Review of Déjà Vu (2006) by Tanner S — 20 Jan 2010

Déjà Vu, starring Denzel Washington, is a heavy action, suspenseful thriller that will keep viewers captivated and pushes them to the edge of their seats as Doug Carlin (Washington) is racing against time to do the impossible: alter the past. The film in located in the southern United States, where several crimes fueling the movie?s story line, take place. Déjà Vu is packed with action, romance, and the thrill of a time governed adventure.

The movie starts abruptly with the explosion of a ferry carrying hundreds of celebrating southern folks celebrating a return from war. Doug Carlin, an investigator in the area is located at the scene of the crime where he meets a girl, Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton), who will later evolve into one of the main protagonists of the movie. Carlin is turned on to the criminal responsible for the death of Claire a little bit later in the movie. Throughout the film, Carlin seeks to find the corrupt suspect. Happening to come along a top-secret government project involving a highly intricate time altering system which can see into the past, Carlin teams up with a few of the guys working there to try to solve the mystery. The time device sees exactly 4 days into the past, which is a highly time sensitive disadvantage. Using the film captured from the past, Doug traces the criminal who plans to kill Claire. Carling must keep up with him in order to halt his operations before they turn deadly.

Several important factors prove crucial in the plot and desired suspense of the film. The ingenious concept of the delicate fold in time adds a bit of positive confusion for the viewer. This allows the viewer to contemplate the concept to fully understand the film. This unique trick gets the audience thinking deeper into the complexity of the movie. The director, Tony Scott, does very well in this aspect, but also the acting. Denzel Washington played an exemplary part in the movie, his ability to create an extremely convincing illusion of sheer skill and adventure. Washington?s convincing performance did well drawing in the theatergoers to keep them intrigued as to what will happen next. James Cavielzel played the part of the antagonist in the film, Carroll Oerstadt. Caviezel?s performance, too, was very convincing and creates a harsh tension between Washington?s character as well as the audience.

Déjà vu, as a whole, drew me into the action. Throughout the film, I found myself drawn into the action, complete with a pulsing heart rate and a real connection to the characters. The special affects and the all around hair raising experience gave the movie a great feel. The advanced technology featured in the movie was laid out so well, it would have been surprising to know it was not real. In my personal opinion, Déjà Vu is a must see for any avid adventure film addict. The movie never ceases to amaze in the way that you never really know just what will happen next. I challenge anyone who doubts the quality of this movie to see it, I guarantee, you will not regret it. Undoubtedly, four stars. ****.