Gattaca

Set within an unspecified future, Gattaca follows Ethan Hawke’s Vincent Freeman as he attempts to cheat his way into the space program by assuming the identity of Jude Law’s genetically-modified Jerome Morrow – with complications ensuing after a high-ranking official is murdered and Vincent, having left behind an eyelash, becomes the top suspect in the case. Filmmaker Andrew Niccol, making his debut here, delivers a deliberately-paced yet mostly spellbinding sci-fi drama that benefits substantially from its eerie, spare visuals and production design, as well as the uniformly compelling performances from its various actors, with, in terms of the latter, Hawke’s persistently spellbinding turn as the sympathetic protagonist matched by an eclectic supporting cast that includes Uma Thurman, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal, and Alan Arkin. And although the movie does begin to slightly run out of steam within its overly lackadaisical third act, Gattaca nevertheless (and for the most part) comes off as a superior bit of science fiction that seems to be growing more and more relevant as the years pass.

***1/2 out of ****

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