Set in a totalitarian future where human emotions have been outlawed, a kingpin’s talented protector rebels against the system. Christian Bale stops taking his sense control drugs, listens to Beethoven, cries a lot, and falls in love with a resistance fighter played by Emily Watson. The film’s Orwellian message is poignant if heavy handed, but Equilibrium works where it should. The action scenes could have been lifted from The Matrix; striking and stylish with slow motion, minimalist sets and stoic performances. The best sequences are a Kendo routine and a hallway shoot out, choreographed like a kung fu battle with ‘Gun Katas’ used as the latest advancement in self defense – think karate forms with heavy artillery. The concept seems laughable, but for the most part the film is innovative and convincing, and you can chew on the story for hours.

AKA: Cubic