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© St. Petersburg Times, published December 5, 2002
Another version of '1984'
The future's so dim that something shady must be happening in Equilibrium (R), another science fiction prediction of an oppressive society. Christian Bale (Reign of Fire) stars as John Preston, a police officer in charge of arresting anyone who feels emotions or enjoys aesthetics, in the overworked tradition of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. The government forces citizens to take a drug called Prozium that eliminates those feelings, but some rebels, like Mary O'Brien (Emily Watson), skip their doses. After John looks into Mary's pleading eyes, he also decides to give up Prozium and become a feeling fugitive. Equilibrium, written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, co-stars Taye Diggs (Brown Sugar) as the gung-ho law enforcer on Preston's trail, and Angus MacFadyen (Braveheart), who plays Big Brother to all. The film, opening Friday, wasn't screened for Weekend review.