GATTACA
RATING: ***1/2 (out of ****)
Columbia / 1:52 / 1997 / PG-13 (language, violence, sex, brief nudity) Cast: Ethan Hawke; Uma Thurman; Jude Law; Gore Vidal; Alan Arkin; Loren Dean; Elias Koteas; Xander Berkeley; Jayne Brook; Tony Shalhoub Director: Andrew Niccol Screenplay: Andrew Niccol
"Gattaca" represents a solid breakthrough in the recent onslaught of science-fiction films -- it's a genre picture that doesn't rely on alien creatures or loud explosions to tell its story. The movie takes place in a futuristic world where babies are created through genetic tampering and not sexual reproduction. This allows parents to predetermine what kind of eye color, intelligence and life span they'd like for their child, and also eliminates most pesky chances of health defects. Those made the old-fashioned way are labeled as "in-valids" and confined to the lower rung of society.
Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) is one such person, born not too long before the genetic process was perfected and forced to grow up in a home with his petrie dish-molded younger brother Anton. Fed up with being second-rate and enchanted by dreams of one day traveling through space, Vincent leaves home and takes a janitorial position at the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. Everyday, he watches as "superior" folk make his fantasy a reality. Determined to do the same, Vincent meets a DNA broker (Tony Shalhoub in a funny cameo) who sells fake identities to in-valids. His counterpart for this scam is Jerome Morrow (Jude Law), an ex-athlete left paralyzed in an accident and confined to a wheelchair for life.
For a price and the promise of a caretaker, Jerome supplies Vincent with his identity, as well as blood, skin and urine samples for all of those pesky on-the-job tests and physical examinations -- this future is one where employees clock in by pricking their fingers instead of punching a time card. Because of his drastically improved status, Vincent is quickly propelled to a high position in Gattaca, and catches the eye of comely co-worker Irene (Uma Thurman) on the way -- obsessed with her own minor heart defect, she's enamored by his flawless persona she doesn't know is a lie. But on the figurative eve of his upcoming planetary departure, the mission director is murdered. Two ardent detectives (Alan Arkin and Billy Bathgate's Loren Dean) determine the killer is on the inside of Gattaca, and the sole clue they find at the crime scene -- one of Vincent's eyelashes -- threatens to blow Vincent's cover and derail his goal.
Even if "Gattaca" were dramatically empty, it would still boast a sublime set of production credentials -- the film's look is dazzling without ever being flashy. First-time director/writer Andrew Niccol (he also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Jim Carrey drama "The Truman Show") demonstrates a keen eye for the stylish; his collaboration with cinematographer Slawomir Idziak, production designer Jan Roelfs and costume designer Colleen Atwood result in a sophisticated composition that emanates classy, retro ambiance. An opening credits sequence -- where skin, nail and hair fragments fall in slow-motion through a colored camera lens -- displays these combined talents uncannily. Niccol even utilizes voice-over narration (a device almost always poorly-employed) in an effective way.
When it comes to acting, the movie is also flawless. Ethan Hawke does magnificent work, proving his ability to carry a film and reaffirming his enormously high charisma level. His chemistry with Thurman is a bit on the icy side, but needfully so, adding to the setting's clinical chill. As the bitter Jerome, Jude Law has a star-making presence, and it's his scenes with Hawke that give the movie its fine emotional core. In "Gattaca"'s series of final shots, the fates of Vincent and Jerome are superimposed over each other, and the effect is sad, lyrical and beautiful. Things get a little strange as the movie nears its climax, when Vincent's relationship with his brother comes back into view. The big dramatic culmination is a swim race, which is somewhat silly albeit beautifully photographed.
Still, the single most surprising aspect of Gattaca is its use of backdrop -- it's successful sci-fi without showy special effects, it's a crisp thriller with character-driven thrills, it's a futuristic fable without blood and guts. Even its murder mystery is relegated to a secondary subplot, ensuring that a smart story about smart people and smart science takes center stage. Although it's portrayal of the upcoming century is grim, "Gattaca" serves up one of the most thought-provoking societal forecasts ever depicted on film.
© 1997 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/
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