Review of The 6th Day (2000) by Liam C — 09 Jul 2015

Once more, I find myself confused at a film's reception, but I don't know why I continue to be, as the critics are, for the most part, on a completely different level than everybody else. Perhaps it is just because I honestly thought this film had a solid concept, and executed it very well. Right from the start the film is very intriguing, in the opening it got a reaction out of me when that character got injured and that was a good sign of things to come. I thought it had well written characters and I thought it was pretty funny as well. I also liked how slight the futuristic setting was, true it deals with cloning, which, as of this review, isn't such a farfetched concept, to which they have text appear on the screen early on in the film to highlight this fact; but the world around the characters is just slightly altered and it was refreshing.

I thought the story was pretty solid and it was built up in a very good way, to the point that even though I knew what the concept for this film was, the scenes building up to the reveal at Adam's house had me on the edge of my seat. I'm also glad that it didn't have any clichéd scene where the two locked eyes and the other version just laughed; not saying what it is as to not spoil it. I also liked that people knew what was going on and it wouldn't be that clichéd film where nobody believes our main character and dismisses him because they think he's crazy but then it develops into something quite unexpected. I also like that the filmmakers introduce things early on in the film as ordinary so that they won't seem like huge coincidences when they are used later. The overall film had a 'Total Recall' vibe about it and it keeps its grips on the paranoia and keeps you guessing throughout, with some very smart plot-twists that actually make sense and fit in well with things that happened previously. Something that might have seemed odd before goes on to be explained later and it's always so satisfying to watch when that happens, I also really enjoy films that really do change from what they were at the start to what they end up becoming at the end, which this film does, everything has changed so much over the two hour running time and it's fun to watch. Hell, even the title and the name of our main character are actually very smart; the title of the film might be more obvious than Arnold's character's name, but it is all in that same ballpark, it's a very ambitious film and they even manage to give a jab to the mainstream media in here as well. The front cover makes it look like a horror film and it is in its own way and to those who have seen the film, it might seem like a spoiler, but it isn't in the grand scheme of things; and I funnily enough saw this on the 6th of July.

The cast were also well chosen and it has many little surprises in store, everybody did a good job and they are all fun to watch, Arnold especially, but he's awesome in everything, and any actor that has to talk to something that isn't there, even if it is a tennis ball or a stand in, always gets extra points in my book. The cinematography was nice, the editing was unique to the film and the music was great as well, unique and memorable, the way music should be. There were a few points where it seemed to slow down for no reason, and it's used too much in the opening, but it fits where it is used thereafter.

The only thing I had any sort of issue with is something that normally happens when a normal everyday character turns into an action hero. When Adam's world is turned upside down and he has to fight, he has no problem shooting and killing people, even so far as to say, 'yes', when he runs over somebody near the start; but what would an Arnie film be without some one-liners. However, I know I am overanalyzing it too much, like I think the other reviewers have done, sure, you could argue that it doesn't get into the psychological of a concept like this. But then again, this film doesn't try to be anything that it isn't and I don't mean for that to sound like a negative, as I have explained previously with films like this that have concepts like this, they have a smart message and convey it in a good way, but it's to the backdrop of an action film. I also thought that he would have been seen in the garden when he was there with a friend and that he probably should have brought a camera to take a picture, but I doubt he was thinking that. I also thought that it seemed odd that he would try to open a locked door after being in that room for some time, wouldn't you do that right away? Speaking of one-liners I thought he could have mentioned that he didn't want to go in that Repet place, but his line works and he even says, 'I might be back', in this, which was just crazy.

I thought 'The 6th Day' was quite an ambitious film that started off small but got quite big and tackled quite a lot of smart ideas, it's well directed, acted and written. It's a solidly engaging film that keeps one-upping itself and never slacks.