Déjà Vu, from director Tony Scott, might be one of the best movies I’ve seen this past year (just wanted to include 2006 into the mix). It had everything a movie should have: action, suspense, drama and underlying personal stories which were explored just enough to make you care about the characters. Tony Scott hit another home run out of the park.
The movie begins with a terrorist explosion on a riverboat ferry in New Orleans that kills over 500 civilians and military personnel on shore leave. The attack draws the attention of all the alphabet government agencies, including the ATF Agent Doug Carlin, played by Denzel Washington. Also drawn to NOLA is a secret branch of what we’re led to believe is the FBI, but they’ve got a machine that will supposedly help find the terrorist.
Carlin is called to the morgue to identify a body they believe is linked to the riverboat bombing, but has some discrepancies in regards to a few key elements. At the morgue Carlin identifies the body of Claire Kuchever, played by the beautiful Paula Patton, and immediately notices that her profile doesn’t fit with the rest of the fatalities from the explosion. He takes his finding to the FBI agents in charge of the scene and this is where the ball really gets rolling.
Carlin is invited to join a team of scientists and FBI agents lead by Agent Pryzwarra, played by Val Kilmer, who have created a machine that can bend and manipulate the space-time continuum. They have the ability to look and send data exactly four days and six hours into the past. The movie gets scientifically technical for about five minutes, but you’re given an explanation on what and how the technology works and it’s surprisingly plausible. With the technical mumbo jumbo out of the way the movie begins moving forward in the typical fast paced style of Tony Scott. The team sends a note and even Agent Carlin into the past, all of which play a part in how the present changes.
Déjà Vu was extremely well written, thought out and directed. The way they were able to connect the minutest of details to drastic events occurring in the present was masterfully done. The movie was able to move from a fast pace to a lull in a heartbeat and most of all it didn’t loose your attention. It was definitely one of the best movies released recently.