Strange Days (1995)

It's 1999 and the eve of the new millennium in Los Angeles. The city appears to be a police state rife with simmering racial tension. A sleazy ex-cop (Ralph Fiennes) is now dealing in illegal discs which record the actual physical sensations and memories of the person wearing the recording device (apparently designed for use by the Federal government and intended to replace body wire taps). But a disc comes into his hands that could be a time bomb for the city of L.A. and turn it into a bloody war zone. This paranoid sci-fi thriller courtesy of Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow (HURT LOCKER) is a terrific piece of pulp cinema. It's over complicated narrative may stretch credibility even for sci-fi but Bigelow does a bang up job of keeping us on the edge and it's a case of style over substance. But it's a sensational rollercoaster ride. Bigelow whips up an intense atmosphere of an L.A. both contemporary yet futuristic, not unlike BLADE RUNNER but considerably less pretentious. On technical levels, it's an impressive achievement but the actors are still able to flesh out layered and interesting characters. With Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Josef Sommer, Brigitte Bako and Michael Wincott.