Impostor (2001)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Gary Fleder

Writers (WGA):

Philip K. Dick (short story "The Impostor")
Scott Rosenberg (adaptation)

Release Date:

4 January 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller | Action | Drama

Tagline:

In the Future, not everyone is who they seem to be.

Plot:

An engineer creates the ultimate weapon in a battle against aliens, only to be suspected as an alien himself...

Plot Keywords:

Android | Slit Throat | Fugitive | Shot In The Chest | Interrogation

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gary Sinise	...	Spencer Olham
Madeleine Stowe	...	Maya Olham
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Hathaway
Tony Shalhoub	...	Nelson Gittes
Tim Guinee	...	Dr. Carone
Mekhi Phifer	...	Cale
Gary Dourdan	...	Captain Burke
Lindsay Crouse	...	Chancellor
Elizabeth Peña	...	Midwife (as Elizabeth Pena)
Jason Beck	...	Gang Boy #2
Judy Jean Berns	...	Disgruntled Woman
Veena Bidasha	...	Frowning Nurse
Ellen Bradley	...	Nursing Mother
Shane Brolly	...	Lt. Burrows
Golden Brooks	...	Cale's Sister

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi violence, some sensuality and language. (rerating); Rated R for violence and some language. (director's cut)

Runtime:

95 min | USA:102 min (R-rated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:AA | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (certificate #37922) | USA:R (director's cut) | USA:R (original rating 2000) | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

The adaptation of Philip K. Dick's short story "The Impostor" was originally planned to be one segment (about forty minutes) of a three-part science fiction movie. The production company liked the early "dailies" so much, that the idea was fleshed out into a feature length film.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Captain Burke is explaining to Major Hathaway why they can't get a scan on the building, his lips don't match his words.

Quotes:

Spencer Olham: Look, this has not been one of my better days, so just give me my five minutes of machine time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bu san (2003)

Soundtrack:

Tribal Flight 1

Skip the full length movie; watch the short version!

I watched the feature length "director's cut", then viewed the 37 minute short version on the dvd. The short film is much better! It's more faithful to the PKD story and captures the theme of identity and illusion vs reality more concisely. It's essentially the beginning and ending of the feature w/additional scenes that flesh out the characters. The short makes Olham a little more contradictory - he tells his wife that his project is a good thing, then he questions what he's doing with his friend at the Project. What's missing is the interminable chase that's been done better in innumerable films (see The Running Man for example). Vincent D'Onofrio is a particularly good villain who's not really a villain (or is he?)......................