Premise - It's the year 2054 and murder in the state of Washington has been eliminated. Three telepaths known as 'pre-cogs' can see a murder being committed days in advance and alert the 'pre-crime' unit who will arrest the murderer before they get a chance to commit their crime. The system is perfect, that is until Detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise) finds himself as the next suspect and must go on the run to prove he will not commit a crime he has yet to commit. Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, Minority Report is Steven Speilberg's bleakest film to date. Yes, A.I. was a bleak film, but Minority Report's vision of the near future is one of an Orwellian government that tracks the public via retina scan, beams personally tailored advertisements directly into the mind and throws people into jail for crimes they are yet to commit. Whilst it's true there are no murders, what price must you pay for this peace of mind? How far will rampant consumerism go in the future? What will companies stop at to sell us their wares? These are just some of the many questions that Minority Report asks of the audience. So a bleak, dark vision of the future. Most definitely not your standard Spielberg fare on offer (almost, more later). The film is primarily a complex film noir, although the trailers suggest it is more action orientated than it actually is, there is action and it's impressively handled, but it isn't the crux of the film. Minority Report is a real world Sci-Fi film with a wicked mystery at it's core. I was reminded slightly of films like Strange Days, Blade Runner and LA Confidential amongst others whilst watching. Not too shabby company to be keeping.< The vision of the future that Spielberg has concocted is a stunning one. Not too dissimilar to the world that we currently inhabit, but with a few twists to give it a futuristic edge. Most impressive are the highways of the future that go up the side of buildings and drop you off right at your apartment. Computers have flashy holographic screens that can be moved via interactive gloves. It's not a fantastical look at the future, but a realistic one. You get the feeling that this future could exist, that we are not that far away from living like this. This realistic feel helps the film immensely. You stop thinking about how cool the effects are (although they are very impressive) and concentrate more on the story. The effects don't smother the film they enhance it, as effects should. I'm something of a fan of Tom Cruise, I consider him to be a very capable actor given the right material. Luckily here he is given such material and gives one of his finest performances in quite some time. His character here is not your usual Cruise role. Anderton is a broken man, his child is lost and his marriage is in ruins. He's a drug addict and is in a spiral of self pity. His work is the only thing that keeps him going, knowing that his work will save others from facing his fate. It's powerful work from Cruise and the kind of performance that I know he's capable off. All that said though, Cruise's wasn't my favourite performance in the film. That honour is reserved for new kid on the block, Colin Farrell. Farrell impresses me more and more as I see him. He seems capable of playing absolutely any kind of role. Here he is a by-the-book federal agent, a royal pain in the ass. It's a role that reminded me of a cross between Kevin Spacey's and Guy Pearce's from 'LA Confidential', furthering the film noir feeling of the movie. Witer is slimy, caniving, but at the end of the day he only want's to expose the truth. Elsewhere Max Von Sydow has a small, but important role as the head of the pre-crime unit. I like Sydow and it's nice to see him still making movies, he was the best thing in the risible 'Judge Dredd' movie from a few years back. Samantha Morton has little to do other than look dazed and scream every now and again. Nothing too stretching, but she does what's asked of her. Nice little roles for Tim Blake Nelson and in particular Peter Stormare as an eye doctor with a grudge. Those with keen eyes should keep an eye out for cameo's by Cameron Diaz, Cameron Crowe and allegedly P.T. Anderson, although I couldn't see the latter, I'm assured he's in there. As I said this is Spielberg's bleakest film to date, but that's not to say the ghost of Spielberg films past doesn't come round to spoil things. Whilst for the most part the film is excellent, the final third leaves something to be desired. Much like A.I. where Spielberg apparently didn't know when to say cut, Minority Report goes on for about twenty more minutes than it should. Spielberg had an opportunity for a kick-ass dark ending to go with the rest of the film, but instead decided to wrap up all the loose ends and tack on a ridiculously happy coda. It's not enough to destroy the good work from the rest of the film, but it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Minority Report is an excellent, fascinating film that ultimately shoots itself in the foot with an unnecessarily moralistic ending.

8/10 for Minority Report. Poster Quote - Would you run?