Cypher (DVD)

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Cypher is a good film that does not rely on Michael Bay style big sets and even bigger explosions to entertain but it concentrates its efforts on strong performances, an interesting storyline and impressive direction. With these qualities it is pretty difficult to understand how this movie slipped under the radar. This is a very underrated picture and in the future more people will sit up and take notice. Cypher is definitely ... more

CYPHER

After his directorial debut Cube, Vincenzo Natali brings us a suave, intelligent Sci-Fi thriller that does exactly what it says on the tin.

Morgan Sullivan (Jeremy Northam) yearns for a more exciting life so he changes his boring suburban lifestyle for a more fulfilling one by changing careers to become an industrial spy for a technological company called Digicorp.

Given a pen with a hidden microphone and receiver, his assignments are to go to conferences and secretly transmit the speeches to Digicorp HQ without exposing him or his employers. Knowing that industrial espionage is vital, Sullivan at long last feels he is significant and important especially that he goes under the name of Jack Thursby.

On his travels he comes across a beautiful environmental health officer; Rita Foster (Lucy Liu) who captivates him both mentally and physically. With her help and as he completes more assignments it is revealed to him that all is not what it seems. He uncovers a plot involving double crossing, double agents and brainwashing techniques to form new identities… all in the name of industrial espionage. On top of this, Sullivan has to battle against his own recurring nightmares, find the truth and wondering whom he can trust.

Natali's direction is first-rate. His vision and technique culminates in a visually striking movie. With traces of monochrome this picture has a dystopian feel attached to it as well as a touch of film noir. Even though there are a lot of influences from other movies and TV programs such as The X-Files, The Matrix, Swordfish, Gattaca, Natali does enough by keeping us intrigued by how the story will develop. This, in fact, is where Vincenzo Natali handles the movie very well. Where some directors would have shrouded us in confusion and psychobabble, (the Wachowski brothers. Sorry guys) Natali holds it together and ensures we grasp what is going on in terms of the story's development.

Characters we care about also seem to be very important to the director and this is epitomised by Northam's performance as the conservative spy, which is understated yet brilliant. He manages to succeed in expressing a range of differing emotions ranging from confusion and frustration to teenage excitement and ruthlessness. Lucy Liu again shows her credentials as a movie actress by putting in a solid performance as the mysterious Rita Foster. Support from Nigel Bennett (Finster) and Timothy Webber (Calloway) is adequate but also imperative to the film.

The musical score also plays a vital role in this picture by setting the whole mood, atmosphere and emotions of the characters, which in turn helps to keep the film flowing.

Cypher is a good film that does not rely on Michael Bay style big sets and even bigger explosions to entertain but it concentrates its efforts on strong performances, an interesting storyline and impressive direction. With these qualities it is pretty difficult to understand how this movie slipped under the radar. This is a very underrated picture and in the future more people will sit up and take notice. Cypher is definitely "better than your average sci-fi movie" and disproves the theory that overblown budgets and gargantuan names such as Cruise, Pacino and Jolie are necessary for a good film.
 

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