Impostor (2002)

Starring: Gary Sinise, Vincent D'Onofrio, et al
Director: Gary Fleder

Rating: PG-13

Studio: Dimension Films

Review Posted: 1.4.02

Spoilers: Minor

Rating: 2/4

By Jon Bjorling.

The most important thing to realize about Impostor is that it is an hour and a half long chase. In films like this, the story is usually sacrificed in exchange for elaborate action sequences. For example, in The 6th Day (which this film shares a striking similarity to, as well as Blade Runner and Total Recall - both of which were also film adaptations from Philip K. Dick stories), Arnold stages a dramatic break into the bad guy's main headquarters and results in an exciting bit of eye candy. Sadly, this film doesn't have the energy for that. Oh, sure, it teases us with quick bit here and there in the beginning, but soon the action stumbles and falls flat on it's face, never to recover.

The story is this: In the year 2079, humanity is at war with the alien race known as the Centauri. Since the Centauri are stronger, better, and far more clever than us, we have been forced to live in domed cities, struggling to find ways to stay alive. Spencer Olham (Sinise) may have found the way, he has built a weapon that may turn the tide of the way, however he is shortly thereafter arrested by Major Hathaway (D'Onofrio), your typical 'cop with a bad attitude who thinks that the end justifies the means.' It seems that Olham is not a human, but a genetically engineered robot who has come to Earth on an assassination mission. The robot's weapon of choice, a bomb built into it's chest. Olham refuses to believe it and escapes, desperate to prove that he is really himself.

This film was originally made as a half hour short for a anthology film called "Alien Love Triangle." As a short, it works fine. But at a feature length, it becomes old quick. Even the addition of the subplot featuring Mekhi Phifer's Cale, a streetwise man who lives in the ruins outside the domed cities seems like nothing more than padding to give the film it's current running time.

One aspect I found exceedingly annoying was director Fleder's attempt to throw the audience off balance and create a sense of confusion in Olham by using cross-fades of the same image. It works fine every now and then, especially when we first learn that Olham has been injected with a drug, but soon it grows tiresome.

All in all, this is the sort of film you should go see if you want to kill an hour and a half of time. It has an interesting concept, some decent CGI (although some of the effects early on into the film reminded me of the effects from Escape from L.A.), and an twist ending that would have been more surprising if it hadn't been spoiled earlier on into the film.

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