What seemed in previews to be a mediocre and half-backed concept ended up actually being a mediocre and half-backed film. The one unknown factor was Denzel Washington (“Training Day“), who usually elevates the films he stars in, because of the power of his performance. Unfortunately, Washington seemed to be sleepwalking through this film, giving a sub-par performance which ends up sinking with the rest of the story.
Washington is Doug Carlin, a serious, determined ATF agent, with a sharp mind who can piece together evidence at a crime scene quicker than your average cop. He must investigate an explosion on-board a ferry, which killed military men and their families, and determine if it is terrorism and if so, who is responsible. At this point, the story goes off the beaten path, bringing in a secret government agency that has the ability to look into the past, but only for a short amount of time, and tries to use this technique to solve the crime. Washington gets brought into this agency, and after awhile decides that he wants to not only catch who is responsible, but stop the explosion from taking place, if possible. Part of this reason -other than saving lives- is that he becomes infatuated with a woman related to the explosion, who is also killed.
The film works well enough at the beginning as a police investigative picture, with action director Tony Scott (“Enemy of the State“) at the helm ; but the story is under explained and dizzying once the science fiction element is introduced. The technology, which allows views into the past, is too quickly glossed over, and the exact nature of the government agency is poorly contrived, which leaves the viewer wondering what’s going on in the movie. The action set pieces eventually become unbelievable, especially in one scene with Washington’s character driving the wrong way down a busy interstate, while watching something else on his virtual reality goggles. The director tries to re-create the jokey camaraderie of the techno-geeks, from his more successful “Enemy of the State”, but the casting isn’t as good -Jack Black, Jamie Kennedy, and Seth Green were in the other film- and the jokes aren‘t as well written or delivered.
Ultimately, however, the film would have been at least middling if the main character had felt more realistic and the movie’s star had not just phoned in his performance. The audience does not understand Carlin’s motivation for most of what he does in the film. Even if the audience does not agree with the main character’s actions -which is a dangerous route to take in an action movie- they should at least sympathize with why he does what he does. In Déjà vu, Carlin’s character puts himself and others in harms way to try and save people who are already dead. His connection to the woman who has died seems more a creepy infatuation than a legitimate concern. Sadly, without a realistic or sympathetic main character, Déjà vu, is not a movie worth seeing once, let alone twice.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images and some sensuality.
