Review: Impostor

Set in 2079, where Earth is at war with an alien race who are now using replicants (android clones) that come equipped with bombs. The replicants don’t seem to know they are replicants nor that they carry these bombs. Gary Sinise plays an important weapons designer who is arrested by Major Hathaway (Vincent D’Onofrio) on suspicion of being a replicant (He’s basically the global version of an NSA guy). Sinise is adamant that his human and flees Maj. Hathaway’s torturous interrogation, hoping to prove to everyone (perhaps even himself) that he is truly him, and not an alien replicant. Madeleine Stowe plays Sinise’s doctor wife, Mekhi Phifer plays an underground revolutionary/mercenary-type who helps Sinise, Gary Dourdan is Hathaway’s second-in-command, Tony Shalhoub essentially plays Robert Costanzo from “Total Recall”, the late Elizabeth Pena is also seen underground, whilst Lindsay Crouse, Tracey Walter, and Clarence Williams III all have small appearances (the latter two being uncredited for some reason).

 

Originally designed as a 40-minute short, this 2002 sci-fi film from director Gary Fleder (“Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead”, “Don’t Say a Word”, “Runaway Jury”) received an absolute shit-kicking from critics. Adapted from a Philip K. Dick (“Blade Runner”, “Total Recall”, “The Adjustment Bureau”) story, I think it’s a perfectly ordinary film not much worth discussing at great length, really. But is it really that bad? No, not even close. Go watch “Journey to the 7^th Planet” or “Battlefield Earth” and then tell me that this film sucks. It’s not memorable enough to suck.

 

The chase element of the film works far better than anything else, aided by Gary Sinise’s professional turn, and a typically solid Mark Isham (“The Hitcher”, “Point Break”, “The Cooler”) score. It’s basically “The Fugitive”, but not nearly as good, and fitted with FX and production design that makes this 2002 vision of 2079 look like 1997’s vision of 2079 (And indeed, parts of the film were shot a long, long time ago). Or a cheap-arse TV show on SyFy, which is ironic given actors Gary Sinise and Madeleine Stowe ended up TV mainstays, albeit not on SyFy (or sci-fi shows for that matter, the former on “CSI: New York”, the latter on “Revenge”). Roles for other familiar TV faces like Tony Shalhoub (“Monk”), Lindsay Crouse (“Buffy”), Gary Dourdan (“CSI”) and Vincent D’Onofrio (“Law & Order…I’m gonna go with SVU? Criminal Intent?”) doesn’t help, either. Sinise produced the film, so he must’ve believed in it somewhat, and the film certainly has familiar Dick themes (Dick themes? You know you were thinking it) with androids, aliens, and identity issues. The chase/wrong man sequences are also reminiscent of a later film based on Dick’s work, the superior “Minority Report”. But Sinise (who doesn’t look remotely embarrassed to be there) comes off much better than the film itself, I’m afraid. Hell, even Stowe, of whom I’ve never been a fan, is pretty good too.

 

It’s the kind of film that keeps you watching without doing anything remotely impressive or particularly interesting, though I will say that I didn’t see the twist ending coming. Otherwise, the familiar Dick trappings (ouch!) end up working against the film, because you feel like you’ve seen it a billion times before and usually with much better FX. Also working against the film? The annoying and overly mannered performance by Vincent D’Onofrio, a talented actor who kinda loses his mind from time to time and becomes irritatingly affected. He shows all of his worst traits as an actor in this one performance, he’s just too eccentric that it rings false.

 

This may not be another “Battlefield Earth”, but there’s still nothing much to see here, and not much of it is convincing or original. It’s just…meh. Adapted by Scott Rosenberg (“Beautiful Girls”, “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead”, “Con Air”), the screenplay is by Carolyn Case (who did uncredited work on “Don’t Say a Word” and “Runaway Jury”), Ehren Kruger (“Arlington Road”, “Scream 3”), and David Twohy (director of “The Arrival”, “Pitch Black”, and more importantly, co-writer of “The Fugitive” and “Waterworld”), who should all have known better.

 

Rating: C