A Must Watch New Year's Movie: Strange Days - Flickering Myth

Tom Jolliffe revisits the cult classical Strange Days, a large New Year-set movie that was mode up of its time…

A fig of films passim the 90’s dealt with the thought of virtual reality. For amended and worse, this became a fashionable sci-fi inclination done the decade. The Lawnmower Man truly kick-started the trend, which paved the mode for different films similar Arcade, Grid Runners and Cybertech P.D connected the dusty Blockbuster little shelves, arsenic good arsenic large surface entries similar Johnny Mnemonic. The astir iconic though would travel later, with The Matrix. Within this gamut of VR themed ideas determination were galore variations connected the subject, and an array of antithetic technologies portrayed connected screen. In 1995 determination was another, and 1 which didn’t rather instrumentality disconnected initially.

Strange Days came with the hefty value of James Cameron backing it. Cameron produced and co-wrote a adjacent aboriginal (set astatine the extremity of the millennium, culminating with crook of the millennia caller year) sci-fi movie dealing successful the macabre underbelly of caller question VR tech. To apical it off, Cameron protégé (and ex-wife) Kathryn Bigelow came with an awesome CV already accrued to supply her precise Cameron-esque (with her ain unsocial regard connected top) absorption to helm the film.

Throw successful Ralph Fiennes successful a relation sandwiched betwixt Schindler’s List and The English Patient, to supply immoderate charismatic British prima power, Angela Bassett inactive riding the occurrence of her Tina Turner biopic and Juliette Lewis astatine the tallness of her fame. The halfway formed was blessed with 3 caller Oscar nominees. Maybe determination wasn’t superstardom connected with the project, but with an engaging premise and the benignant of glossy visuals Bigelow was already good known for, this was destined to beryllium a surefire success. Or was it?

Despite specified value attached, the movie has often had immoderate misconception astir being a larger standard blockbuster. In actuality, it came with a reasonably humble fund (around 42 million), and a absorption connected grimier backmost alleys and organised crime/corruption, connected to the main plot. It was a much intimate quality study. An insular movie with a regard retired onto societal shifts successful hedonistic tastes. Reality TV connected the emergence and unit successful TV and cinema were much prevalent, but surely agelong earlier an adjacent further displacement a decennary aboriginal erstwhile the net was successful afloat swing. This brought astir a murky satellite of progressively grim fascination. Streaming sites capturing each mode of explicit, occasionally snuff content, and radical were(are) watching.

In 2021 we ticker successful fascination astatine viral videos of influencers performing decease defying acts. We’ve each scrolled past utmost climbers dangling from precocious emergence buildings oregon operation equipment, hundreds of feet high. It’s grimly casual to travel crossed disturbing videos connected societal media channels alone, ne'er caput successful darker corners of the web. Sometimes we’re expected to beryllium horrified, but for some, possibly there’s a heavy seeded curiosity and entreaty to seeing (real)death connected screen.

In Strange Days, Bigelow looks ahead, but not excessively acold to a VR inclination wherever you tin acquisition a representation done the eyes of idiosyncratic else. Where acts of intersexual gratification, close up to rape, death, execution could conceivably go marketable memories. Fiennes plays Lenny, a peddler successful ‘experience’ recordings, and inevitably determination becomes a proviso and request successful snuff.

Strange Days opens precise strikingly successful archetypal person. It’s a stunningly visceral pursuit placing the assemblage straight into a memory/experience of idiosyncratic being chased to their untimely demise. The movie besides portrays a clip each excessively prescient then, and inactive now, of radical hostility and division. A moving warfare betwixt the instrumentality and activistic groups, some infiltrated with corrupt forces. Lenny finds himself drawn into a web of intrigue and screen ups revolving astir the caller execution of a celebrated rapper. As the peddler of recorded memories, and this caller infiltration of snuff, it’s earthy that Lenny finds himself inescapably central.

The movie was greeted with mixed reviews and immoderate contention fixed immoderate of the radical themes. The movie was 1 of respective which was straight influenced by Rodney King and more. That radical profiling and constabulary brutality is inactive truthful prevalent is unfortunate, and Strange Days retains a precise almighty prescience beneath the Science Fiction and cookware boiler aspects of the plotting. The container bureau results however, were a disaster, with the movie incapable to prime up a wide assemblage connected its theatrical run. Whether it needed an assured propulsion similar Tom Cruise, oregon the conception didn’t rather connect, who knows. On video however, it began to find immoderate appreciation.

Bigelow’s stylistic assurance delivers a movie often steeped successful gloss, atmospheric lighting and mostly acceptable during nighttime time. It looks stunning, astir decidedly benefiting from the precocious def era. It looks marque spanking caller erstwhile seen connected Blu-ray. Whilst akin films were much lithe and simplistic, this came with a bulky run-time. It’s existent to accidental that Strange Days, arsenic good arsenic thematically weighty, is besides bulky successful delivery. It needed 30 minutes lopping disconnected to marque the gait and storytelling much efficient.

In saying that though, the main formed of Oscar nominated actors, each radiance and adhd plentifulness of gravitas, portion the perennially underrated Michael Wincott (who had a large tally of antagonist roles astir that period) is besides connected good form. As a commercially viable merchandise it’s casual to spot wherefore it didn’t rather click, but so besides wide wherefore its bequest has dilatory grown implicit the decades since its release.

Like truthful galore sci-fi bombs, Strange Days was up of its time. Its commentary connected nine and its presumption connected adjacent aboriginal contented and delivery, besides proved to person a grade of accuracy, adjacent if our transportation systems aren’t truthful nonstop arsenic VR sets (though successful gaming, VR sets are fashionable again). Additionally, it was sometimes criticised for glorifying unit oregon not offering capable of a commentary connected its depictions of radical tension, unit and rioting. Though, bulky successful its existent form, it couldn’t spend to delve overmuch deeper, and yet this is much of a Dystopian fantasy, with shades of cyberpunk and neo-noir. It’s not expected to beryllium Malcolm X. It has surely recovered much appreciation successful caller times for having that undercurrent moving done though.

Furthermore, arsenic you mightiness expect, Bigelow’s acquisition for the acceptable portion is connected show here. She crafts enthralling action, and not conscionable successful the archetypal idiosyncratic sequences. The halfway powerfulness of the movie rests connected making Lenny engaging (because helium could person been deemed acold much unsympathetic) arsenic good arsenic Lorne (Bassett).

Angela Bassett steals the movie successful fairness. Strong, susceptible and empathetic, she’s conflicted by loyalty, adoration and her ain ethnicity. This makes the enactment person stakes, thing Cameron was ever bully at, and so Bigelow too. On apical of everything, the movie has a slayer soundtrack fortified by British acts similar PJ Harvey (as sung by Juliette Lewis) and Skunk Anansie (remember them?) and good served by Graeme Revell’s fantabulous score.

Strange Days continues to physique a legacy, adjacent if it’s a small unfairly forgotten during that play wherever bully sci-fi was astatine a premium. It mightiness not beryllium a Matrix level film, but it surely stands up good to repetition viewings and the New Year mounting makes it cleanable fare arsenic we crook different twelvemonth ourselves.

What are your thoughts connected Strange Days? Let america cognize connected our societal channels @FlickeringMyth…

Tom Jolliffe is an award-winning screenwriter and passionate cinephile. He has a fig of films retired connected DVD/VOD astir the satellite and respective releases owed retired successful 2022/2023, including, Renegades (Lee Majors, Danny Trejo, Michael Pare, Tiny Lister, Nick Moran, Patsy Kensit, Ian Ogilvy, and Billy Murray), Crackdown, When Darkness Falls and War of The Worlds: The Attack (Vincent Regan). Find much info astatine the champion idiosyncratic tract you’ll ever see here.