Search - Impostor (Director's Cut) on DVD

Does the android Sinise dream of electric sheep? The world m

A. Gyurisin | Wet, Wild, Wonderful Virginia | 04/13/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If someone were to approach me with money and desperately seek out the actor whose body of work impresses me the most, I think they would be surprised to find that the answer is Vincent D'Onofrio. Outside of his "Law and Order" record, the body of work that he represents is outstanding. The characters that he chooses to portray in each of his films continue to be more and more obscure and random, creating a body of work that is nearly untouched by any other actor in Hollywood. For this, I will forever respect this man and his work. I recently had the pleasure of seeing him in the lower budget science fiction Phillip K. Dick cinematic story "Impostor", and must admit, I was impressed. With little money, a decent budget for visuals, and a cast that from the outside seems impressive, this was a little film that fell well under the radar and never quite saw the light of day. This is not to say the film isn't perfect, because it is far from it, but it did provide me with nearly two hours of guessing, wondering, questioning, and inevitably (after the film was done), hoping for more.

For those that are unwilling to give an unknown film a chance, this was the story of Gary Sinise playing the role of Spencer Olham. He is a very happy scientist that loves his wife and job working for the government. It is the future, and a band of violent aliens is trying to destroy the human race, but we have been resilient. We have built walls over our skies and continually send pilots to attempt to bring down their star ships. This story takes place somewhere in the middle of this chaotic war, where fear becomes a bigger enemy than ally. D'Onofrio plays Hathaway, the leader of a government elite unit specializing in locating spies - and he has found a target - Olham. Hathaway believes that Olham is an android of the human he once was, disguised to allow for easy infiltration and destruction. Hathaway's mission is to destroy this clone, and while he wasn't successful in the past, he knows the truth now. Of course, Sinise is Sinise, and for nearly two hours he runs, inspects, and prepares for what should be the truth - but instead we are handed a diabolical twist that will make any childless film buff happy and any anti-Sinise fan jump for joy. We are left with a vision that is as stunning as it is disturbing, yet for me, I was disappointed. I loved the ending, but questioned the value of the preceding hour of stock "running" footage. The DVD itself contains the short film that this film was based on, and I must admit, I liked that a bit more because it cut the center "filler" out, but also eliminated the illusionist-character element that filled the time slot. It was a give or take, but as you watch the ending, you question the need for it.

I can't give the ending away, so I will divert the conversation elsewhere. Loved the introduction to this film. The history lesson coupled with an opening chapter that slowly fed you subliminal clues to the past. The John Hooker song got my feet bouncing and my juxtaposed mind in gear. Even in the future they listen to great music. The relationship between Sinise and Stowe could have been warmer, the introduction was sensual, but not worth 45 minutes of fighting for. I could not believe they were husband and wife for the brief moments that we saw them together. The struggle with the situation that occurs to Nelson Gittes (played by Tony Shalhoub) again seemed very underplayed. I wanted to see a stronger bond, and not just two sentences of dialog that would attempt to bring to the surface a life long relationship. I loved D'Onofrio, but that has already been said. Mekhi Phifer was just filler, the typical stranger that finds that warm patch in his heart to help a total stranger. We have seen that in any other Hollywood puzzler, and for this film it was no different. So, what I am trying to say is that the acting isn't what stands out with this film, it is the story.

We all know that PK Dick can write an amazing story that withstands the vaults of time, and this is no exception. When you begin watching the film, you may assume you have seen the action before, in other films. You will be half right, until you witness the surprising ending. I thought I had it figured out, but what happened continues to keep a smile on my face. What I missed about this story was the war itself, yet eerily, I liked the internal struggle. I was very reminiscent of what is occurring in our world today. The tale of an overprotective government that is too worried about the treat instead of its people. I wish we could have seen more about the "big weapon" that was going to be a turning point to the war, I think that would have explained the choice for Olham to be targeted - but again, with the shabby acting and stronger story, you have a mixed message that gets sent. The focus becomes blurry and this small review found the short story/film to be stronger than the final verdict. A smaller scale sometimes paint a bolder picture.

Overall, I thought this was a decent film for the small amount of screen time it was given. It kept my attention, while using techinques that are overused in Hollywood, but with "Impostor" it didn't feel used. Something felt fresh about this film, and while I know it wasn't the small actors giving less than 100%, or the overly sweaty Sinise, I think it was the voice and power behind D'Onofrio's character. Honestly, I am not drooling here, but he was great in this film. He was fun, angry, poised, and yet seemingly disturbed all at the right moments. "Impostor" is not a film that I think is a staple of the genre in any way, but it is a sinful delight that surprised me through the end. I would recommend this to friends, but only good friends. Alas, it won't be making my collection, but wouldn't mind catching it on network television one late night. Could I be any more vague?

Oh well, I am reopening "Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep?"

Grade: *** ½ out of *****"