Unlike many of the movies coming out this holiday season, Déjà Vu focuses on bending the space and time continuum. Although centered on some technologically heavy subject matter, Déjà Vu’s cool science in no way overshadows Denzel Washington and his supporting cast of actors.
Arguably one of the best actors of his generation, Denzel Washington consistently picks tough, intense roles that show off his skills – Training Day or Malcolm X, anyone? Washington is still the tough man in Déjà Vu, but in this movie his intensity comes from the fact the woman he is in love with – the gorgeous and virtually unknown Paula Patton (Idlewild) – is dead. But more on that later.
Washington’s character, Doug Carlin, is befriended by Agent Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), a straight-laced FBI agent who seems to know very little about very little. However, he makes up for his ineptitude and lack of knowledge by being uncompromisingly practical. The one thing he knows for sure is he heads a special unit that can see four days in the past, giving him and his crew the ability to view a crime scene before the crime is actually committed. The head scientist in charge of this interesting device is Denny, played by a brilliant Adam Goldberg (Joey).
But now the only problem is that in real time, a crime has already happened: The explosion of a ferry celebrating the recovery in the Hurricane Katrina-battered New Orleans. The crime scene sparks a friendship between Pryzwarra and Carlin, and after the ferry explodes, a series of weird occurrences take place that can only be explained once the detectives take another look. But unfortunately, this can only happen four days after the event takes place. Confused yet?
Déjà Vu then follows the team of Carlin, Pryzwarra and Denny racing against time, four days in the past while being in the present. The characters attempt to look at the past from a completely objective point of view while still in their own present and, for the most part, this formula succeeds until Carlin decides to mess with time in a way that only he can. Soon after, Carlin finds himself in a good guy’s worst nightmare: the dilemma between finding the bad guy and saving the girl he loves.
The film raises questions relevant to its plot, especially about time travel, destiny and fate. If one event is changed, will the outcome of a series of events be the same? Does it really matter? Most of these issues are resolved at the end of Déjà Vu, but the audience is still left searching for answers during the entire movie – and sitting on the edge of their seats thanks to the film’s gritty cinematographic style.
Déjà Vu is visually stimulating and well-written, with a solid cast, but the film is bogged down by the numerous technological references: The actors seem to be throwing around words even they don’t understand. To fully understand Déjà Vu, you might need to see it more than once – making the title even more ironically fitting.
Contact reporter Michael Greenwald at greenwalddbk@gmail.com.
