Equilibrium

This crazy actioner takes influence from anything from ‘The Matrix’ to ‘1984’ – and the end result is a fun, seriously-thought film that presented Christian Bale as a more than adequate lead three years before Batman began.

Cleric John Preston (Bale) is an officer enforcing the policy of no expression in the futuristic society of Libria – freedom of expression is outlawed, emotions are suppressed by a drug, and order is restored permanently after World Wars 3 and 4. Preston begins to feel however; his missing of a dosage giving him insight into feelings, and up against an ambitious Cleric (Diggs) who wants his job, Preston begins to see that he needs to free the people from their self-imposed, emotionless lives.

Christian Bale shows his depth, moving from emotionless and cold to a man awoken and feeling for the first time. He commands here – his character’s transition from an unfeeling robotic man to an empathetic, deeply angry revolutionist against the established system a true test of his talent. Diggs is the antagonist Cleric Brandt, a man who seeks to usurp Preston at every turn, and the young actor is more than capable of standing toe to toe with Bale. Emily Watson plays Mary O’Brien, a woman with close ties to the feeling, emotional rebellion against the government, and the actress’s searing eyes provide her performance with an extra jolt of power – her scenes with Bale are indicative of the move from dominated to domination, with Preston’s move toward realisation mirrored in his growing affection for her.

Angus McFayden plays DuPont, the representative of the mysterious Father (Pertwee), and the two between them create an image of efficient, ruthless control that should not be tested. William Fichtner plays Jurgen, the leader of the resistance fighters, and Sean Bean Cleric Partridge, Preston’s former partner who cecedes to his feelings. The latter two have small but significant roles to play – Bean is our first indication that not all is pure in the society the men uphold, and Fichtner the representative of the change brewing under the surface.

Kurt Wimmer’s conception of this dystopian future has influences permeating it at every turn, but in his use of the martial art ‘Gun Kata’, the movie moves past its literary and filmic influences to be something quite independent. Wimmer created the martial art ‘Gun Kata’ specially for this film – how many directors have that much commitment in filmmaking? Other than the astounding stunts that the scenes with the fights present, Wimmer shows an adeptness for story and for character moments – and with an acting powerhouse like Bale, he creates some searingly emotional scenes that are astounding in this particular movie’s context.

There is a lot of 1984, Brave New World-style dialogue present here, but its the lyricism with which those who feel speak to those who do not that gives the film somewhat of an independence over these literary influences. The use of a soundtrack with heavy choral influence gives the film an extra sense of expectancy – the music swirls in symmetry with Preston’s discovery of his feelings, and the use of Beethoven in one particular scene sears home the idea that music is the purest form of expression we have come to achieve. The gunfights are more tangible and shattering than many films dare to present – bullets burst from guns with billowing plumes of smoke, and masonry, limbs and flesh splinter, smash and crack onscreen in an incredibly brutal, yet poetic way. The effects, when needed, are alright for the film’s needs, but you do get the idea that Wimmer was hamstrung financially by the studios – making the introduction of the martial art the key that unlocks the film’s potential.

The film seems to have everything – it’s not perfect by any means, but there is so much that lies in its favour that it cannot be ignored or dismissed as a Matrix clone. Expression and personal opinions are suppressed by regimes across the world even now, and with the clever use of action and intelligence, Equilibrium presents a disturbing vision of a possible global future – and reminds us how important our feelings are.

8/10