Noir , the word itself lits up an atmosphere ever so lightly that's bleak and beautiful at the same time. Nevertheless it required a technology upgrade to the tune of Neo-noir, which was a much needed reinvention of those dark yet seductive environments of yore. Along came cyberpunk with its amazing 'science meets philosophy' ideals to brew up arguably the sexiest hybrid in the world of visual arts. The high tech and low life, conjures up an art which is, what many fail to achieve, both visceral and cerebral. Tech noir is a celebration of visual arts at its extreme. In short it is punk at its best.
My top five tech noir movies
5. Children of Men
First things first, it may not be the conventional cyberpunk but the dystopian future, it so immaculately portrays, is more than enough to qualify it as one of the greatest tech-noirs. Set in 2027 this movie delves into the imminent end to human civilization as a result of loss of fertility in humans. Let the premise not fool you, its one of the most convincing science fiction you might have come across in the last decade.
The special effects , far away from a gimmick, are so painstakingly rooted in reality, one would almost feel its a character in itself. The haunting atmosphere and the ridiculously long and powerful scenes would make you rub your eyes with disbelief as to how someone could have pulled of those, let alone a perfect execution.
It's directed by Alfonso Cuarón and includes an ensemble cast of Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine among others. Clive Owen, pulls off what might just be the defining piece of career, with aplomb. And ah Michael Caine , as always he is such a treat to watch.
Although the plot is intriguing in itself, what keeps the movie up and running is the frequent allegories on hope, humanity, religion and redemption. And a couple of jaw dropping action scenes are the icing on the cake.
The background scores are few and far between , but whenever they come they suck you into them. Boasting of the ' Fragments of a Prayer' by John Tavener, which is liberally strewn all over the movie, the music is restrainingly beautiful. When the movie reaches its mind-blowing coda with the befitting laughters of children you know you have just lived through one of the most ethereal experiences of your life."A hundred years from now there won't be one sad fuck to look at any of this. What keeps you going?
You know what it is, Theo? I just don't think about it."
4. Equilibrium
Fine, I admit it this one used to be one of my guilty pleasures in the genre, until i discovered the cult following it had garnered. Equilibrium released at a time when the 'matrix-verse' was all craze ( bad bad timing) and i remember explaining to someone why this was, no lesser, or in fact better than the matrix.
Christian Bale plays John Preston 'professionally' as if it was second nature to him. His dispassionate and at times prosaic expressions remarkably mirror the world he lived in, a dystopian yet futuristic Libria, where feelings and emotions are outlawed. Enough of the plot, next up is the real fun.
The induction scene of John Preston is as badass as they get. Hell yeah its even poetic. Its like the perfect candle light dinner, except Mr Preston never uses a candle and has dinner all by himself. Gun Kata or Gunfu or Gun-porn whatever that is, it's spectacular to say the least. Add to it some uber cool sword fights and what you have is a slick actioner .Even the violence seems serene.
Trivia: The character John Preston ranks third highest as far as body count is concerned in a movie after the great Ogami Itto and the incredible Smith from Shoot 'em up
Even though the movie reeks in style its never at the expense of substance. It delicately brings into view the dangers of an Orwellian society and what it is like to suppress the most humane of all traits, feelings and emotions. When the movie is not busy dishing out action pieces, it goes deep into our culture having references ranging from Mona Lisa to W.B.Yeats. Watch out for the amazingly shot scene when Preston listens to the Beethoven's 9th. The man who puts up such a stoic face even in the face of provocative violence is reduced to tears within seconds.
Yes the movie is reminiscent of epics of the stature of Brave New World and wiki tells me even Fahrenheit 541, but to me as a standalone movie its the perfect equilibrium between style and substance.
"But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."
I assume you dream, Preston
3. Minority Report
Set in the adroit hands of Steven Spielberg and starring the then superstar Tom cruise this movie was a blockbuster from the word go. Inspired from the eponymous story by the greatest-awe inspiring-jaw dropping-ass kicking-visionary-philosopher-science fiction writer this universe has ever seen Philip.K.Dick, ( sorry Clarke and Asimov fans), Minority Report is the archetypical Hollywood epic. On the surface its a light hearted joy ride, something for everyone kinda movie, start scratching the surface and the movie is much more than meets the eye.
In 2054, John Anderton heads a special division, the Pre-crime , which uses pre-cogs to anticipate the future and apprehend murders. But oh boy! what drama unfolds when the system hunts down its own. Well to begin with everybody runs.
Apart from its immaculate writing, the film dives into many a themes. Most prominent among them is theme of choice vs fate, which the movie so delicately addresses. The anti-causality of determinism, how one reacts to the present given the knowledge of the future to void the predetermined future runs deep in the movie.
Other than that the film focuses intensely on the complex relationship between blindness, sight, and knowledge. The imagery of eyes, the dreamy sequences are one of the highest thematic points of the movie.
What keeps the movie light are the signature Spielberg moments, the cursory humor amidst scenes of intense action. Talk about getting your cookies baked in the jetpack fire, crashing head first in a yoga class, or giving your domestic arguments a break, because the bots need to scan your eyes, only to resume fighting once they are done.
The movie boasts of some mind boggling sequences like the scene where an army of creepy spider bots are sent for searching an apartment ( it so reminded me of the epic raptors in the kitchen scene, anyone?). Or the sequence where the pre-cog keeps forewarning Anderton of the immediate future, to conjure up one of the most ingenuous chase scenes i have ever seen.And finally the best part of the movie, the visuals. The atmosphere looked utopian and dystopian at the same time. The noir visuals, the dreamy glows, make it one of the best looking movies of the past decade. Cinematographer, Janusz Kamiński take a bow!
Bonus: The technology shown in the movie is very relatable. The eye scanners, the automated cars, even the spatial operating system ( thanks to kinect) are very much the reality today
"In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is the king."
Top 2 coming soon
2. Dark City
Honorable mentions
Terminator : Schwarzenegger as a cyborg from the future was reason enough wasn't it? James Cameron wanted a name for the distinct style this movie reflected and hence named a night club 'Tech Noir', and the rest is hysteria.
Metropolis : This might just be the earliest reflection on a dystopian future , nevertheless was futuristic enough to serve as a guiding light for movies in the decades to come.
Alien : Ridley Scott's path breaking movie about an aggressive extraterrestrial creature is still the best alien movie( well the antagonist type, E.T. fanboys)
Brazil : For including what every movie on this list lacks, sattire , the noir kind.
12 Monkeys : Set in a post apocalyptic world, this movie is a masterpiece showcasing the desperate human attempts at altering fate only to fail eventually. Missed the top 5 by a whisker
The Matrix Trilogy : Well no discussion of tech-noir is complete without the mention of the most celebrated cyberpunk in the history of cinema. Immensely enjoyable I felt the last two movies undid what the first had achieved or had promised. Of course it was technologically brilliant, visually vibrant and amazingly choreographed, but still fell sort of the epic mark, may be because it tried too hard.
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This post is an entry to the Reel-Life Bloggers contest organized by wogma.com and reviewgang.com
