A stitch in time saves nine. Time
waits for no man. Time after time. As time goes by. No time like the present. I
don't have the time. Just some of the references to time in In Time (I may have made some of them up).
In a not too distant future, or
maybe an alternative reality everybody is born with a clock. Once they
biologically reach the age of 25 their clock starts ticking, they can earn
time, buy time, spend time or even in some cases, waste time. Will Salas
(Justin Timberlake; Friends With Benefits, The Social Network) is a working
class boy, struggling to make ends meet and provide for him and his mother (Olivia
Wilde; Cowboys and Aliens, Tron: Legacy). In an act or heroism he meets a rich
man with all the time he wants, and he wants none of it. So after a quick
transfer to Salas, he finds himself with more time on his hands (or on his arm
I should say) than he could ever have imagined. After a heartbreaking meeting
with his mother, (where she literally runs out of time) Salas realises that the
system is wrong and that he must do something about it.
After going into the rich side of
town (spending a lot of time doing it too) he meets a beautiful heiress by the
name of Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfreid; Red Riding Hood, Letters To Juliet) and
together they go on the run in hopes of changing society forever.
Judging by the trailer, In Time
looked to be an alternative spin on Logan's Run and the adventure it promised
looked intriguing. Despite it being an obvious rip-off of aforementioned movie,
In Time looked good, after all mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery.
However after watching In Time, the trailer is somewhat misleading, but in a
good way because you don't just get a sci-fi rehash of Logan's Run but a timely
(no pun intended) and apt social comment on today's society which includes the
evils of greed and capitalism. What starts out as Logan's Run soon becomes
Bonnie And Clyde but with a futuristic spin.
After hearing of Salas' felonies,
a Timekeeper (yes the puns just keep on coming) called Raymond Leon (Cillian
Murphy; Inception, Perrier's Bounty) vows to hunt down Salas and his 'hostage'
and bring him to justice, alive or dead.
At one point it is commented that
Salas looked like a poor person because he runs everywhere and that's what
gives him away. However being poor must mean that you're an expert in
hand-to-hand combat, driving skills and marksmanship because just as the action
kicks off, Salas turns into a Jason Bourne-like professional, capable of
quickly assessing a situation and getting out of it just as fast. This is a
minor quibble for the movie but it does give it a certain level of
unbelievability as the audience's suspense in whether the main characters will
survive or not. Given his training, Salas must have been in a situation like
this before.
A mention should go to Alex
Pettyfer, who plays small time crook and hustler Fortis. Being the youngest of
the cast at a mere 21, he plays the role menacingly and really controls the
scenes he's in and is fun to watch.
In recent times, there has been a
leaning towards more intelligent science fiction, such as Inception, The
Adjustment Bureau and Source Code and I for one welcome it with open arms. A
good story, well acted and with a decent concept is better than any special
effects driven, highly sexed gore fest. Although not up there with the likes of
Inception and Source Code, In Time will keep on ticking.
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