Minority Report (DVD, 2002, 2-Disc Set, Widescreen)

Steven Spielberg is at his directorial best with this action, adventure. Tom Cruise is at his acting best as a futuristic cop on the run. I was pleased to see one of the best directors team up with one of the best actors to make a brilliant movie.

Tom Cruise plays John Anderton, the chief of the Pre-Crime unit of the Washington D.C. police department. This unit stops murders before they happen, with the help of the "Pre-Cogs." The "Pre-Cogs" are three psychics who see the murders before they happen, and Cruise is the one who puts their visions together to predict the location, the killer, and the victim of the future crime. So far, the "Pre-Cog" division has been successful, with its six-year span going on with no murder ever happening. Things get complicated for the future of Pre-Crime when Detective Danny Witwer, played by Colin Farrell, is sent to inspect the operation. Anderton is suspicious of him, because he starts to see cracks in the system. When Anderton believes that the cracks are minor, he believes wrong.

Anderton sees another murder happening in the Pre-Cogs' visions and is shocked to see that he is the man committing the murder. Now that he is on the run from his own men, which of course is under the command of Witwer, Anderton must unravel the mystery of why he has to murder a man whom he hasn't even met yet. As time runs out, Anderton finds clues that there is a conspiracy behind it. Can he figure them out in time, or will Pre-Crime see its first murder in six years?

"Minority Report" is a movie with a fantastic storyline, one of the best I've ever heard of. The actors are great, the directing is great, of course, it's Spielberg. Even the effects are great, they are done with ILM. Roger Ebert says that this movie "reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place," and I agree with him.

Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise teamed up for the first time on Minority Report, and the result was a modern day classic and one of the best sci-fi films of the 21st century. A great storyline coupled with tremendous action and effects, and then offset with an outstanding performance by Cruise all add up to a tremendous movie.

This is not old-school Steven Spielberg. This film is dark, violent, and has a deep, twisting plot with an amazing ending which keeps the viewer thinking long after watching it. It's a must watch, and a movie which gets better on repeated viewings.

Meanwhile, the special features on the second disc are very engrossing, as usual with Spielberg's films. Any time you get a chance to look behind the curtain at the most influential director of the last 40 years then it's worth doing.

All in all, this gets 5 out of 5 stars. If you haven't seen Minority Report, do it - NOW!

This is a wonderful movie with Tom Cruise acting with Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton and Max Von Sydow and others. This movie has all the ingredients for a smash hit; suspense, action, irony and the fierce love for justice. I was on the edge of my seat all the way to the end. Excellent production by Steven Spielberg. I enjoyed the movie and liked the ending, which left me feeling that all is well. Five Stars!

This movie is an excellent example of what can happen when a good idea is taken to the extreme and how criminals will always find a way to circumvent "new" law enforcement equipment. Cruise plays the head of the Precrime unit in Washington, D.C.; catching the criminal before he/she actually commits murder. He has thoroughly bought into the Precrime concept; therefore, he is GOOD at his job. Arresting someone before they can kill someone is a great thing. Unless, of course, you find yourself "accused" of a murder and you have never met the intended "victim" and have never been in the place where the "crime" is to happen. Cruise's character finds himself in that position; but, being the chief allows you to know the "facts of the crime" before anyone else and that gives him 36 hours to solve the "crime." The situation also causes him to begin to question the validity of the Precrime concept because it completely discounts the ability of a person to think before they act and without any "proof" that you wouldn't have killed, the accused cannot defend him/herself; "innocent before being proven guilty" DOES NOT exist! Throw in a newly discovered murder that occurred before Precrime (and linked to Precrime) that comes to light during the scramble to prevent/prove your innocense and that must be solved to prevent a nation-wide implimentation of Precrime units and you've got one really wild ride. I recommend it!

In the wake of the disappointment of A.I., Minority Report is arguably the best escapist entertainment the director has produced in two decades. Minority Report rivals some of Spielberg's top adventure/science fiction epics, such as Close Encounters and Raiders of the Lost Ark. What's more, it affirms that, even in the 2000s, movies do not have to be brain-dead to be exciting.