|
|
 |
Minority Report
Director: Steven Spielberg (2001)
Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Certificate: 12
|
|
Dateline: Washington DC, 2054. A new form of crime prevention is being tested. The aptly named Department of Pre-Crime, under Director Lamar Burgess (Max von Sydow) uses the psychic abilities of three genetically manipulated people known as ‘pre-cogs’ to predict and prevent murders. Linked in a morally dubious way to futuristic computer technology, their visions of crimes yet to be committed are translated onto a screen where they are interpreted by Pre-Crime police officers. Premeditated murder in the city has been eliminated and even crimes of passion are prevented by the efficiency of the system. Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell) is sent by the FBI to give Pre-Crime a final check before the system is adopted nationwide.
Top Pre-Crime police officer John Anderton (Tom Cruise), the protégé of Lamar Burgess, is completely sold on the pre-cog technology and is driven in his work by the experience of his son’s abduction and probable murder six years previously. Anderton is convinced that the system is a foolproof means of preventing anyone from experiencing the suffering that has haunted him since that day. Off-duty he despairingly takes drugs to try and mask the pain of his loss, not only of his son but also of his marriage to Lara (Kathryn Morris).
|
|
Anderton unexpectedly uncovers a discrepancy in the Pre-Crime system when Agatha (Samantha Morton), one of the pre-cogs, transmits a vision of a woman named Anne Lively (Jessica Harper) being murdered. The problem is that it appears to be a repeat of an already solved and prevented crime. Soon afterwards, Anderton goes on duty only to discover that he himself has been identified by the system as a future murderer. Anderton covers this up for long enough to go on the run and seek out Dr Iris Hineman (Lois Smith), one of Pre-Crime’s developers, to discover whether Agatha’s vision represents a flaw in the system. Dr Hineman tells Anderton that occasionally one of the pre-cogs sees a crime in a different way. This is called a ‘minority report’ and creates the possibility of an alternative future for the perpetrator-to-be. |
Minority Report twists and turns as the story unfolds. Hunted as a fugitive by the Department of Pre-Crime and the FBI’s Agent Witwer, Anderton struggles to uncover the conspiracy that has framed him. Eventually, he proves his innocence and exposes the identity of the real villain within the Department of Pre-Crime (but you will have to see the film to discover who it is). With the potential for abuse all too apparent, the system is closed down, Anderton is reconciled to his wife, and the pre-cogs are allowed to live a normal life.
Yet again, director Steven Spielberg excels. Against the backdrop of a somewhat bleak future ~ present also in his earlier film Artificial Intelligence ~ Spielberg weaves together a compelling adaptation of the short story by Philip K. Dick (who was also the literary source for Blade Runner). There are in fact some clear echoes of Ridley Scott’s science fiction classic. Tom Cruise does well as Anderton in what is probably his best type of role, and the ageing but excellent Max von Sydow graces the screen once more in his own inimitable style.
THROUGH THE LENS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH
Minority Report raises the scary thought that the intention to commit murder is no less a crime than the act of murder. Thank goodness it is only a film! Imagine what it would be like if we could be convicted for holding ill intentions towards someone else even though they had not been acted upon. What if God judged us in that way?
Sadly, some Christians go through life weighed down by the guilt caused by just such a belief. They point, for example, to the words of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel (chapter 5, verses 21-28) where he compared calling someone a fool and looking at someone lustfully to adultery and murder respectively. What is important to remember is the context of Jesus’ words.
Jesus was making the point that any attempt to earn God’s favour was doomed to failure. Everyone would fall short since no-one could claim a life free of unhealthy thoughts and attitudes. Even when seeking our utmost to live godly there will be times when we hold things in our hearts that we would rather not share with others. It is a consequence of being broken people living in an imperfect world.
Jesus calls us to be aware of these dark places so that we might recognise them and move on in our Christian journey, putting our trust in God’s forgiveness and measureless love for us rather than in our ability to live lives of impossible perfection. If we can do that, it will help our failings to become encouragements for change rather than crippling burdens of guilt.
Another theme emerging from Minority Report is that of the future being pre-determined. The fate of the future murderers was sealed. In a sense, they had no say in the matter. Changing their minds and deciding a different course of action or being helped by others to do so was not possible.
In reality, one of God’s greatest gifts to us is free will. We can make choices for good. We are not puppets of a sadistic God who deliberately sets us up for a fall. Made in God’s image we have the potential to grow in wholeness and to help others do the same. This is something that is evident time after time through the ministry of Jesus, where he encounters people on the edge of society, the ‘sinners’. Check out the gospel stories for yourself. Jesus always saw in their brokenness what people might become, and he treated them accordingly.
That is quite a challenge to those responsible for the Government’s recent draft Mental Health Bill. Can we really lock people away in secure institutions for crimes that they might commit in the future? How can people be judged guilty for a potential crime that may never be committed in reality? Disturbingly, the world of Minority Report is a little too close for comfort. What do you think?
To discuss this further why not leave a message of the discussion forum.
