Today’s quick review: Deja Vu. When a ferry boat explodes in New Orleans, killing hundreds of people, ATF Agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) is recruited to a special federal task force led by FBI Agent Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer). Using sophisticated satellite technology, the task force is able to reconstruct events from four days in the past to investigate a crime linked to the bombing, the murder of Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton).
Deja Vu is an action thriller with sci-fi elements. For the most part, Deja Vu is a standard investigative thriller, with a trail of clues leading to the culprit. But the vivid satellite reconstructions give the investigation a sense of immediacy, showing fleeting glimpses of Claire’s life before her murder. The rolling window into the past also helps keep the urgency up, as any event more than four days into the past is lost to the team forever.
Watch Deja Vu if you are in the mood for a tidy, competent thriller with an atypical premise, moderate amounts of action, and a good puzzle at its core. The execution is decent if not outstanding, but the dash of sci-fi provides a welcome bit of variety to an otherwise standard entry into its genre. Sci-fi fans who dislike thrillers won’t get much out of Deja Vu; thriller fans who can bear a little sci-fi will have a good time.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for competent execution of a good premise.