Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image
Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, Shohreh Aghdashloo, John Slattery, Michael Kelly, Terence Stamp
Director: George Nolfi
What about free will? They've tried that, we're told by one of the enforcers. They have, in fact, stepped back at various points in history. Surrendered control of our lives to ourselves. And what did we do with that free will? The Dark Ages. Two World Wars. One step away from total annihilation at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. They decided to step back in.
"The Adjustment Bureau," based upon a short story by Philip Kindred Dick, has a premise that seems like a full-on frontal assault of narrative gimmickry. Yet the movie admirably fights though it, offering us a much more involving story than we might expect.
So, whose life direction has stepped before their crosshairs this time? One David Norris (Matt Damon), a charismatic and refreshingly down-to-earth politician. So down-to-earth, in fact, that his sometimes impulsive behavior gets the better of him and interferes with his progress. Still, the Bureau has grand plans for him. After losing an initial bid for a New York senate seat, David excuses himself from his campaign headquarters in an upscale hotel, retires to the public restroom to rehearse his concession speech. A woman is hiding in one of the stalls. (She's in hiding after crashing a wedding.) She emerges. Behind penetrating eyes and a no-nonsense grin, she introduces herself as Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). She’s an aspiring ballet dancer. The two get to talking. A connection is formed.
Their conversation imbues in David the strength to give an honest speech devoid of platitudes, which in turns reinvigorates his career and offers the possibility of a second run. The problem? By chance, David and Elise meet up again. Both hearts are captivated. And why is this a problem? Because her presence in David's life might just be enough for him, and cause him to alter his life's ambition. This is unacceptable to the Adjustment Bureau.
David is imparted with this information after being abducted by members of the Bureau, and taken into an underground garage of sorts that seems to exist solely for the purpose of threatening potential senators. He is told by a case officer (John Slattery) that if he disobeys their orders to never see Elise again, his mind will be "reset." Erased. He has little reason to believe this far-fetched story but even more reason not to, as a threat is a threat. He agrees. But years later, David and Elise meet yet again, and the attraction is simply too much for the would-be senator. He simply must be a presence in her life.
With growing desperation, the Bureau turns to a much more aggressive enforcer (Terence Stamp). But David has help for his cause as well in the form of a sympathetic case worker named Harry Mitchell (Anthony Mackie).
It's commonplace for plots such as this to invite all manner of criticisms regarding logic. Yes, there are a few gaping plot holes, including a decision and voice-over narration near the end that seems to belie the Bureau's very existence. Not all questions are fully answered. That's to be expected, understood and, quite frankly, appreciated. If movies like this felt the need to impart an explanation at every turn, it would derail the entire film.
What really makes the movie work, however, isn't the science-fiction elements at all but the love story between David and Elise. When you consider what they're asked to do, the performances by Matt Damon and Emily Blunt are quite remarkable. They create two completely believable individuals whose love for one another is defined almost immediately. Their love story could thrive in a different movie where no science-fiction elements surround them. Here, they're forced to share equal time with said elements, so the romance isn't all-encompassing.
The members of the Bureau are imbued with an eclectic mix of personality types, including Anthony Mackie ("The Hurt Locker") as a sympathetic observer of free will and Terence Stamp as a no-holds-barred agent against independent thought, whose line delivery can sound menacing even when his character is doing little more than following orders. I also liked John Slattery as the head case worker whose patience is tested when trying to reason with someone intent not to be reasoned with. Slattery employs his trademark combination of exasperation and resignation... like a guy who has spent one hour too many stuck in traffic.
Writer and first-time director George Nolfi keeps the film at ground level as far as special effects use goes, despite the outlandish nature of the story. He relies more on the fluid cinematography of John Toll, which effectively conveys the existence of the Bureau's base of operations on a unique parallel plane of existence with the real world. There is no ostentatious imagery in the origins of the Bureau, merely a series of "portals" where the enforcers travel to do their bidding.
I don't believe in predestination. To me, it's a maddening concept. What is the "right" path? Hell, the one you choose. Plain and simple. Anything else, and you drive yourself crazy. The movie seems to approach the idea in a similar manner. No comfort is afforded in the Bureau's existence. The only way to approach the idea of a predetermined outcome without going insane is to convince yourself such outcomes don't exist, even if a middle-aged man in a fedora and holding a map of your destiny insists otherwise.
* * * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
