DVD: “The Final Cut”
By stephanie - Sunday, March 26th, 2006
Robin Williams gets dramatic in this quiet science fiction film set in the not too distant future. He plays a “cutter,” a person who edits people’s life experiences that were filmed thanks to a “Zoe” brain implant. These edited life experiences are then shown at funerals, to comfort the bereaved.
Not surprising, in the course of his work he stumbles across some dark information, and gets embroiled in murder and intrigue.
Simple enough…and yet, the film doesn’t quite live up to its promise.
The main premise is interesting, but a little far-fetched: What would happen if every moment of your life were recorded? But who would really agree to such a thing? While it’s possible that someday people may be forced to get an implant to record their lives, I find it hard to believe that people would volunteer for a such a chip. (Actually, in the film, it’s usually the parents that authorize the chip, when the child is just a baby.)
Robin Williams is also surprisingly dull in this film, playing a character who is so passive to the point of being a non-entity. Everything that happens to him just doesn’t seem quite right as a result. His sexual relationship with the much younger Delila (played by Mira Sorvina) is just simply unbelievable, not just because he’s so much older than she is, but because he’s such a dud.
Add to that a convoluted plot, and you have a film that piques your interest but fails to pay off its initial promise. Not bad to watch for a rental, but only if you’ve gone through all the other films in your queue.