Deja Vu (DVD)
The running time is 2 hrs. 8 mins..
Very much along the same lines as Tony Scott's 1998 spy thriller Enemy of the State, Déjà Vu relies heavily on the thought of satellites from space tracking our every move, but this time around it takes it one step further. This is a step I couldn't explain even if I wanted to and I personally don't think the movie even explained, or maybe it did. I don't know, it sounded like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to me, but it all ends up working. Once you as the audience are able to push aside the illogical device used to move this story ahead you begin to get into the characters and begin to wonder where it will all end up.
A New Orleans ferry boat explodes and Doug Carlin (Washington) is called in on the case. Things are always fishy when a ferry boat just explodes into a million pieces and Doug begins sniffing for clues. Once it begins to look like a terrorist act he digs even further and is suddenly confused as the dead body of Claire Kuchever turns up in one of the most unlikeliest places. As the pieces begin to get even more scattered Doug is introduced to a look at the future as well as the past and the story takes a dramatic turn.
As I said, this movie is ridiculous, it is a techno-spy thriller with bits and pieces of "Without a Trace" and "C.S.I." woven into the fabric. You will find yourself questioning the logic from word one, but you will soon forget all that as the story actually becomes intriguing.
As for this DVD it comes equipped with a group of deleted and extended scenes as well as an interesting branching featurette/commentary feature. "The Surveillance Window," as it is referred to, once activated will offer the viewer a seamless (really it is) experience of watching mini making-of featurettes as the movie goes along starting with the ferry boat explosion and including looks at the actors in the film and everything that went into it. Along with that it is accompanied by commentary with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott. I was actually impressed that the seamless nature of the feature was actually seamless and not a jittery exploration into how to annoy me. The featurettes pop-up quickly and are over just as quick. The commentary is a bit lacking, but you can skip all that and watch them on their own if you wish.
Overall, I say this DVD is about a 50/50 on the buy/rent scale, which is to say that I think you should rent it before you buy it. If spy thrillers are your thing you may be safe just putting down some cash and taking it home, but this one may only be good for one or two repeated viewings since it is likely to lose its intrigue once you know how it all ends up.