Deja Vu

UK Release: 15th December 2006

Watched on Recorded TV: Saturday 2nd June 2012

Rating: 12A

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Runtime: 2hrs 6mins

Tagline: If you thought it was just a trick of the mind, prepare yourself for the truth.

IMDb Plot Synopsis: A ferry filled with crewmen from the USS Nimitz and their families was blown up in New Orleans on Mardi Gras. BATF Doug Carlin is brought in to assist in the massive investigation, and gets attached to an experimental FBI surveillance unit, one that uses spacefolding technology to directly look back a little over four days into the past. While tracking down the bomber, Carlin gets an idea in his head: could they use the device to actually travel back in time and not only prevent the bombing but also the murder of a local woman whose truck was used in the bombing?

My Review: Deja Vu was cleverer than expected and far from the usual action cop thriller, this interesting sci-twist keeps you thinking and on the edge of your seat.

It began like the usual criminal investigation type thriller but soon took a turn for the spooky and Denzel Washington is superb at keeping the film grounded and has a great presence on screen. I don’t think I’ve seen any of his work before so he surprised me with how much emotion he added to the part and you really rooted for his character - something that may have been tricky with all the science fiction elements. Me personally, I relished them and without them I may have found the crime thriller a little boring. I like a good twist, something to keep me hooked (a fantastic example being the Bourne triology) and so the whole time manipulation aspect really drew me in and got me thinking all day about what a clever concept it was. It was interesting as the time travel was a form of deviancy amplification as they actually started to cause the crimes by interfering with the past rather than trying to solve them. 

Thrilling throughout with some great action sequences, it took a neat sci-fi concept and made it work really well! I would recommend it!

Score: 8/10