`Strange Days' entertains the eye but ignores the brain
Bigelow's made a name for herself as an outstanding director and as one of the few women directing big-budget films. From the dustbowl glamour of Okie vampires in Near Dark to the "100 percent pure adrenaline" of Point Break , Bigelow has done some excellent work.
Unfortunately, her newest picture, Strange Days , just doesn't take us as high or as far or as fast as her earlier movies did.
Set in the last two days of 1999, Strange Days looks good at the beginning. We jump into the midst of a robbery in progress, filmed with an incredible point-of-view technique which represents the perspective of an unseen character.
Reaching the climax of the crime, we are zipped back into reality, and we learn that Lenny Nero (played by Quiz Show star Ralph Fiennes) is a hustler who deals in experiences. By "wire-tripping," he can be whoever or whatever he wants.
Armed with a bootleg video system which can record the sensation of a human mind, he gets exciting people to sell their experiences to him. He then resells these tapes to stuffy, upper-middle class suburbanites who want to experience the thrill of racing into a convenience store with a .357 but haven't the capacity to endure the consequences.
Admittedly, this is not a brand-new concept, but this is the finest execution of it you're likely to see, and it is actually quite interesting for a while. But when Lenny gets his hands on a tape he wasn't sup- posed to see, most of the intrigue goes right out the window.
There's a fair amount of plot here which I won't attempt to explain. But it involves an endangered hooker, a rich rap star, and some cops. In other words, it's a standard cop-movie format with the only distinguish- ing element being the wire-tripping scenes and the presence of such notables as Fiennes, Angela Bassett (in a great action performance) and Juliette Lewis.
What is of interest in this movie is barely explored, with the propriety of voyeurism and selling experience given a short once-over. The hardware on display is impressive, and the production design is as neatly apocalyptic in some scenes as Blade Runner ; however, all the needless cop-film conventions are a great distraction.
Strange Days seemed like it could have been a lot more than just another neat-o shoot-'em-up flick, but eventually disappoints because, although your eyes are kept busy, your brain is hardly engaged.
It's easily well worth seeing for the stars, the scenery, and the techno flash, but you won't have anything to think about on the ride home. I suppose some would maybe consider that an advantage.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the September 29, 1995 issue.
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