Title – Minority Report (2002) 

Director – Steven Spielberg (Hook) 

Cast – Tom Cruise, Samantha Morton, Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow 

Plot – In a future where murders and their culprits can be predicted before they even take place, a police chief working in this detection space John Anderton (Cruise) ends up on the run when he is pinpointed for a murder that is due to take place in a few days time. 

“Sometimes, in order to see the light, you have to risk the dark”

Review by Eddie on 22/02/2022

Based on a Philip K. Dick sci-fi short (as seems to be the case with every second Hollywood sci-fi entry), 2002’s Tom Cruise starring Steven Spielberg directed sci-fi thriller Minority Report is a ripping yarn that remains a blast to watch these close to 20 years on from its initial successful release, as well as being an intriguing predictor for technology that has now come into existence thanks to its forward thinking components that have seen it feel more relevant than ever in today’s Big Brother like world. 

One of the most purely entertainment focused outings of Spielberg’s career, a step above intellectually than say the fun Ready Player One but really just an old school cat and mouse on the run thriller when it comes down to the bones of it all, Report also has its fair share to say about freedom of choice and an overpoliced society as we follow Cruise’s special police chief John Anderton as his been pinned for a murder his not yet committed thanks to new technology utilizing the minds of three siblings who can predict murder’s and suspects before they actually occur. 

It’s a fantastic concept and thanks to Spielberg’s innate ability to produce films with spills, thrills yet also filmmaking and storytelling smarts, Report is a thoroughly enjoyable sci-fi epic that gets great turns from its leading man and supports from Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow and Samantha Morton, whilst creating a memorable futuristic dystopia that is captured in a unique way by regular Spielberg collaborator and director of photography Janusz Kaminski. 

In different hands Report may’ve been a relatively po-faced experience (although one I would’ve loved to see modern maestro Denis Villeneuve tackle), one that turns its attention more to preaching and debates on morality of such projects and concepts and it may well have been a fine film produced in that way but there’s few directors to have ever existed that know how to satisfy an audience quite like Spielberg, with his sensibilities ensuring Report is constantly on the money. 

From freeway escapes taking place vertically, a Hitchcockian throwback chase through a car factory or Cruise getting some fun looking eye surgery, Report is never too far away from its next fun scene or moment of white knuckle tension and when it comes to sci-fi’s of this nature, Report is deservedly one of the most well-liked and talked about in the business. 

Final Say – 

It’s not high-brow stuff despite its many contemplative ideas and what if scenarios but Minority Report is a rip-roaring sci-fi thriller that remains one of Spielberg’s best efforts post 2000. 

4 umbrellas out of 5