STRANGE DAYS (1995)
RATING: 
By Shawn McKenna
Date Reviewed: October 27, 1997
Strange Days is atypical of most science-fiction movies. It is intellectual, it cares more about its characters than its effects and the effects are good. The acting is good. The cinamatography deserved at least an academy nomination. It only bogs down with its subplot about racism and its "wrap everything up" ending.
The movie takes place the day before and on New Year's Eve of 1999. Larry Nero (Ralph Fiennes) is a seller and buyer of a new narcotic. He deals with "playback". Playback, with the help of a "squid" that you attach to your head and a CD device, lets you record your experiences or playback others. It allows you to experience everything the person who recorded it undergos. However, Nero will not deal in "blackjack" -- playback that involves the wearer dying or killing someone.
Like most dealers, Nero is addicted to what he deals in. He often playbacks past encounters with his ex-girlfriend Faith (Juliette Lewis) who is now seeing Philo Gant (Michael Wincott). Philo is a manager of musicians, including the popular rapper Jeriko One who recently was shot to death. An old friend of Faith seeks to give an incriminating CD to Nero. She tells him that she fears for her life. She is murdered and the killer leaves a snuff blackjack for Nero to watch. Nero then fears for his life as well as Faith's.
Nero is helped consistently by Lornette "Mace" Mason, a buff body building martial artist who is chaffeur and Nero's friend. This leads to an interesting interacial romance that was forced at the end. Still they made a beautiful team.
The center of the film is the virtuosic shots by cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti. The playback scenes are invigarating and sublime. The ill-fated robbery attempt was my favorite playback scene. If the rest of the film was as engaging as the virtual reality footage then this would easily be a four-star film. The plot was marred by a sterotypical racist plot and a semiconventional Blade Runner type somber atmosphere. The acting was above-average and the effects were interesting. That is enough to recommend it.
STRANGE DAYS (1995)
| Lenny Nero | Ralph Fiennes | | Lornette "Mace" Mason | Angela Bassett | | Faith Justin | Juliette Lewis |
| Max Peltier | Tom Sizemore |
| Philo Gant | Michael Wincott |
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| Director: | Kathryn Bigelow | | Written By: | James Cameron & Jay Cocks | | Cinematography by: | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Running Time: | 145m. | | Rated: | R | | Genre: | science-fiction | | Country: | USA | | Widescreen: | Super 35(1.85:1 to 2.35:1) |
Other Critics:
Roger Eberts Rating
****
Leonard Maltin's Rating
**½
Awards, Facts, and Oddities Punk band Skunk Anasie performs in this movie.
Lewis covers P.J. Harvey's "Rid of Me."
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