Equilibrium [Blu-ray + Digital HD]

"Equilibrium" is a visually and psychologically stunning film that nearly puts "the Matrix" (which came out around the same time) to shame. Alas, due to a low-brow marketing campaign (no doubt stemming from lack of studio faith in the movie), Equilibrium is a sadly under-appreciated work. Equilibrium can be enjoyed on two completely independent levels, as either a fascinating, dystopian look at the future, or as an exquisite piece of action par-excellence. And it is this duality which allows the film to transcend both the standard sci-fi and action movie fare. Equilibrium combines the very best of both genres, whilst avoiding many of the stereotypes and pitfalls of either. Even the laziest viewers who are most unwilling to work their brains will thoroughly enjoy this movie at its "basest level", due to two words: "Gun Kata". Quite simply, Gun Kata is mesmerising and unbelievable. I cannot describe it to you in words; you have to see it for yourself. I don't know how the budget of this movie compares to the Matrix, but the special effects of this film compare favourably, and in some ways put Neo to shame. According to the film, super law-enforcers known as "clerics" have perfected a deadly, nearly invincible art of combat called "Gun Kata", which essentially does for guns what martial arts did for other more traditional weapons such as swords. Think of these clerics as Jedi-enforcers, but for an evil "Empire". By using statistical analysis of likely bullet trajectories, combined with full integration of the gun as a martial arts weapon, a gun kata master is able to take down dozens of armed opponents unscathed whilst seeming to not move from his original standing spot. Onscreen, gun kata will unavoidably earn comparison with bullet time from the Matrix. However, gun kata is presented in real-time, and that is its strength; it is far faster, more furious, and visceral than bullet-time could ever hope to be. Prepare to be amazed. Viewers with a bit more brain fluid to spare can ponder on the film's intriguing sci-fi premise and taut, well-paced plot. After the Third World War, most of civilisation was apparently destroyed, and the surviving government decided that humanity could not possibly survive a fourth. It was determined that emotion is the root of all evil and war. Thus, to eliminate war, humanity must eliminate emotion; by sacrificing the "good" emotions of love and euphoria, we gain peace and order because we have also eliminated hate, anger, and intolerance along with them. This starts to sound like a perverted version of the teachings of the Jedi Council from Star Wars. The citizens of this city state of "Libria" are thus forced to take an emotion-suppressing drug called Prozium. All works of art, literature, etc. (including the Mona Lisa, incinerated in the opening scene of the movie) which could potentially encite emotion are judiciously destroyed, and all "sense-offenders", those who either traffick these illicit items, or refuse to take their medicine, are hunted down by the clerics and "processed" (executed). Enter a pre-Batman Christian Bale, who portrays the top-ranking cleric of this police-state, whose Prozium capsule breaks one morning, and decides to skip a dose. This of course changes his life, and determines the plot for the rest of the film. Bale is perfect in this role, starting out as an (understandably) wooden "tin man" who slowly regains his "heart" through the course of the movie. Emily Watson, Bale's "obligatory" love interest, is likewise a strong addition to the cast. Their love story is done in a very subtle and undercut way, one that furthers both the plot and character development, which is more than I can say for most movies these days. Bale's partner is played by Taye Diggs, who is brilliant in this film, if for no other reason than his enigmatic, Cheshire-cat grin which makes you wonder how much he knows, and what he's up to. Diggs' arrogance grows throughout the film, until he too, like Bale's character, becomes "feeling", but with very different results. Character development is exceedingly strong in this film, and all of it is exceedingly delicious to watch. The world of "Equilibrium" is one filled with hypocrisy, lies, and dirtiness. However, like most dystopian scifi films, there is also hope behind the grime. In the end, the human spirit triumphs, and that is what gives this movie its heart and appeal. That and Gun Kata.

Excellent film - Highly recommended - 5 stars - do I make my point? This film is amazing; full of action; full of exciting, ironic twists; and reminds a person of the book 1948. Scary though in that it is a mirror of what the recent Department of Homeland Security report said -- anyone not agreeing with the current government is a danger to society. The original report (as of recent the websites I have seen are watering it down after public outcry - or putting their own words in it to make the position of the document seem less offensive) labels these people as terrorists - read it! It is there in black and white! The report specifically mentions veterans as being potential terrorists! Again - try to find the original copy online - recently the websites are watering it down after public outcry. In Equilibrium, the personal thoughts and opinions of the individual are seen as a threat to the government head - called "The Father." This leads to the imprisonment of those who do not agree with the established system. Equilibrium presents us with a fictional society where emotion (hence private opinion as to what is best) is required to be sacrificed by individuals for the (government defined) public good. This film is a fictional, but harsh glimpse at what history has proven socialism always evolves into. The reason history has absolutely no record of a non-evil socialistic society is shown in portrayed here. Mankind has an inherent sense of greed and selfishness. Therefore, when an authoritative figure is set up to become the entity to distribute everyone's private goods among all society (socialism) - for a state of equilibrium - the fact that, "absolute power corrupts absolutely" rears its ugly head. The "father" in this film is so very typical of what "absolute corruption" results in: the "Father" forces his opinions on the masses, and (as in all recorded, historical instances) - allows only himself (and immediate friends) the very privileges he denies the citizens! The parallelism of this film - although a fictional world not yet existing - to historical accuracy is an amazing parallel to witness. Equilibrium also accurately defines the human emotions of greed and selfishness to be the cause of war. However, as seen here, these - always- are also the basis of evil regimes that kill their own citizens! What a paradox! This film accurately does show the way to combat these evils is NOT to sacrifice the rights of the individual and "spread the wealth around" b/c when individuality is lost, then existence becomes nothing but a play-toy for the few who wield the authority. The citizens become puppets living only gratify the indulgences of the privileged few. Get it - watch it - feel it - learn from it - be entertained by it - but do not let the truth behind this enjoyable film slip through your fingers. No wonder I heard so very little about this film in the news media!

This film, although a recent purchase, has been a favorite of mine for quite a while now. I like action movies. They are fun escapism and easy amusement or gratification. They are not a one size fits all genre, but when you want to watch that type of story, there really is no substitute. I also, however, appreciate a depth of story. Especially a story that asks, or at least looks at, real questions. Things that matter in the bigger picture. This film is a rarity in that, in my opinion, it does both of those things. Well. The action is fast, violent, not so absurd as to totally break suspension of disbelief (an important factor), and also beautifully artistic in it's choreography. Those scenes are the frosting on a cake of deep questions. What is it to be human? Are feelings required? Would you trade them for safety? Is that even possible or is it just lying to ourselves? To what extent can we solve our problems with chemicals and social engineering? Set in the not-too-distant future, a totalitarian regime preaches against emotional extremes and requires timed-interval drug dosage for the entire populace to prevent them. The given theory being that elimination of those strong emotions is the key to peace and the survival of humanity in the fallout of the third world war. On the surface, it is dull, but successful. No murder. No rape. No crime at all is suggested, but not specified. By trading in the highs of joy and passion, we have eliminated the lows of rage and misery. Yet, this same governing body views anyone in violation of thier dosage, or worse yet in pursuit of those emotional extremes and all the things that provoke or inspire them, to be criminals of the worst sort. They are viewed as collectively trying to undo the peace and drag humanity back into the pit, so to speak. So what does the regime do? It finds these people. Labels them "sense offenders", and murders them. So did we really find peace and escape killing each other? Or are we just protecting ourselves from the dissident few, that would bring us all down? Good stuff. Splendid acting and exposition, and the action movie frosting to boot. More movies should be made that can achieve this.

I remember clearly in 2002 I saw a trailer for this movie, somehow no one recalls this movie. I on the other hand could not wait for this movie to come out, I actually went to the cinemas to see it...unfortunately it had been taken out already. Anyway, I saw it as soon as it was released on DVD; and let me tell you that when I saw it for the first time it blew me away. The Story, the Acting and the out of this world action sequences. Now 7 years later...It didn't feel the same, the movie however still stands as an exceptional Sci-Fi film, but not as superb as I remember. The problems with the movie are mainly "plot holes" some are passable and others are as big as the Milky Way. The movie's premise is of a world commencing from start after a 3rd World War. According to the brief prologue we are supposed to accept that there is only one last remaining "civilized" society, known as Liberia. In Liberia, every citizen must take a doze of a drug known as "Prozium". This drug inhibits the effect of a robotic/non emotional being. So technically speaking no one can or exhibit emotions..."why"? well according to the story of the movie, emotions like hate, greed, and anger caused War. Yet without Emotions we seize to exist as humans beings, it is an essential part of who we are. shortly in the movie we are introduced to John Preston (Christian Bale) a "Grammaton Cleric" (futuristic officer) he exhibits the persona of a man troubled by lost of someone and himself, his emotions that have been repressed are demonstrated quite well in dream sequences and thoughts. As for what happens...Its quite obvious, he accidentally lets the dose fall on the floor...And voila he begins to "feel" So, pretty much the movie is interesting and contains a potential plot. "So what's wrong with it"? Unfortunately the problem with the movie is the plot holes. As I had said these plot holes are quite noticeable. I will write a short list of some of the most obvious mistakes. Anyhow, the movie borrows alot from Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, and even the city looks similar to Fritz Lang's "Metropolis. Now, all of these mistakes are not to be taken as a reason to ignore this movie; on the contraire, this movie has still so much more to offer. The astonishing "Gun Kata" the technique to fight with guns blew me away, it is by far the most original idea I have ever seen in an action movie. Not one scene involving the "Gun Kata" looks bad. The best asset in the movie is Bale, he brings so much to the role, he takes the Semi-Original story and gives it heart and a push that made the film a sleeper hit. This is a sci-fi vehicle at the most, but don't underestimate the directing of Kurt Wimer (who unfortunately directed a weaker film "Ultraviolet) he directed this movie so well for so little money. The entire cast gave a little to the story so we could forget in a way the mistakes in the movie. As well the sets and wardrobe are amazing, Preston's white suit, which resembles the morning suit of Bruce Lee in Fists of Fury, Gives a certain shine to action, it pretty much gives a splendor. With its Mistakes it still worth owning, classic modern science fiction at it's best. Some of the Mistakes ***Warning Spoilers Ahead*** 1) Preston at the end can somehow dodge 1,000 of bullets and still kill everyone with out a scratch. --POSSIBLE EXPLANATION-- Preston is the highest ranking officer, he is pretty much the best...but still come' on..Way to precise 2) Partridge is reading a book of Yates; earlier in the movie it's much smaller --POSSIBLE EXPLANATION-- The angle in which we see the book the first time makes the book look tiny...hey it can be possible 3) The character of Brent smiles all the time...Supposedly he takes the dose --POSSIBLE EXPLANATION-- Brent could have not taken the dose at all or his smile is a senseless smile..a soulless smile Trust me it goes on and on with plot holes...but it still has alot of heart and potential. The vest is the acting and not to mention the music, which soars so triumphantly. Too bad there isn't a soundtrack. Anyway as I said, It's a must have even if it has mistakes. MY PERSONAL RATING: 3 ½ OUT OF 5

Amazon recommended this movie to me and I spent a month trying to track it down at Blockbuster before I was finally able to get my hands on it. It was certainly worth the wait! I watched it three times before I returned it to Blockbuster, and I bought it soon after. It quickly became one of my favorite sci-fi movies. This movie is beautifully made. It's dark and largely lacks color, but the setting fits the tone and subject of the movie well. The filming also serves to distinguish the lack of emotion expressed by a majority of the characters and the colorful world of the "sense offenders." Although it's nigh impossible for any actor to pull off a complete and total lack of emotion (though if anyone can do it well, it's Christian Bale), I was thoroughly impressed by the skill of the actors. Being the type of person I am, I watched the movie the first time looking for slips in character where the actors betrayed an emotion, and was disappointed to find some. I was thrilled at the end to discover that they weren't slips at all, but clues to the complex personalities of the characters and all furthered the story. Bale and Diggs make an excellent pair, and Watson and the child playing Bale's son were very effective characters. The casting of this movie is quite good. I also loved the story. The subject matter is appealing to me in general, but I was particularly impressed by the specific plot of this movie. I loved the idea that people chose to suppress emotions, have propaganda spewed at them incessently, and kill their family members and neighbors when they didn't conform. It's much like what's happened in the US recently or in the USSR 50 years ago - people giving up their freedoms for the illusion that they are safe and protected from harm. The fall of Bale's character, the elite member of the policing agency enforcing the emotionless state, is particularly moving. The scene where Bale discovers the basement full of sentimental objects and breaks down upon hearing Beethoven will stick with me forever. I was so blown away by the display of emotion Bale managed in that scene. Aside from the great visuals and deep story, this movie is entertaining as an action movie. The mix of gun fights and martial arts is fun, the special effects wonderful, and the story moves right along. All in all, this is a great movie, and one I would recommend to anyone who likes post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies or is interested in seeing and intelligent action movie. You won't be disappointed.

I am not sure how I missed this movie but it completely flew under my radar. A girl I was seeing recommended this film and I ended up taking a chance and picking it up on Blu-Ray. I am so glad for the recommendation and that I took a chance on this. This movie did not disappoint at all. Great action sequences with highly choreographed and impressive gun battles. This movie has a very interesting view on the future; a society that tries to strip away everything that makes us feeling human beings in an effort to quell emotion, that the society leaders claim, leads to violence, anarchy and inevitably - war. The movie lets you peer into a culture that squashes, with swift brutality, any and all things that spawn passion of any kind. Christian Bale is very good in this and the little known supporting cast does an admirable job as well. This is an Alliance title released in Canada primarily and comes to us via import through Amazon. This studio also has current Blu-Ray titles like Kill Bill 1 & 2, From Dusk til Dawn, Blade 1 & 2 and Gosford Park; all of which are very respectable 1080p transfers with great picture quality and DTS Master HD sound tracks. Though it does not say on the cover (cover mentions only a Dolby 5.1 and French 2.0 sound track) this Blu-Ray sports a very cool DTS Master HD soundtrack, which sounds fantastic. The picture is very clean and crisp in 1080p HD. The corporate cold and gray culture, which dominates this film, is occasionally met with some very rich colors that pose a nice contrast. I was pleasantly surprised how good this was for a relatively unknown film. There are plenty of scenes of brutality and highly stylized graphic violence to wet your appetite for good action and entertainment. If you enjoy Sci-Fi action films this is a must have to add to your Blu Ray collection.

OK, I read a bunch of the reviews out of curiosity, while I was at the web site to buy the movie after my daughter sat me down and made me watch it. I am happy to see that so many reviewers liked the film. However, even in reading the positive reviews, I am often left wondering whether we both saw the same movie. First, Equilibrium bears only a superficial resemblance to the Matrix, mostly, I suspect, because the Gun Kata sequences bear a superficial resemblance to the fight scenes in the Matrix. However, 1) the Matrix takes place in a "cyber-dimension" if you will. Neo can do extraordianry things because with the right programming anything is possible in a world where the laws of physics are just a series of zeros and ones. The fight scenes in Equilibrium, although extraordinary, supposedly take place in the real world without time dilation or other tricks, as someone else said, without the cheat codes on. More importantly 2) Matrix is a man against machine story more similar to Terminator (although stated vastly differently) than to the distopian universe of Equilibrium. In Matrix, the great danger comes from outside of humanity, from the machines. In Equilibrium, the danger is in humanity, in the struggle between the individual and the collective. Matrix is frightening, but only like, let's say, a vampire story is frightening. I can't bring myself to stay up nights worrying that my computer is going to turn on me, any more than I worry about werwolves. Distopia I understand, and, yes, I fear it very much. I doubt it will ever appear as portrayed in this film, but all the elements are there, and have appeared over and over again in the collectivist distopias of the real world, from the Soviet "worker's state" to the Third Reich. A matter of degree perhaps, but not much of a stretch. Thus, Equilibrium frightens me far, far more than the Matrix ever could, because it is possible. More trivially, 3) the fashion statements in the two films are not the same, although they use the same color scheme. In case nobody noticed, the clerics in Equilibrium dressed like priests. Which is why they are called clerics and are trained in a place called the monastery. The dictatorship in Equilibrium has obviously borrowed a lot of religious imagery from before the war. Note that I do not believe that the use of this imagery makes this an anti-religious film. There is nothing of christianity here except for the vestments, any more than the evil dictatorship is Khabalist because it calls itself the Tetragrammaton (which is YHWH, the unspoken name of God). I suspect "Father" made use of these symbols because they still had power, and their origin has been lost by the time of the movie. In any event, back to the point, the two movies do not remotely have the same dress code. (If it makes any difference, I like the Matrix, but found its sequels, hmm, stupid is probably the right word. Between the first Matrix movie and Equilibrium, while the comparison is a bit like apples to oranges, I would take Equilibrium hands down.) I also do not understand the constant comparisons to 1984. (OK, maybe I do. They are both distopias, and they both feature a Leader (Father, Big Brother) who seems to be electronically everywhere. So there are similarities) However, if there is one previous distopia to which Equilibrium can justly be compared, it is Bradbury's classic Fahrenheit 451. In both, the oppressor state targets specific cultural attributes and artifacts as much or more than the actual enemies of the state, believing that these objects in and of themselves are a threat. Thus books and puppy dogs are both in danger. More importantly, in Fahrenheit 451, and in Equilibrium, the dogs have their day. The state is unable to eliminate the threat, and, in the end, the oppressed outlast it and survive, though in slightly different ways. One must remember that 1984, brilliant as it was, had no remotely happy ending. It was, to paraphrase Orwell, a boot planted on the human face, FOREVER. That's what Orwell was warning us about, and why he is important. 1984 is a cautionary tale. Bradbury, and Equilibrium, choose to emphasize the resiliance of the human spirit even under grinding oppression. Despite the clerics, despite all the armed police, a resistance flourishes in the world of Equilibrium. Of course Equilibrium is like other tales in its genre. Big deal. There ain't much new under the sun, as Solomon might say. I found it told in a startling, and very emotional, new way. I generally am not interested in the names of actors. After seeing the movie, I still could not have told you it had Christian Bale and Sean Bean in it. When I was told it did, I could look back and say, yeah, that's Boromir and that's the guy from Reign of Fire, so it must be true. I still don't care. Whoever they were, they did a good job. The fight scenes were impressive, but I've seen better. They were definitely novel. Gun and martial art deserve to be more closely related than they are always portrayed. But martial arts sequences are only props to a film. They can be as impressive as one likes, but without a plot I might as well go watch my son at the dojo. In this case, I liked the plot. Or maybe that's the wrong word. I FELT the plot, which, I suppose, makes me a Sense Offender. I'm not even sure I can watch the thing again, because of the deep emotion it produces in me. I would be too apt to cry in frustration or scream in rage. That's what makes a great movie. In conclusion, I can only say that the silliest scene was when Preston shot out a whole row of computer monitors and thus managed to "turn off" the presence of Father and begin the revolution. (As a computer tech, I am all too familiar with folks who think the computer is the monitor, and that box under the desk is merely the hard drive, but I didn't expect to see that in a movie. Of course, maybe in this world they did build the brains of the box right behind the screen. Who knows?) The best scene was immediately thereafter when you see Preston smiling and bloody. It is truly a s**t-eating grin. He FELT that one, alright. Oh, yeah. And so did I.

Christian Bale plays an exceptional role as John Preston, whose mission is to rid the city of those people still feeling emotions. Emotions have been outlawed in this society, with the penalty being death. He finally finds himself feeling emotions and takes up the cause of freedom to feel. The gunfights and swordfights are so convincing you can feel the blood dripping!

Someone strap me down - I'm bouncing off walls over this movie!!! I haven't had so much fun watching a movie in years! This beats Matrix 2 hands down and makes it look like a right royal sissy. The action is fantastically choreographed and, unlike Matrix 2, isn't there simply for the heck of it. It's got an original storyline, a great new take on "martial arts" tactics and one awfully catchy feel good conclusion. It has tones of Matrix/Minority Report/Logan's Run and probably a number more classic sci-fis that you can name. BUT, this is not a rip off, nor a poor relation. It is a great film in its own right and I have to say it is miles better than most of the so called blockbusters thrust at us in this genre recently. Christian Bale is superbly cast as "Cleric John Preston" - a kind of law enforcer assigned to take in hand those rebelling from the new world regime....... In the future, it is quite literally a crime to FEEL - feelings give birth to emotional action and that gives birth to such traits as rage, anger, lust etc. and that is seen as man's and civilisation's true downfall. The population are forced into a life of emotionless drudgery - imposed by "Father" (their leader) through the enforced use of an emotion suppressing drug. The "police force" merely supports the true "crimefighters" - known as Clerics; reminiscent of the famous fighting monks, only more Keanu style than Lhama style. These Clerics have fierce and awesome fighting skills - none better than the "Gun Kata", a method where the weapon is an "extention" of the body and used (in conjunction with a finely tuned psychie) to exact "maximum damage, to maximum targets in a maximum range" - without getting wounded in the process. Result???? Amazing fight scenes that leave Matrix's rather worn out "bendy man dodges nasty bullets" trump card looking lame and frazzled. The way in which Bale's character develops is handled masterfully and you really get under his skin. The storyline is intriguing and entertaining throughout and the build up towards the end (which has some of the very best fight scenes) actually had me yelling and cheering. It's also good to see Taye Diggs finally being given more centre stage and he plays the foe very well - even if he does "lose face" at the end. Good also to see the ever great Sean Bean, Sean Pertwee and David Hemmings providing support roles. Beautifully shot, the movie makers make full use of current SFX techniques without insulting your intelligence and fobbing you off with tacky, over the top FX like recent movies I can think of. Ahem! I can't fault this movie. I know someone, somewhere will do so soon enough as everyone has different tastes. I hated Titantic with a vengence but they Oscar'd it nonetheless. Just sit back, get the headphones on for maximum sound definition (especially for the scene where the screen goes black and silent for and endless age!!!) and get dragged along by it by the scruff of your neck. It's fun!!

Arrived with the case very badly damaged. Told no replacement is available. Extremely disappointing.

ガンカタが格好いいの一言、むしろそれを見るための作品といっても過言でなく言葉なんかわから無くても十分面白い。

So i bought this in hopes in would play on my Xbox or ps4 but it would not because its Region A locked while i am on a different region - Tried to get another copy to see if its the same deal there and yes it is. Becareful to buy this its region locked.

Veramente un film stupendo, uno dei pochi che non ho proprio niente da dire perchè è impeccabile per me in ogni cosa. Da avere assolutamente per ogni amante del genere Fantascienza, effetti speciali fatti proprio bene bella storia, scene di combattimento girate benissimo e tanta azione. Spero che ci sarà un prossimo seguito di questo, perchè mi piacerebbe proprio. Un vero e proprio capolavoro cinematografico da ricordare. Spedizione perfetta come sempre da Amazon.