Equilibrium was
my second introduction to Christian Bale as an actor, and his role in this
movie showcases the incredible range he brings to his performances. When you
compare his acting to the rest of the cast, he stands out as being on a whole
different level. The movie does have one major downside, though: the final
showdown between Bale and the main villain feels anti-climactic.
That said, this
is one of the most underrated sci-fi movies you should see. It features some
amazing fight sequences, especially from the Clerics, who are tasked with
enforcing the law against emotions.
The movie’s setting is reminiscent of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, but the story is different. Set in the 21st century after World War III (which, somehow, our present world has avoided), the totalitarian state of Libiria—founded by survivors of the war—has banned all emotions and emotionally stimulating objects. To enforce this emotionless existence, citizens are required to take a daily dose of a psychopharmaceutical drug called Prozium II.
The city is
governed by the Tetragrammaton Council, led by a figure known as Father, who
communicates propaganda to the people.
In 2072, John
Preston (Christian Bale) is a high-ranking Cleric. Clerics are equipped with
incredible martial arts skills and are masters of gun combat. They’re so fast
and skilled that they can even dodge bullets (though not in the Matrix style).
John’s wife,
Viviana, was executed four years earlier as a Sense Offender. When his home was
raided and she was captured, John did nothing to save her, leaving him a single
parent to their son and daughter.
During a raid to
capture and kill a group resisting the new order, John discovers that his
partner is also a Sense Offender. His partner steals a book of poems, and when
John tracks him down, the partner refuses to be captured, forcing John to kill
him. Around the same time, John accidentally misses a dose of his medication
before another raid, and that’s when things start to change for him. He begins
to question everything, and soon, he becomes a problem that needs to be
eliminated. Add to that, he needs to keep himself acting to be on the drug for
his work and family.
This is a
fantastic movie with fun action sequences and a story worth revisiting, even in
2019. If nothing else, it’s worth watching just to see Christian Bale do what
he does best: act.
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