Equilibrium is a 2002 science-fiction action movie with heavy influences from classic dystopias such as 1984 and Fahrenheit 451; there is even some criticism concerning the fact that it is a mere knockoff of its predecessors. It is true that the dystopian world depicted in Equilibrium has some of the traditional tropes present in the genre: from the military governing organization that keeps the populous on a straight leash to the destruction of cultural works that would otherwise hinder their status quo. What the movie does succeed in doing is adding those fast-paced exaggerated action scenes (‘merican style).
Briefly about the premises: In the first years of the 21st century the third world war broke out; those of us who survived, knew mankind would never survive a fourth. Up until this point there is certainly nothing new (Einstein said something along the same lines quite some time ago), but the solution this world reaches is to create of a new order. Thus the Grammaton Clerics are born: they are military zealots tasked to seek out and eradicate the true source of Man’s inhumanity to Man – his ability to feel. In other words, in the world of Equilibrium feelings are blamed for wars in general; to avoid them, the population is rendered numb, inhibited by drugs, and anything and everything that produces emotions is destroyed (if firefighters roasting books ring any bells).
Furthermore, Christian Bale plays the protagonist (not as intense as American Psycho, but still a good role) for whoever is a fan and also there is a minor appearance by Sean Bean (and I will not comment on his high-end performances, if you know what I mean).
So why suggest a dystopian movie if the classics already pretty much covered the basics? Well, it’s not as much about the originality of the themes themselves as how they were intertwined with good action sequences. In the movie, the Grammaton Clerics developed something called gunkata, a martial arts of sorts that uses guns, to eliminate the heretics (a.k.a. the ones that want to keep their ability to feel). While it sounds like something utterly ludicrous, and it pretty much is, the idea of using geometry and probability of enemy positioning to one’s advantage when shooting fully respects the “rule of cool”. Gunkata, or the martial art that calculates the most efficient trajectory to shoot someone better, may almost be considered as a predecessor to John Wick. Jokes aside, the mature themes of freedom and empathy presented in the movie are at its core, but the attention of the viewer is maintained with over-the-top gunfight-galore action-packed scenes.
In my opinion, while not adding something new to the genre, it most definitely polishes the old tropes and pays homage where it is given; and hey, EPIC GUNFIGHTS with a dash of social criticism – it gets my vote.
I would give it 7 out of 10 trigger-happy Big Brothers.