Review: Deja Vu -- Scott's Take

I've always been a big fan of director Tony Scott. While his big brother Ridley is the one who seems to get all the awards and respect (which is what'll happen when you direct Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator), Tony seems more than content to keep churning out his own distinct brand of hyper-stylized, ultra-slick and testosterone-heavy action flicks. Two of Tony Scott's biggest hits, Top Gun and Days of Thunder, rank among my least-favorites examples of the man's work, but if you look back through his filmography you'll notice titles like Man on Fire, Spy Game, Enemy of the State, Crimson Tide and True Romance, all films that improve upon repeat viewings and always have a welcome home in heavy rotation on HBO and Showtime. Even the guy's relative failures (The Last Boy Scout, The Fan, Domino) are entirely watchable and strangely compelling failures.

So when I noticed that the latest Denzel Washington cop flick was directed by Mr. Scott, I immediately switched over from mildly interested to actively intrigued. Toss in the fact that Deja Vu was co-written by one of my favorite Popcorn Movie scribes (Terry Rossio, of Shrek, Zorro and Pirates), and I was officially looking forward to Deja Vu -- and that's even before the trailers switched over from "cop thriller" to "cop thriller with a sci-fi twist." (Rossio's co-writer, Bill Marsilii, makes his big-screen debut here.) Also helping to stir the pot is producer Jerry Bruckheimer, which basically means a movie might be really dumb, but there's very little chance it'll be dull.

It'd be easy to throw out accidental spoilers while offering a normal plot synopsis of Deja Vu, so I'll tread lightly: Denzel Washington plays ATF agent Doug Carlin, a seriously gifted crime investigator who's called in after a horrific explosion destroys a ferry loaded with military men and their families. (The film's opening explosion has caused much hand-wringing among the more sensitive cultural watchdogs, as if after 9/11 we were forbidden from using explosions in a fictional fashion.) But the deeper Doug digs into his investigation, the stranger the case becomes: How is it that one of the victims' bodies was discovered ... before the actual explosion? And what's up with Val Kilmer's secret team of high-tech surveillence wizards who offer Doug a way to "peek" back in time? Can the mad bomber be identified through the use of ... time travel? Hey, what's going on here? I thought this was a cop movie!

And therein lies the fun of Deja Vu: Just as the flick starts to settle in as a standard-yet-colorful crime story, the filmmakers flip the script just a little bit and start heading into the realm of science fiction -- and once you get used to the sudden switch in genres, Deja Vu settles right back down and keeps plugging away with the goods. It's not the deepest, freshest or most unique crime thriller ever made, but there's always something to be said for a fast-moving matinee-style flick that offers a few slick surprises amidst its otherwise fairly conventional offerings.

Those who adore the grim and glowering version of Denzel Washington may be pleased as punch to note that his Deja Vu performance is laden with grins, laughs and an actual sense of humor. (I was pretty pleasantly surprised at how many chuckles Denzel's character earned from my co-viewers.) And as is nearly always the case in a Tony Scott film, Deja Vu is packed to capacity with familiar faces and colorful character actors. Kilmer gets himself a woefully underwritten role, but the guy exudes just enough charisma to make him a welcome presence. Also included are James Caviezel as The Psycho, Adam Goldberg as The Genius, Bruce Greenwood as The Boss and Elden Henson as The Techie. Newcomer Paula Patton makes for a suitably fetching leading lady, even if her character's not much more than a McGuffin for the first two acts.

It's a chase thriller, a sci-fi mind-twister and a mild romance all rolled into one. Deja Vu may intermittently grind its gears while slipping from one genre to the other, but before it's all over I bet you'll be pretty intrigued to see how it all turns out. And while it's certainly not among the finest films from either filmmaker, Deja Vu is certainly good enough to spend a few hours on, provided you have a nice comfy afternoon window available.