Review: Strange Days

'I'm the magic man.'

I guess the best way to start talking about this movie is how I came across it in the first place. Well aside from blogging here I'm also a Letterboxd user and recently came across a scathing review of Lisa Joy's Reminiscence starring Hugh Jackman comparing it to the movie Strange Days by Kathryn Bigelow. The review while critical got me curious about Strange Days and its premise and so I decided to check it out for myself to see what the hype is all about. It tells the story of Lenny Nero a former cop turned street hustler who accidentally uncovers a conspiracy on the last day of 1999 Los Angeles. The movie begins with Nero played by Ralph Fiennes experiencing the last few minutes of a thief before he dies from a fall. Later he tells Tick his supplier that he doesn't deal with snuff then goes on about his day which consists mainly of peddling people's memories and experiences via CD's. We see through Nero's eyes the unrest of 1999 Los Angeles through the looting, and the racism that escalates when the well-loved rapper named Jeriko One is murdered. Meanwhile, the hooker Iris is looking for Nero who leaves a recorded CD in his car. Nero's attempts to get to Faith his former girlfriend are unsuccessful. Soon, when a CD surfaces and Nero learns that Iris was violently raped and killed he investigates and finds out that there's a greater conspiracy unfolding.

Ralph Fiennes as Lenny Nero

I guess the best place to start is with the plot and the story as I had no idea what I was getting into with this movie but I enjoyed it as it also takes its time. Voyeurism, Lenny Nero deals with peoples memories and experiences while also getting a high off of his own memories with Faith, a former lover. Of course it's only a matter of time before there's a crime committed while using the technology that records these memories and this is one of the great aspects of the movie that ties into the plot and the story, I thought this was done very well and not rushed just flowed into the movie naturally. Longing, another theme in the movie that's carefully built in to the script Nero nearly goes to the limits to get Faith back, his memories of her he still replays every now and again when Nero finally meets Faith again it's done in such a nuanced way through the performances of both actors. Then there's the friend who's love is unrequited without her becoming a damsel in distress or becoming a character who can't live without a man in her life. While we see most of the movie through the point of view of Nero, my favorite character has to be Angela Bassett's Mace, she's independent and can hold her own in a fight without having to resort to typical feminist tropes. The more unsubtle theme of racism isn't overly done and I meant that it's done in a way where it doesn't come across as preachy, it's handled better than a call to sentiment; it's done through the truth.

Angela Bassett as Mace

The technical aspects of the movie such as the performances, cinematography, direction and screenplay were very well done. The characters are very compelling and interesting to watch as events unfold in front of them. I haven't seen any of Kathryn Bigelow's later movies but I have seen both Loveless and Near Dark (which I need to see again) and I think she's talented and delivers for the most part as she does here. The actors make their characters compelling by making us feel like they actually live in the world that the production design team has landscaped for them and Ralph Fiennes makes such a fine lead yet he isn't the typical macho character that this character could have been and his chemistry with Angela Bassett is palpable, it isn't too much or too little; it's just right. 'The cinematography reminds me of Blade Runner though not as stylistic in terms of the color palette but it's there in terms of the movement. Overall, Strange Days is one of the cult classics that should be talked about more just the way that Blade Runner is and while this doesn't seem to have garnered any steam back in 1995 it should now with because it's themes are becoming more and more relevant especially in America. 

4.5/5 stars.