Director: George Nolfi
Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt
Spoilers ahead
Imagine a world where choice is not determined by free will, rather, it is constantly monitored and influenced by men in out-dated hats. This is the world of The Adjustment Bureau, which is based on a short story entitled Adjustment Team, written by Science Fiction legend, Philip K Dick.
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt occupy the main roles of two people who become romantically entwined, and the film depicts their ‘will they or wont they’ journey (we presume that they will). Damon plays David Norris, a charismatic and foolhardy politician who, at the beginning of the film, is in the midst of a campaign for New York senator. By chance, he meets Elise Sellas (played by Blunt), though it does not take us long to realise that ‘chance’ is perhaps not what we perceive it to be. This is due to the ‘Adjustment Bureau’, an elite group of individuals who, using the help of 18th century iPads, covertly influence the human race while allowing us the illusion of free choice. The premise may sound political, but it briskly takes on a far more Sci-fi complexion.
The bureau is embodied by men who appear human, but possess powers that make them far more supernatural. They are never definitively categorised, but at one point Damon poses the question, “are you angels?” To which the character of Harry Mitchell, played by Anthony Mackie previously of The Hurt Locker fame, coyly gives an extremely ambiguous answer. This is the start of a frequent array of religious innuendo and God metaphors; for example, we are made aware of the existence of a ‘chairman’ who heads the Bureau, and it does not take us long to realise that he represents God, or at least a definition of the God entity.
While these connotations may seem quite deep, take into account that The Adjustment Bureau is following the lines of its source material. I don’t see the film as an interpretation as such, nor an adaptation, rather I look at it as an original concept that borrows strongly from a world created by Philip K Dick. Therefore, I would suggest that you should take The Adjustment Bureau lightly, this is an entertainment commodity and is not trying to make bold political and ideological statements, perhaps barring the one time Damon refers to the people “running the country” as “idiots”.
The man at the helm of the project is first-time director, and long-time screenwriter, George Nolfi. It is a more than solid debut, and I was actually very impressed by the direction of the film. It is smoothly shot, with numerous moments of standout cinematography. Considering where the film is based (New York), and the events that occur, there isn’t a huge amount of scope to produce impressive visuals, and as such Nolfi should be very satisfied with his input. One aspect that worked well was the handling of the Bureau’s agent’s supernatural movements. They have the ability to alter the location that appears when they step through a door, thus being able to create portals to practically anywhere they like; this was handled very smoothly and never appeared clunky.
The two leads both act solidly, Damon was particularly impressive in his lead role, which leads me to a pondering – is there a harder working man in Hollywood? The amount of big parts he has occupied recently is really quite something: Hereafter, True Grit and The Adjustment Bureau have all emerged at the beginning of this year. The supporting cast do not live up to the standard of the leads, Anthony Mackie’s role was a bit flat and I found Terence Stamp’s performance as high-ranking Bureau agent Thompson to be oddly camp.
When you put some serious thought into The Adjustment Bureau, it falls apart at the seams. The Bureau itself is portrayed in an inconsistent manner; they are depicted as an incredibly important and powerful organisation, yet often they come across as, frankly putting it, a joke. There is a bit of a ‘get-out’ at the end, so to speak, but it doesn’t really provide much satisfaction. The Bureau’s kryptonite is that they can’t operate efficiently while it is raining, if that sounds absurd, well, that’s because it is. The truth is, the correct way to approach The Adjustment Bureau is not to put much serious thought into it. This is not the new Blade Runner; it is a long way from a though-provoking Science Fiction thriller. Rather, it is a romance story, juxtaposed with elements of Sci-Fi.
The adjustment Bureau will not go down as a modern classic, but it is a perfect, light-hearted Sunday afternoon film. If you approach it with the right mind-set, you’ll find it well paced and not at all dull. In the end, the only lesson that it is likely to teach you is that Matt Damon looks good in a hat, but you will enjoy it anyway.
