‘Impostor’ does a nice imitation of a classic sci-fi theme

By JOHN HANSEN

Jan. 11, 2002

Cloning is perhaps the hottest ripped-from-the-headlines movie theme of recent years. Schwarzenegger made “The 6th Day,” Van Damme made “Replicant,” the cloned dinosaurs returned for “Jurassic Park III” and in May “Star Wars” will get into the act with “Attack of the Clones.”

While cloning is more topical than ever, the issues of identity and humanity have been around awhile. Philip K. Dick already had two stories on these subjects turned into films — “Blade Runner” (1982) and “Total Recall” (1989) — and now “Impostor” joins the list.

Set in 2079, the film follows scientist Spence Olham (Gary Sinise), who may be an evil replicant with a bomb planted in his heart sent to assassinate a key war commander, or he may actually be himself. The audience doesn’t know, Spence doesn’t know, his wife (Madeleine Stowe) doesn’t know, even the Earth Security agent (Vincent D’Onofrio) pursuing him isn’t sure. The central mystery of whether Spence is human or not leads into larger thematic issues of whether clones (or replicants, or whatever) have souls.

Directed by Gary Fleder, “Impostor” is the best of the Dick adaptations. “Blade Runner,” with its anti-hero replicant hunter, was a bit too grim and “Total Recall” was simply inexplicable; even the screenwriter probably couldn’t tell you what was going on in that movie. “Impostor” is streamlined and packaged as a thriller for mass audience consumption. This sounds like a negative, but it’s actually refreshing to see a Dick story remain comprehensible on the big screen.

Visually, “Impostor” is a unique blend of the two major visions of sci-fi futures. The domed cities represent the clean, sterile technological future, while The Zone (the area outside the domes) represents the burnt-out, war-ravaged dystopian future. It’s in the Zone that Spence meets Cale (Mekhi Phifer), the leader of the downtrodden society of outcasts, who has a nice little side story that ties in with Spence’s. For whatever reason, the domed cities are perpetually well-lit while the Zone is dark and moody; it makes for a striking visual contrast.

“Impostor” started as a 30-minute short film before the producers decided to expand it to a full-length feature. It was a good decision: not only does the film not seem padded, it actually seems to need more time — some of the most fascinating ideas are only hinted at. For example, the Earth is at war with aliens from Alpha Centauri. The details of the war are unclear: are humans the victims of an outside attack or are they the ones who instigated the war? It’s a tantalizing question in a film about human nature.

However, it’s actually a testament to the film’s strength that it creates such a fully-realized future but doesn’t feel compelled to dwell on it. This makes “Impostor” an involving character-driven flick rather than a sterile visual showcase. After all, if we no longer act like human beings in the future, there’s no reason to be interested in the question of what it means to be human.

Title: “Impostor”

Starring: Gary Sinise, Mekhi Phifer, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D’Onofrio

Written by: Scott Rosenberg, David Twohy

Director: Gary Fleder

Grade: B+