We’ve all watched as taxi after taxi pass us by or (more commonly) fumed as reception suddenly drops out on our mobile phones. What if these experiences weren’t just simply part of the humdrum of everyday life? What if they happened for a reason, orchestrated by something or someone pulling at the strings of destiny?
Meeting - seemingly by chance - beautiful dancer Elise (The Devil Wears Prada’s Emily Blunt), up-and-coming New York Senate candidate David Norris (Matt Damon) is instantly smitten, certain she’s the woman for him. But then strange occurrences begin to collude against his desired fate, thanks to the mysterious workings of The Adjustment Bureau. This covert operation of sharply tailored men in hats (including Mad Men’s John Slattery and Priscilla Queen of the Desert’s Terrence Stamp) makes sure that every moment of a person’s life happens to the plan the Bureau has set out for them, right down to when and how you spill your takeaway coffee.
For reasons not immediately apparent, the Bureau will stop at nothing to keep David and Elise apart. David soon realises he’ll have to outsmart them if Elise is to remain in his life and so begins a thrilling, almost fantastical chase through New York City in a race against time.
The concept may sound obscure – it’s based on a short story by much adapted sci-fi author Phillip K. Dick – and with its peculiar mix of thriller, sci-fi and romance genres, it is. That’s the film’s biggest challenge – it requires the audience to suspend disbelief and join the ride. But in the capable hands of debut feature director George Nolfi (screenwriter of The Bourne Ultimatum) who directs with panache, two compelling leads and a strong supporting cast (including The Hurt Locker’s Anthony Mackie who impresses as a sympathetic Bureau agent) it largely works.
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| You can leave your hat on..... |
Damon is dependably good and Blunt, such a natural performer, positively oozes magnetic charisma and charm. The chemistry between the pair is right off the Richter scale and believable to boot.
The production design is also effective with the ‘men in hats’ looking as if they’ve just stepped out of Mad Men’s ad agency and their powers and methodologies – futuristic, telepathic and old fashioned – a quaint mix.
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| Come to the Gents often? |
The Adjustment Bureau poses existential questions of destiny, chance and the consequences of free will. It’s a major mainstream Hollywood film that succeeds in being both entertaining and thought provoking, complex yet deceivingly simple in its creative concepts.
Some viewers may find the film’s denouement less than satisfying. But taken as a whole, if you allow yourself to take a leap of faith The Adjustment Bureau is an intriguing, engrossing experience. At the very least, it just might be the perfect date movie.
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