The Adjustment Bureau

You know that old gag about Tom Cruise and the amount of running he does in his films? Well, he now has a new rival as Matt Damon attempts to wrest the crown from him in The Adjustment Bureau. Of course, old Bourne himself has done plenty of high-kneeing in that particular franchise already, but here Damon is legging it for love and, if the object of your affection was Emily Blunt, I guess most men would. First time director George Nolfi’s film has Damon as politician David Norris, who after a few chance encounters with dancer Elise (Blunt), suddenly finds her difficult to track down. The reason? The Adjustment Bureau, a group of mysterious characters who explain to Norris that all people’s lives are already pre-planned and he will never get to be with Elise. However, Norris has other ideas, but dare he chase her down with the new knowledge that if he does it will mean a disaster for both of their careers? Written like that it seems a simple choice really and this is one of the problems of the film. Love usually conquers all in the movies and this is no exception. Other problems involve the Adjustment Bureau’s special powers which seem to come and go at will depending on where we are in the plot and a lack of real excitement despite all the running around. On the plus side the look of the film is pretty stylish, with Damon et al all decked out in a sharp array of suits and hats (though the headgear turns out to be integral to the plot) and some nice effects when the characters open doors and appear in completely different places. Ironically, despite the modern setting and look, this has the feel of a good old fashioned 1970’s conspiracy thriller, especially with its pacing which crawls to a halt at some points. Adapting from a (what else?) Philip K Dick short story, Nolfi does an OK job on his debut, but It all gets a bit too twisty turny though and eventually falls in on itself towards the end when any further explanations are jettisoned in favour of a lame foot chase through a building. In the end, the film is really asking questions about how much our lives are / can be manipulated by other people without us knowing it. Of course, this is hardly a new concept in film history (The Truman Show being the most obvious reference) but it is still an intriguing one.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

This is entertaining enough, but at no point will you be anywhere near the edge of that cinema seat. Rating: 6/10.