Most people go through their lives without deviating from "the plan" - maybe that's what freewheeling is? Anyway, they don't exercise "free will".
"The Plan" is written by "The Chairman" and "men in hats" are The Adjustment Bureau. Watch out for the men in hats!
The Bureau steps in when people stray off grid - the whole of humanity is represented as little moving dots on grids in their little black books.
Gives location-based social media platforms like FourSquare and GPS a WHOLE different image doesn't it?
I like this story and I like this film probably as much as Inception but I for different reasons - Inception overthinks while The Adjustment Bureau fails to think deeply enough.
The perfect paranoia film is probably located somewhere between the two - a little bit of action, but not too much, and a little bit of screwing your mind, but not totally screwing it up.
Just how many films justify the existence of paranoia? Shutter Island, Matrix, District 9, Distrubia, Gamer and perhaps There Will Be Blood? Is paranoia a necessary part of free will?
I don't want to spoil the twists and turns so it's difficult to say much but it's directed by a writer - George Nolfi. It's a well structured read.
Let's just say ... "boy-meets-girl", "boy-loses-girl", "boy-finds-girl", "boy-gives-girl-up", "boy-defies-the-odds", chance intervenes to change his fate - so they are extraordinary but it's not all free will after all.
The first-time director wrote and produced various other gems such as The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean's Twelve.
All the way through, unfortunately, I was waiting for "the chase scene" - sorry, must be Matt Damon. The chase scene is great but the end is disappointing.
It's like a flatulent balloon deflating as it fizzes out - I was waiting for a BANG? I guess that's a surprise in itself. Oh well.
Somewhere in the middle of the film my mind invented a different destination when interesting questions are raised.
Does he become president? Does she become a great dancer? Is that all still in the new "plan"? Is the new plan better or worse? No clues. Call me paranoid but I needed satisfaction to be sure.
I'm not saying it is a boring film but it kind of plops the idea on the table in Act 1 as if to say: And there it is!
Act 2: From the TOP! Again. There are these scary guys, see ... !
I didn't realise that Nolfi has adapted a short story by Philip K Dick and nor did I realise that so were Blade Runner, Through a Scanner Darkly, Minority Report, and Total Recall. This is more like Sliding Doors.
However, it's a great way to slip history to the kids in a few quick lines and get them to visit museums and art galleries to turn the doorknobs anti-clockwise and see what happens. ;)