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Tired of a dull and routine life, impersonal Morgan Sullivan has the opportunity to become industrial spy on behalf of Digicorp. For each of its not very exciting missions, he assumes the identity of Jack Thursby, without realizing that it will become a major issue in the cold war between the powerful and Digicorp Sunways groups.
Vincenzo Natali turns to the economy CUBE . A film shot concept in a unique setting where food nose a handful of diametrically opposed characters and that need to work together. The film, CUBE , travel around the world and brings a certain reputation in the Canadian filmmaker. From there, the director's career could have been confused with other similar prodigies quickly and soon forgotten by Hollywood. Films to turn, even it we offered him vaguely and works on a project that will not happen with Brian King . Meanwhile, Vincenzo Natali is working to make rare TV episodes produced in his homeland as PSI FACTOR , almost unknown in France or continue his storyboard designer of activity ... Until the day Brian King , with whom he remained in contact, sends the CYPHER script to ask him what he thinks. Vincenzo Natali jumped at the chance and intends to put into picture.
Rejected by all the big Hollywood studios, the complexity of the scenario for popcorn eaters is certainly not foreign to these massive decisions CYPHER find happiness on the side of Pandora, a small production company that will leave the field open to the director and its writer ... At least within the limits of ridicule allocated budget, amounting to less than eight million. In the same way that CUBE , the second feature by Vincenzo Natali must be done to the economy by taking the best use of scarce opportunities available to him, especially compared to the ambition of the film. CUBE settled in a enclosed spaces with a very limited number of characters.
CYPHER is the opportunity this time for the filmmaker to escape and tell a story that walks through all of the United States. Almost since the actual filming was done in 35 days and around Toronto with a large part of the team behind CUBE . There's even David Hewlett , who became the favorite actor Vincenzo Natali since it appears in all his films including the short film ELEVATED in a short role, but in one of the tastiest sequences of the film.
Vincenzo Natali and especially screenwriter Brian King admit to an admiration for the writings of Philip K. Dick would be an inspiration for CYPHER. The idea of the film also based on a frame more or less similar to that of TOTAL RECALL . The treatment, however, has nothing to do with the film Paul Verhoeven , which is not particularly faithful work to the writer that inspired it openly. The look and how to approach the CYPHER story would end more toward WELCOME Gattaca . Refined decorations, minimalist effects and a certain class that allow discussion of science fiction certainly more spartan but more adult! The complexity of the CYPHER scenario is however not as great as it seems, as long as you do not watch the film with a distracted eye or feeling up his girlfriend. The twists in the CYPHER unwinding are quite numerous and mostly very logical for this is a rather tortured spy manipulation.
It is not surprising that the writer appreciates the spy movies of the 60s, not action movies where the hero is bristling with gadgets, but the stories of plots and other twisted machinations. CYPHER follows somewhat the same way and refuses my face and ease, anything anyway the allocated budget would not have allowed certain film exuberance for the benefit of his characters where everybody seems to be working for one of the two omnipotent multinationals, each attempting to gain an advantage over the other. All means are good to get there, as will discover in the course of history and following the journey of a hero is lost or in search of identity. To embody this character who wants to leave his dull life and escapes brainwashed, Jeremy Northam delivers an incredible actor provision (performance?) on which much of the film in which he starred with Lucy Liu femme fatale.
CYPHER is not a perfect film, but it is in any case impossible not to recognize him high efficiency. The first part and leaves us in the dark following strange and somewhat thrilling spy activities, allowing to implement best the irruption of incredible sequence where the nerves of Morgan Sullivan, aka Jack Thursby, are put to the test. In the same vein, we also retain the whole passage in the "safe" where our hero finds himself once again faced with a situation more embarrassing! Two great passages which alone are worth visiting. Then, the outcome is too blue flower has very little significance since in its CYPHER all managed to guide its viewers by giving it more or less unexpected revelations but perfectly brought.
The choice was made on CYPHER of digitally re-calibrate the colors of the film to make them look sometimes at the limit of black and white. The procedure that is not specifically new is also explained in supplements and this option is defended by the cinematographer or director in the same way. Transfer poster makes an image without fault and strict accordance with the will of its authors in an anamorphic transfer more or less respected cinema format.
This edition of CYPHER spoils us because in addition to letting scroll on screen a picture of beauty, the sonic possibilities will everyone agree. Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS are represented in the case of French dubbing but also the original English version, the latter being provided with a key subtitling. In any case, there are no surprises as soundtracks faithfully reproduce a technical standpoint the subtle soundtrack CYPHER. The overall tone is rather light but the clean side of the film sometimes leaves room for impressive sound aberrations (brainwashing ...).
Vincenzo Natali and part of his team (writer and visual effects supervisor) come together to give us some information throughout the travel of the film through an audio commentary. Not bad information explained prove redundant with the interviews of the second DVD (the reason for the title change, special effects ...). Unless you are an absolute fan of the movie, since the audio commentary still contains a lot of more precise explanations and unpublished, watching interviews of the second disc will still be much more fun. To finish with the audio commentary, the editor added a small video hidden in menus where to we can discover the scenery of registration.
The first disc contains not only the film but also some supplements. One can discover a dozen cut scenes. Or to be quite accurate, most are slightly elongated sequences that add detail to what is already in the film. All the scenes are presented with or without the audio commentary Natali explains why removal of these sequences in the film and especially why there are so few unpublished passages. Due to the lack of resources, the bare minimum was shot. Nothing new on the horizon if not regret that the director could not realize his idea of credits at the Saul Bass is proposed here through the designs of his storyboard. We will discuss the cons by dialing up to fifteen cut scenes as we can discover nine.
The second disc of extras is particularly rich. The main menu of this second DVD is a setting where it is possible to select certain objects and access different thematic sections. One of them lets talk Bob Munroe in charge of visual effects for two interviews. In one, he tells his arrival on the project and his first meeting with Vincenzo Natali long before he realizes CUBE at a time when it was the storyboard. The suite is focused on problems from the addition of different special effects in the film. The second interview is fully pin on how the effects were designed from the famous brainwashing sequence.
In another section, there is a new selection of interviews arranged in three different segments. The director and writer are expressed how became CYPHER and their diverse influences such as EVIL OPERATION of John Frankenheimer , TRIAL, DEATH TO KITS, film noir, Rita Hayworth ... At the end of this passage, Vincenzo Natali talks about his third film, NOTHING, accompanied by some preparatory drawings and about as enigmatic qu'alléchant. Equally interesting, the director of photography, designer or installer talk about how they approached the film. By cons, interviews of the two main actors, rather short in addition, are of little interest.
If this is not enough, it is always possible to let pass many photo galleries (poster projects, costumes, ...), to attend the screening of comparisons between the original storyboard and the end result or make a quick turn towards filmographies. Finally, those who have a DVD-ROM drive on their computer will have access to the entire website dedicated to the film without having to connect to the internet.
One section is supposed to talk about the spy movies. Spent a brief introduction to Brian King who admits enjoying movies of the genre, it is clear that this part of the supplements will not meet the expected promises. In fact, besides this little intervention screenwriter CYPHER only four trailers are available. Apart Ipcress: IMMEDIATE DANGER which is part of the series of Harry Palmer with Michael Caine , other movies are not really emblematic of the genre (THE SECRET OF QUILLER REPORT DOMINO THEORY and THE FOURTH PROTOCOL).
The only part that does not specifically designate an object but only a wall deviates totally CYPHER since one can discover trailers of upcoming titles at Metropolitan. Among these, we note CUBE 2 , EXPERIENCE, FINAL DESTINATION 2 and ... RE-ANIMATOR !
Vincenzo Natali has been slow to stage a second feature while yet CUBE has been around the world triumphantly. Necessarily expected to turn, CYPHER departs from the claustrophobic world of CUBE to reach a more open world but equally paranoid.
Christophe "Arioch" Lemonnier
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. (Charles M. Schulz)
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