Equilibrium Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
In a future where freedom is outlawed outlaws will become heroes.
Two men. One battle. No compromise.
The only thing more powerful than the system, is the man that will overthrow it.
In a futuristic world, a strict regime has eliminated war by suppressing emotions: books, art and music are strictly forbidden and feeling is a crime punishable by death. Cleric John Preston (Bale) is a top ranking government agent responsible for destroying those who resist the rules. Whe he misses a dose of Prozium, a mind-altering drug that hinders emotion, Preston, who has been trained to enforce the strict laws of the new regime, suddenly becomes the only person capable of overthrowing it.
| William Fichtner | Jürgen |
| Christian Bale | John Preston |
| Angus Macfadyen | Dupont |
| Emily Watson | Mary O'Brien |
| Taye Diggs | Brandt |
| Sean Bean | Errol Partridge |
| Dominic Purcell | Seamus |
| Christian Kahrmann | Officer in Charge |
| John Keogh | Chemist |
| Sean Pertwee | Father |
| David Barrash | Evidentiary Storage Officer |
| Dirk Martens | Gate Guard |
| Matthew Harbour | Robbie Preston |
| Maria Pia Calzone | Preston's Wife |
| Emily Siewert | Lisa Preston |
| Kurt Wimmer |
7.70 out of 10 (38637 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Give the movie it's props....
posted on 28 Aug 2009I saw this movie after a friend told me about it. He let me borrow the movie and I have to say that for a low budget B movie, this is really good. I have seen how people have bashed this movie because of too much emotion from some characters in the movie (Diggs). However, as a human, it is impossible not to feel something. I think that most of the cast does a good job of being as emotionless as possible. Bale does a terrific job of going from cold hearted killer (basically it's what it is), to a sense feeling person. I hope I see Bale in more films. He did a good job in Batman Begins. Some of the fight scenes were just plain amazing... there is no other way to describe it. The city was drab looking, very good for what it was trying to accomplish. Now, I won't go into the obvious (F451, Matrix, etc.) but there are some flaws within the movie... however, in the end, these things can be looked over. I would recommend this movie to anyone who needed something to watch in the old DVD player on a Saturday night.
George Orwell meets The Matrix
posted on 26 Aug 2009George Orwell meets The Matrix.EquilibriumA friend recommended this film to me saying it was a "Matrix Rip off" - I think that best describes this film. Before I go on I want to say that the film is worth seeing if you liked the Matrix and is an acceptable film. I won't give away any of the important storyline (ahem!) so you can read without having any spoilers (which I hate!)Well probably like yourself I've seen the Matrix and indeed love the Matrix. For me it changed slightly the way I view films similar to "Pulp fiction" In that after viewing every single film now has a higher bar with which to contend with. Matrix changed the way we deal with time and movement in films - verging artistic filming with slow motion. (Before you say yes I know the Matrix borrowed heavily from the artistic concept of the film "Ghost in the Shell" so every film normally copies - it's how much!!!)
So we come to the films that try and emulate this. Equilibrium is most definitely one of them. I'm still trying to decide if it's a hats off recognition film of the Matrix and basically saying "we loved the Matrix here's a film similar - coz we miss it." or " let's blatantly copy the Matrix style and see if we can pull it off."let's go with the Hats off - tipped to the Matrix. The storyline follows a George Orwell 1984 type world based in the future in which emotions are the root of all evil, so to combat them they have banned Art and Literature, tactile contact - having objects and things of beauty (or anything which makes you show expression of emotion). Believing this to cause all the negative emotions in humans that ultimately lead to War/Murder/Hate/destruction. So everyday they have to take their dose of drugs which turns them into "Vulcans" In this case the film has many of the qualities that the Matrix has - Style and movement/ fight scenes in slow motion. clever moves. However the filming is a little like "Dr Who/ Blake7" directs the "The Matrix"Based on the mathematical probability of statistical analysis of every "shootout" there ever was - here's the best way to move in a gun fight. Ahem! Mmmmm that's what I thought, Tai chi meets Jon Woo style fighting. Does it work - well yes it does. It looks surprisingly good at times and is believable (come on - we are forgiving). Christian Bale (American Psycho) who is always good as an actor is a good choice for a lead. He has haunted looks and credible acting. Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings FOTR) as his partner in the beginning is great as well. I feel without these actors the films may have well died a death - thank God it didn'tSo we end up with a film that's not too bad! Watchable and enjoyable and if it is indeed aimed at being a Matrix tribute film then it's achieved that. In fact we even have our own version of "the Lobby" scene.Bottom line if you liked the Matrix you'll like this. It's not brilliant but it's okay.6/10Russ
This is not a rip-off
posted on 26 Aug 2009Note: the following review intentionally does not compare Equilibrium with other movies.I am already tired of people saying that Equilibrium is like "Movie A" combined with "Movie B". Stop that now! It makes a really wrong impression. Equilibrium is as original as any other movie out there. It managed to show the dystopian world that might be the most believable and realistic ever filmed. The story has enough surprising twists, even though it's one of the oldest stories - "good guy against the bad guys". The cinematography is very good and the fighting scenes, especially in the more action-heavy second part of the movie, are breathtaking. John Preston, played by Christian Bale is excellent. For some reason he reminded me about Prince Corwin from Amber Chronicles - deadly, badass, but extremely stylish and dedicated in his every move and action.Go and see this movie for its own merits, not because it is "Movie C" action + "Movie D" plot.
One word: Wow!
posted on 26 Aug 2009I couldn't believe this film. It captured my attention like no other. You could have actually caught me saying such things as, "Wow! Amazing! and No Way!" while I was watching this film. It took my breath away.The action and special effects were AMAZING. The Matrix does not even compare. I found myself rewinding the film to watch the stunning effects over and over again.The actors did a good job. Some parts I found could have been better done, but it was all made up for by the action and effects.The storyline was a good one. Kept the viewer watching and wondering what was going to happen next.A lot of twists and turns that kept you on your toes. There were many times in the movie where I would be totally astounded by the plot turns and new revelations.Action and effects: 10/10 Story line: 8.1/10 Acting: 8/10Overall, I give this film an 8.5 - 8.7 out of 10.
Enjoyable, but not believable
posted on 24 Aug 2009The premise of this movie is fairly ridiculous, and the execution even worse. Supposedly the masses are taking drugs that suppress all emotion.
So why does the government feel the need to destroy art and literature?
People will no emotion would be unable to enjoy the arts, and therefore would have no inducement. Yet, marriage and children are still allowed.
Are we to believe that a painting, or a poem, is more likely to induce feeling than one's spouse or child? Either the drug also suppresses logic, or people would see that the whole concept of no emotion preventing murder and war is false, for there are executions, an army and a resistance. Then there is the cleric who shows obvious ambition, and glee at the capture of another "feeling" cleric, and last time I checked, those were emotions.
But, given all that, I still rated this file a '7'. Why? Quite simply because I enjoyed watching it. It's illogical and even stupid at times, but it was still a lot of fun to watch.
Put down the Valium and watch this film
posted on 24 Aug 2009Set in a future, post-World War III society where emotions have been outlawed, Equilibrium tells the story of John Preston (Christian Bale), a government agent who begins to have doubts about the policy he is enforcing.Equilibrium is the perfect example why I do not rate lower for derivativeness or unoriginality. The film is basically high-concept combination of Fahrenheit 451 (1966), George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (original published in 1949, film versions appeared in 1954, 1956 and 1984), The Matrix (1999) and a bit of The Wizard of Oz (1939) thrown in for good measure. What matters is not how original the ideas are (assuming it's not a case of plagiarism), as whether something is original or not is an epistemological problem that tells us more about our own familiarity with other material rather than the precedent status of the artwork we're questioning, but how well the material is handled. The high-concept material in Equilibrium is handled brilliantly.On its surface, after a brief action-oriented beginning, Equilibrium is basically a progression from a fairly complex sci-fi film (meaning simply that it takes a lot of exposition to get up to speed) to a thriller to a "gun fu"-styled actioner. The progression is carried out deftly by writer/director Kurt Wimmer (who unfortunately hasn't shown the same level of elegant panache in other films I've seen from him, including Sphere (1998) and The Recruit (2003)), with all of the genres somewhat present throughout the film. Wimmer is so austerely slick here that Equilibrium sometimes resembles a postmodernist automobile commercial. The transition from genre to genre is incredibly smooth.The most impressive material on this surface level is the gun fu action stuff, which almost "out-Matrixes" The Matrix in style, if not volume. Preston is so skilled to be an almost invincible opponent. His solitary misstep as a fighter occurs once he gives himself over to emotion. This is nicely related to the common advice from kung fu senseis that emotion lessens one's effectiveness in combat.Of course a big part of Equilibrium is the set of philosophical points it has to make about emotion. There are sections of the film that are appropriately dialogue-heavy, and Wimmer is more than conspicuous with this (one of two) primary theme(s). Just as important as dialogue for Wimmer's commentary on man's emotions are body language and behavior. Some viewers might see it as a flaw that characters frequently show what they consider to be signs of emotions in their comments or behavior, but that's part of Wimmer's agenda. Because it's difficult to even say just what counts as an emotion, and emotions are so wrapped-up with being sentient beings, it would be difficult if not impossible to fully eliminate them, and it's certainly not recommendable. The cast does an excellent job of portraying characters who are supposed to be mostly emotionless but with cracks in the stoic armor continually poking through.Wimmer has a harsh view of our society's self-medication epidemic--even the title of the film seems to be a stab at the common claim that drugs like Prozac and Xanax are taken to help one "smooth out", or "equalize", extremes of mood, or extreme dispositions. The Equilibrium government extends this agenda into the tangible material realm as they also attempt to "smooth out" mood swings by eliminating any cultural artifacts that might promote varied moods/emotions. Wimmer seems to see it as a not-too-exaggerated extension of the modus operandi behind Prozac-like drugs.The other primary theme is one of institutional control. Wimmer has a lot to say about unquestioningly following authorities, and he's careful to show that it's not just governmental authorities that can be a problem. He does this by tightly wrapping religious allegory with his depiction of Equilibrium's government. The leader is known as "Father", and the government secret service members are "clerics". Those outside of this control are shown as authentic, free, individualistic and happy despite the hardships involved with their embrace of forbidden thought/items.More subtly, Wimmer employs the now overused washed out blue-gray cinematography of late 1990s/early 2000s genre films towards an unusual end. It's not just a stylistic device here, but represents a particular kind of reality. Under the purview of the fascistic government, blue-gray predominates. When glimpses of freedom/authenticity enter the film, the blue-gray look is gone, replaced with strongly saturated warm colors, and occasionally a more nostalgic subdued tone. This is one of the film's similarities to The Wizard of Oz, although maybe not the most significant one.If you're someone who cherishes originality for its own sake, you might not like Equilibrium as much, but you have much more serious epistemological problems to sort out. Otherwise, this is a film worth watching and thinking about.
Great Matrix Style action with grounded plot
posted on 20 Aug 2009This movie, although following on from the success of 'The Matrix' deserves more credit than it received. The action is think and the plot '1984' like (timeless).What made the movie more fascinating for me was the use of 'martial arts' and the way in which the use of guns evolved like the samurai arts of old, replacing the sword with a pistol.The acting was superb and the main character was the icy killer from 'American Psycho', who used his charm and wit as in 'American Psycho' to pull off a superb non-feeling Cleric.There are of course some great fight scenes, utilising guns, samurai swords and empty hands that would make any viewer happy to sit down and watch this film.If you liked 'The Matrix' and love old Samurai movies, try this film, you will feel for it.
Great, great, great.
posted on 18 Aug 2009The tag line on the front cover says "Forget 'The Matrix'". I don't know if I believe it's better than that, but Equilibrium was a great film. Great story line and moral, nice camera work and color, and the fighting scenes, especially the ending one, are amazing. All around a really great movie. I didn't think I could see Christian Bale as anything but the "American Psycho" but he proved me wrong. My boyfriend made me watch this movie and boy am I glad he did. I think anyone who hasn't seen it yet should, and thus I'm kind of making everyone I know, who hasn't already, watch it. I'm not saying it's the greatest movie ever by any means, but I do think it's one that got somewhat overlooked when it should be appreciated.
robots or humans?
posted on 18 Aug 2009I personally liked this movie because of the theme it portrayed. It was wonderful to see the alikeness to 1984 and also a little bit of Matrix... but in saying that, they could have toned it down a little.The fighting scenes were awesome, don't get me wrong i liked them, i just felt really detached when one man could single handedly kill over 8 without a single bruise. But its the future so i will give them that.I loved the fact that they showed children in the totalitarian environment, nowhere is safe, not even your home. Forget the telescreen, the programmed people of this new solutionary civilization are the reporters.There is always something that is the symbolic cause of this problem, the revolutionary new emotionless side effects of the shot that must be taken twice a day is excellent. Presenting an injection, something foreign and generally unliked among the population.Overall a great movie, lots of thought provoking and action with a meaning behind it too!
to address those who compare it to the matrix, or otherwise say it's a rip-off...
posted on 16 Aug 2009I know this is supposed to be a review of Equilibrium, but felt the need to address the differences between the movies, since they unfortunately are getting compared to each other.First off on the choreography...This film has virtually nothing to do with the Matrix. If you think the choreography looks similar to it or most of the gun/martial arts movies that have since been released, you have no idea what you're talking about and don't know proper choreography if you saw it. Those of you who think the Matrix and Matrix Reloaded are fine pieces of art are sorely mistaken. To even mention this movie in the same breath as the Matrix movies soils the choreography that went into this movie.The first Matrix film has horrendous choreography, by comparison, you have no talent actors (even calling them that is giving them too much credit) who couldn't fight their way out of a box. Watch the movie again. Notice how the *actors* go through the motions, with no purpose other than to touch another actor's arm or leg when fighting, they only touch to make contact, for movie style martial arts. If you look at Drunken Master 2 or Prodigal Son, the fight choreography in each of these movies leaves you wondering how they didn't hurt each other in practice or filming (which they did) There is a purpose to their fighting, their moves clash with the force that you would use to hurt someone and they follow through selling the punch or kick they deliver, unlike in the Matrix where the moves are augmented by outlandish and garish wire work that a group of grade schoolers could come up with. I will say that the story in the Matrix is more enjoyable than the horrible movie martial arts/wire work/CG choreography they've done, though also not original.Although Equilibrium has original and stylish choreography which may or may not work in real life, at the very least, it looks good, and more importantly looks like it could work (with the exception of a few scenes) without superhuman ability. It also does not tread on the choreography of the Matrix, rather giving nods to John Woo's *good* movies. There is also an explained and plausible purpose behind the "Gun Kata" even though it has a somewhat corny title.If you want a ripoff of anything, take a look at the Matrix or Matrix Reloaded. Matrix Reloaded replaces much of the wire work with CG full body renders which look horrible and at times don't even look like the actors. Take a look at Keanu Reeves face during his fight with the Agent Smiths. With all the slow motion in that scene and closeups, they almost encourage you to notice how much the CG model's face doesn't match with Keanu Reeves'. The Matrix movies are bizarre amalgamations of fight scenes from old martial arts movies (Yuen Woo Ping hasn't come up with anything new in a while...), with a little anime touch to round it off for all the fan boys.In defense of Equilibrium, at least they were trying to go for something original in terms of making people think. If you want to say it's a ripoff of 1984, A Brave New World or Fahrenheit 451, go ahead, but don't be so surprised by anyone calling the Matrix a ripoff of anything related to anime or ANY decent martial arts movie. Nowadays it's hard to come up with anything original, and for that, I commend those that worked on Equilibrium for attempting to with old material. At least they made it interesting to watch and tried to add something to the action genre. I can't say the same for the Matrix films as they've constantly rehashed the same things many fans of anime or martial arts movies have seen done for years, and done MUCH better I might add in those respective media.finally, whoever mentioned Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you have truly shown your ignorance for understanding or appreciating any kind of martial arts choreography in any film. Believe me, don't get me started on that one.
Enjoyable sci-fi despite the low budget and the recognisable style
posted on 16 Aug 2009After the third world war had ended, the survivors realised that mankind would not be able to survive much longer if it didn't tackle the thing that makes them fight - emotion. To tackle the drive to hurt and hate, the Government issues drugs to sedate the populace from the highs or lows of feeling. Meanwhile the police round up those who still feel and destroy art, books and anything that would stir feeling. The heads of these police are the elite Clerics. John Preston has always been a Cleric, but the failure of his partner and an encounter with a feeler start him thinking and feeling.With sighs of `matrix clone' and `cashing in', I, like many viewers overlooked this film in favour of other things that may have come across as more original. However, in the mood for a bit of slick action, I rented this film and was pleasantly surprised by it. The plot may not be original - but what is these days? The film has shades of 1984 and Brave New World about it and it uses these ideas reasonably well. The concept does fall down a little bit with too much thought but on the surface it works well enough to suffice for a sci-fi action movie - the running time doesn't allow for much more than superficial thought here, although there is enough in this future to be thought provoking.The action is good considering the low budget involved here. Yes, it's all very much thanks to the influence of the Matrix but at least it is quite stylish and exciting in it's own right rather than just being a lazy copy. The action scenes are well spread out over the film and they have good pace despite being very much style over substance. The explanation for all the acrobatics and semi-invincibility here is not as good as the explanation/justification for the same in Matrix, but again it is acceptable for this level of film. If anything, the plot goes too fast and too far - it is difficult to accept that things happen so fast, but generally it works.The cast is a strange mix but works. The thing that surprised me was the sheer number of British actors in the cast. Bale is good in the lead role despite his American accent, he is pretty cool and manages to do the emotional change required despite the rush enforced on him by the film. Diggs is disappointing - his character doesn't get enough screentime and he doesn't fulfil the role of rival to Bale, he is a good looking guy but that isn't enough here. The support cast features Bean, Pertwee, Connelly, Fincher and McFadyen but really it is totally Bale's movie and he does pretty well to make it together.Overall this is not a great film but it is an enjoyable action sci-fi that manages to produce an interesting, if unoriginal plot and some slick and fun action that is no less slick or fun for being a low rent version of The Matrix's effects. Well worth a Friday night look!
Original Sci-Fi Love It
posted on 16 Aug 2009Originality, that is what makes a film, a film. Without it you have a remake, rip-off, or just plain old junk. I can't relate this film to any other I have seen. The originality to the story was great, a society so blind about themselves they're willing to take drugs to block the one thing that makes humans humans, emotion, because they feel that emotion causes everything bad you can think of.The whole fighting/gun art style called "gun kata" was just amazing. It was as if it could actually exist. Everyone in the film was emotionally disabled. So I would say the acting was superb, their was no need for emotion, haha. The feel of the film was great, it wasn't what a lot of sci-fi's go for, the whole technology, crowded, unorganized, lawless visuals people come up with. It is actually the total opposite. That's what I liked about the feel of the world in Equilibrium, a orderly, clean society, and a man that wants to break free from it.The action sequences were just amazing, making me want to get up and try and preform it. The climax was great, and the ending leaving you at a question. To me this has to be one of the best sci-fi's that has came out in a while and I'm glad to give it a 9/10
Wow!!!! Still not out of its trance
posted on 12 Aug 2009One of the finest movies of all time especially the work Christian Bale, one of my favourites, has done. Worth watching it 3 times a day. It shows you the strength of human nature which prevails no matter how much suppressed. A masterpiece from Kurt Wimmer deserved to be revised at least in a month. I saw it very late as compared to the date it was released but after watching I eventually said "thumbs up to you guys". The best thing in the movie was the portraying of human emotions, for instance, after the combustion of Mary O'Brien, how deeply Preston was caught by grief and sorrow and broke out risking his life so much. It really is, if not better than Matrix, certainly not lesser by any aspect.
Matrix-killer action-choreography
posted on 08 Aug 2009A dark world, where 1 man control everything... nice base of a promising story. Christian Bale & Taye Diggs are both good choices for the leading roles of this movie.The story actually starts with the scene, where John Preston executes in cold blood his partner Errol Partridge (because of breaking the law!). Shocking storyline, where you will not be able to gather too much information about the world, but it's not so important!If you watch this movie, you can be sure, that you will not be bored. The action-choreography is unbelievably great, stunning fights, John Preston, the Grammaton Priest saves the rebels' causes: to break the power of the "Father" in a world, where feeling is against of the law. Where arts and music are crime.Outstanding movie!
Don't be swayed by narrow-minded film critics... Go see Equilibrium!
posted on 04 Aug 2009Don't be swayed by narrow-minded film critics who like to take out their own non-creative frustrations on movies like Equilibrium. Use your brain... go see this film... judge for yourself... I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.Equilibrium is one of the best sci-fi/action movies ever made. End of story. The Wachowski brothers can only *dream* they had invented the gun kata...
great cinematography!
posted on 04 Aug 2009I don't understand so many of you people call this movie a Matrix rip off... except for the black cool outfits these movies have nothing in common, and most of all, this movie is like the only post matrix movie that has no bullet time... something that was Very refreshing... Not only that, in my opinion, some of the action segments in equilibrium are some of the best action segments in years! Okay, I admit, it had some plot holes (like the gun swap for example) but the acting and the cinematography were great! Just look at it as an entertaining action movie with some intriguing ideas and you'll enjoy it...
a pretty good rental
posted on 04 Aug 2009the only real rip off i guess you could say from the matrix is the stylization of the action sequences, although Equilibrium's action scenes were a bit more stylized. also, there were not very many action scenes in the film, as it was mostly dominated by a lot of talking back and forth between characters. honestly, i found the film (except for its few exciting shootout scenes) to be quite boring. There was just too much dialogue for it to keep my attention and the story wasn't very gripping...at least compared to a story like, say, the Matrix. However, Christian bale did deliver a good performance, as he usually does, and Emily Watson was amazing also. And, of course, Sean bean was a badass like always, even if he was a minor character.
Breath-taking
posted on 02 Aug 2009I loved this film. It achieves eye catching fight scenes that appear based in reality, unlike the matrix.Although the story isn't that original, a fact even the director admits, ex 1984, Brave new world. It is a refreshing view.I can watch the fight scenes over and over again, they are flawless. They are violent but add to the storyline, and convince you that the Clerics are not to be messed with at all. Sean Bean was excellent as always but Christian Bale stole the film, an excellent casting choice.Also the film score is fantastic! Ten out of ten from me
The Action Sleeper of the Year (move over Greek Wedding)
posted on 30 Aug 2009First, this movie should have been opened in all the theaters across the U.S. nation - I don't know why it wasn't; maybe because there were too many "high budget" movies opening at the same time. But anyways, I went into this movie knowing very little about it, but when I finished the movie, it left quite an impression on me. I'm a die-hard Matrix fan (I've seen it roughly 50 times), and to me, not too many movies can top Matrix in special effects and in "cool factor". Equilibrium is not only a contender with the Matrix, but in the sense of something "new and unique" special effects wise, Equilibrium may not be the underdog anymore. All I can say is if you liked The Matrix GO SEE THIS MOVIE!! I'm going to go see it again today just to watch some of those scenes over again. If only the director had more money to work with. I predict with word of mouth advertising, this movie will be around for a while. I look at it as a good opening act before May 15th, Matrix Reloaded.