Total Recall (1990)
Writers: Phillip K. Dick (short story), Ronald Shusset (screenplay), Dan O'Bannon (screenplay), Gary Goldman (screenplay), Jon Povil (screen story)
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Rachel Ticotin, Ronny Cox, Marshall Bell, Mel Johnson Jr., Michael Champion, Roy Brocksmith, Ray Baker, Dean Norris
Synopsis:
Construction worker Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger) is haunted by a recurring dream in which he travels to Mars. In an effort to make the dreams stop, and against the advice of his friends, he purchases a holiday from Rekall, a company that sell implanted memories. However, something goes awry during the procedure and Doug remembers that he's actually Howser, a secret agent fighting against Mars' tyrannical administrator Cohegaan (Cox). Quaid/Howser must now fend off repeated attempts to recapture him by Cohaagen's goon Richter (Ironside) and find his way back to Mars to uncover the truth of his existence.
First Impressions:
I didn't see this one in theaters, though I would have liked to. Sadly, I was largely unaware of the film when it released and only found out about it when my brother rented it one weekend. I was 14 at the time and the movie's high-octane action and gore appeals to the little freak I was back then. Unfortunately much of the film's deeper themes were lost on my pea-brain at the time, which over the years I've learned to appreciate more and more. It's a film I've owned on a number of formats and I re-visit from time to time, though not as often as some of Arnie's more prominent outings. It's been quite a few years since I watched it last, so let's jump in an she how it holds up!
Story/Direction:
"You are what you do. A man is defined by his actions, not his memory."
In re-watching this film for the first time in years, I realized that they don't make movies like this anymore. I'm not talking about the gratuitous nudity in the film or the over-the-top violence, but rather the themes the film explores and the way in which the story is told. This is real, old school science fiction, which doesn't spoon-feed plot or over-explain everything going on to make sure everybody understands. No, this film lays out the story, gives the audience clues and let's them figure out what really happened. This is a film that also deftly explore the concept of what our own memories are and whether they are real or just the machinations of some higher power.
There really is some deep shit going on in this film, if you know where to look. For example, without giving anything away, Quaid is frequently told throughout the film that what he's experiencing isn't real but, rather a side effect of the memory implantation procedure and if he doesn't snap out of the delusion, he'll end up being lobotomized. Verhoeven never really gives us a direct answer to whether this is true or not, but sprinkles clues all about the film, trusting his audience (this seems to be an ongoing theme in my reviews) to put the pieces together and make their own determination. Even by the end of the film, there's still no concrete answer as to whether any of the events actually happened. In my opinion, that's some damn fine storytelling right there. It's also a prime example of why this film worked so well and the 2012 remake failed so miserably. It's because the latter focused on the action, rather than the deeper themes.
Ironically, the actual plot of the film, isn't all that original outside of the philosophical exploration. It's really a standard tale of a double agent turning from his masters to help a band of valiant rebels. Verhoeven really has a knack for taking basic plots and weaving them into a wonderful science-fiction story that asks deeper questions about humanity, much like his other efforts such as Robocop and Starship Troopers. Both of those films may appear on the surface as stupid, turn-your-brain-off actioneers, but under the surface, there's a deeper discussion going on and I love that about Verhoeven as a director. It's really a shame he didn't do more films in North America.
Acting:
As with any Schwarzenegger film from this era, the acting is a bit of a mixed bag. Of course Arnold is always front and center, and he usually does enough not to totally embarrass himself. This role was a bit different that many of his previous ones, however, because it required a lot more dialogue and emoting that Schwarzenegger had previously been asked to do. Fortunately, he does a fine enough job here and, as it turns, out Arnold is fairly adept at looking bewildered, which served him well in this film. In the end, the performance is nothing to write home about, but it's good enough to serve the story's needs.
To me, the really interesting characters are the main villains Richter and Cohaagen, played by Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox, respectively. It's often said that an action movie is only ever as good as its villains and with these two, the film hits it out of the park. Ironside was often cast as villainous henchman during the 80s, a role to which he is eminently suited for. While he doesn't exhibit much physical menace, there's something about him that just makes one feel uneasy. He also has an intensity to most of his performances that serve his evil roles well.
As Cohaagen, Ronny Cox picks up where he left off from his performance in Robocop. He's over-the-top, unhinged and chews his fair share of scenery along the way. Still, the performance balances nicely with Ironside's more intense performance. It's a performance that's a far cry from his dueling banjos scene in Deliverance, that's for sure.
Visuals:
The visual effects for the movie were outstanding for the time and still hold up for the most part. There's a lot of cool (and freaky) make-up effects as well as some really disturbing animatronics (you're in a Johnny Cab!) and, of course, splosions! There's even some early 90s CGI, which looks halfway decent. The make-up, in particular is quite good and give us scenes with people's eyes bulging out of their sockets (it's really cool) and even adding extra body parts to people. Of course, there's some janky looking animatronics and older green screen shots that always look weird on modern HD TV's, but they don't take one out of the movie.
The real visual treat for me, though, was the dystopian cyberpunk setting, a hallmark for most films based on the works of Phillip K. Dick. Like he did in Robocop, Verhoeven shows us a world that is similar to our own but very, very different at the same time. It really helps ground the story and make it more relatable.
Score/Music:
The great Jerry Goldsmith wrote the music for the film and it's solid. The main theme reminded me a lot of the themes from
Robocop and the
Terminator. Its liberal use of deep drum beats and electronic rhythms really lean into the cyberpunk aesthetic of the world and sets the backdrop nicely. However, while the music fir the film nicely, I don't think it's quite as good as the scores from those other two films. Still. it's a good effort and I did find myself absently humming it in the shower.
Action:
Well, there's a lot of action in this film and its all done very well. There's a enough shootouts, chases and fist-fights in the film to give even the most jaded action movie fan a chubby. The presence of a pressurized dome around much of the Mars set pieces gave those action scenes a bit more tension and provided higher stakes. However, I didn't find anything remarkable about the action in the film. Don't get me wrong, it's ably done and exciting to watch, but I just didn't think the filmmakers did anything that hadn't already been done a hundred times before in other action films.
Final Verdict:
This is one of those instances where my appreciation for a film has grown after reviewing it. It's a solid action film with a fantastic sci-fi story. Fans of classic action films should definitely check it out, as should anyone who digs old school science fiction.
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