like liberty yet the film does not start in the same way.) Following the disaster of WW3, a government has declared that all citizens have to take Prozium. Preston takes out those sense-offenders who don’t. However, by chance he drops and breaks his daily dose, leaving him free to feel. What follows afterwards is a moving journey through the mind of a man learning to feel. He begins to experience joy, pity, guilt, love, the meaning of the word ‘sorry’ and above all, a anger and hatred against the government. His new battle is against those who held the society down. Bale is superb in his role, further confirming his status as a fantastic but generally overlooked actor. If you have ever seen any of his other films like ‘Velvet Goldmine’ and ‘Reign of Fire’, you will not be disappointed to see a chilling and touchingly convincing in equal measures. Although it is a great film on its own, ‘Equilibrium’ would be nothing without actors Christian Bale, Taye Diggs and Emily Watson. An excellent film that surprisingly nobody has ever seen which I can highly recommend to anyone.
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