MINORITY REPORT

US, 2002, 145 minutes, Colour.
Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Samantha Morton, Colin Farrell, Peter Stormare, Lois Smith, Kathryn Morris, Arye Grose, Jessica Harper, Tim Blake Nelson.
Directed by Steven Spielberg.

Minority Report is based on a story by Philip K. Dick, the increasingly popular writer of science fiction stories to be made into films. Dick was born in 1928 and died in 1982. Blade Runner was released in 1982, just before his death. With its skilful direction by Ridley Scott and its creation of a future world, it raised interest in Dick’s stories for film. Total Recall was released in 1990 (Paul Verhoeven) and a number of films including Impostor, Paycheck (directed by John Woo), A Scanner Darkly (directed by Richard Linklater), and Next with Nicolas Cage were made. Probably the highest profile after Blade Runner was Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report.

Steven Spielberg has shown a great interest in a variety of genres. This is his main science fiction film (although such films as Jurassic Park indicate an interest in science fiction).

The film was also a star vehicle for Tom Cruise and had a very good role for Max von Sydow as a high-flying villain and Samantha Morton. Colin Farrell appeared in the film, one of his earlier starring roles.

The film is futuristic. The focus is on a police body which actually catches criminals before the crimes are committed. When one of the officers in this unit, Tom Cruise, is accused of a crime, his journey is to prove his innocence. This gives the film quite a deal of dramatic tension. The enforcement group used genetically altered human beings, called Pre-Cogs?, who are immersed in water – with electrodes, and have the power to predict the crimes.

One of the problems is that this Pre-Cog? cognition can be manipulated. When Tom Cruise’s officer makes connection with a female Pre-Cog?, Agatha, played by Samantha Morton, there is a different story – which leads to a political confrontation with the politician played by Max von Sydow.

In Spielberg’s canon, Minority Report came immediately after his working on the story that Stanley Kubrick had prepared for the screen, AI: Artificial Intelligence. Spielberg followed this with Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, and again moving into the science fiction realm, War of the Worlds.

1. The impact of the film? Its reputation? Its place in Steven Spielberg's canon, its focus on science fiction, the future? The focus on children, children betrayed and murdered, the Pre-Cogs? as innocent children? The darker and bleaker side of Spielberg's film-making?

2. The adaptation of the film from the story by Philip Dick? The changes in the story? Developing the world of science fiction and androids and humans in the future? Philip Dick via Spielberg?

3. The re-creation of the world of 2054, the darkness and the light, the city itself and its technology, the appearance of the city? Washington, the bureaus, politics?

4. The tradition of the film noir, crime and detection? The taking of the old styles of murders, police and detection and projecting them into the science fiction future?

5. The importance of the title, the Pre- Cogs and their knowing about the murder and who was to do it - one dissenting and forming a minority report? The importance of for John Anderton to have a minority report on the crime he was to commit? His not getting it? His going on the run?

6. Tom Cruise as John Anderton, the background of his marriage and divorce, the abduction of his child and his child's death? His moroseness, drug-taking, watching the holograms of his son's life? His belonging to the Pre- Crime Squad? His abilities, examining the data, conducting it like an orchestra? His relationship with the Pre-Cogs? Their being placed in the liquid, being sustained, their genetic qualities and visions? The monitors and the processes for information about the murders? The balls emerging with the names, the time? Anderton and his skills, his reputation, the wiping out of crime? The approval of the officials done by television screen? Seeing him in action? The prologue and the initial murder information, visualising the husband finding his wife with her lover and killing her? The time element, the squad going out to find the family, the Pre-Cog's vision acting itself out in reality, the husband and wife at home, the children, the breakfast, the husband going to work, his having to return, the wife and her lover, the knife? The squad and their contacts, trying to find which house, the open door, arriving just in time to prevent the murder? The arrest of the husband?

7. John and his responsibilities, the Washington success, the plan going national? His hesitations?

8. His visit to Lamarr Burgess, Burgess's character, his being a patron of the department, his support of John, especially in his tragedy, the decision about going national? Burgess's retirement - but staying on for national power?

9. Daniel Witwer and the background of the FBI, suspicions about the nationalisation of the Pre- Crime Squad, his arrival, manner, audience suspicion of him, his investigations, his visiting John's wife? His discovery of the truth after reporting it to Lamarr, Lamarr shooting him dead?

10. The vision of John's crime, his trying to check it out, his escaping from the building, his going to the previous head, Dr Hineman and her garden, her treatment of him, suspicions, explanations of the minority report? Getting into the building again, the detection through the eye, his going for the eye operation, the derelict doctor and his performance of the operation, John being blindfolded, the food and its contamination in the fridge, the mechanical spiders with their eye detection, his hiding in the bath and escaping their notice? The FBI in pursuit?

11. Agatha and the Pre-Cogs?, their background, genetic structure, being preserved in the liquid? Their visions? Their handler and the way that he treated them? The manager of the Department of Containment? John and his relationship with them, with Agatha, taking her out of the liquid? The emergence of her character, her fears? The child-adult? Appearance? Getting her the clothes? Finding a place for her, going to the hotel, her vision of Leo Crowe? The set-up, the woman downstairs in the vision, going up to the room, the inverted number? The man in sunglasses on the billboard? The evidence on the bed that Leo Crowe had abducted his son? Crowe's arrival, the confrontation, John's anger, being prepared to kill him, the realisation that it was a set-up? His not killing Crowe? Agatha advising him that he had choice? His discovery that Crowe wanted to be killed for insurance for his family? The need for the proof?

12. Agatha as the mentor to John, the importance of her advice on choice? His going from the apartment to the video expert and getting the favour of the video?

13. Lamarr and John's wife, John and his relying on his wife, the function, Lara's realising the truth? Confronting Burgess, his tie? The build-up to the award? The gathering, the television? Lara and the setting up of the video? The background of the Pre-Cogs' vision of the death of Anne Lively, the ambiguity of who had killed her, the lost file and John trying to recover it? The Department of Containment? The alternate video and the revelation that Burgess himself was the murderer of Anne Lively? Her being Agatha's mother? Her appearing in the video, the murder - and Burgess trying to cover up to preserve his department? The exposure in front of all his guests?

14. John, his being arrested, being taken to prison? The nature of the prison and the preservation of all the prisoners? His eluding the system, his getting out? His finally confronting Lamarr?

15. Lamarr, the truth, his motivations, the presentation of the Civil War gun, his turning it on himself? The dismay of his wife? The guests?

16. The themes of justice, authority, law? The exercise of power? Who had authority over life and death? The temptations of power?

17. The rather gentle and twee resolution of the film: John and his wife reconciled, her pregnancy, the Pre-Cogs? in their cosy cottage?

18. Will the film become a classic of science fiction and fantasy?