CYPHER
US, 2002, 95 minutes, Colour.
Jeremy Northam, Lucy Liu, Nigel Bennett, Timothy Webber, David Hewlett.
Directed by Vincenzo Natali.
You need to keep your wits about you to follow this film. Set in a mysterious near-future, it is about industrial espionage and the use of sophisticated technology to spy on rival companies. A new recruit, played in 'geek-like' fashion by Jeremy Northam wants to improve his lot and is recruited to go to conferences and relay speeches to headquarters by satellite. So far, so good. Then he is tracked by a rival company, is plagued by mysterious dreams and headaches and... Lucy Liu plays a woman he meets in a bar but who knows much more about him... With some action sequences, some surveillance confrontations, all is revealed but, because the plot is working at several levels, one leaves the theatre wanting to make sure that one has really understood what has gone on.
The film has the look of a futuristic science-fiction film, often an air of unreality about it, when suddenly one is immersed in familiar locations. For those who enjoy puzzles and enigmas, a must.
1.A solid reputation for science fiction? The visuals of the film and its style? The themes? Industrial espionage? Brainwashing and individuality?
2.The futuristic locations, recognisable locations – but with a difference? Homes, convention centres, hotels? Laboratories? The futuristic buildings out in the desert, corporate headquarters? The musical score and mood?
3.The title, the references to encrypted codes? Brainwashed human beings as cyphers?
4.The focus on Morgan Sullivan, his relationship with his wife, his wanting to change his job? His going to Digicorp, the interviews, his seeming nondescript personality, their employing him? His brainwashing, getting his new identity? His mission, the explanations, going to the various conferences, the boring talks, his taping them, sending the messages back to headquarters? The experiments going on during the talks, the group of listeners, their being affected, not remembering what had happened to them? His return home? His encounter with Rita Foster? Mysterious? His being contacted by the Sunways Corporation? The possibilities of his change, a different kind of espionage? A different wife? A mission? The effect on him as an individual? His understanding of himself, his manner, hobbies etc? The encounter with Finster? The change in operation? Working for Sunways, going to the meetings? Rita and her continued turning up, affecting his understanding of himself? His dreams and nightmares? The visualising of these?
5.Rita, femme fatale, mysterious, suddenly turning up, enigmatic, her personality? Relationship with Morgan? Her warnings, her change of heart, helping him?
6.Finster and Digicorp, the representatives from Sunways? Their rivalry? Finster picking up Morgan as the taxi driver, taking him to his destination?
7.The final espionage, the talk about the boss, the wealthy entrepreneur? His mysterious identity? No-one having seen him? Morgan going to the remote building, meeting, infiltration? His being trapped, the dangers, in the lift-well, climbing to safety? Rita’s presence?
8.The realisation that he was the entrepreneur? His memories and dreams? Rita’s explanations? The fact that he had engineered the whole process so that he could infiltrate, get the disc?
9.The issue of the disc, his getting the disc, the copying of the disc, the time constraints?
10.Finster and the Sunways representative? Their realisation of the truth, Morgan’s escape?
11.The scene on the yacht, Rita with Morgan, his own identity back? What had he achieved? Was he any better than the companies that he was infiltrating?
12.The film’s comment on industrial espionage, a culture of greed, money – and the sequences at the hotels, the flights, the atmosphere of luxury? A critique of this way of life?
