Predestination (2014)
Sci-Fi/Mystery, Review by Corey Bennett

“Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

The gist.

Ethan Hawke plays a Temporal Agent (time-travel cop) nearing the end of his career of preventing future acts of terrorism.  His final assignment is to catch “The Fizzle Bomber” who has eluded him in the past, including a run-in that left Hawke’s character requiring facial reconstructive surgery.  He meets a man at a bar named John (Sarah Snook), who wagers a bottle of booze that he can share the wildest story Hawke’s character has ever heard, beginning with the fact that John was actually born a female.  John shares his incredible life story, but a bottle of booze isn’t all he is given.  He is offered a unique opportunity.  “What if I could put him in front of you? The man that ruined your life. If I could guarantee that you’d get away with it, would you kill him? “

What works?

Sarah Snooks is a virtually unknown, but Hawke takes a backseat to her for a good chunk of the movie and she shines.  Hawke does a fine job and gives us enough to be interested in him, while maintaining an air of mystery around his character.  John/Jane’s story is crazy enough to get you hooked, but after the story the movie goes to a whole new level.

What doesn’t work?

The trailers for this movie are misleading.  This is not a fast-passed, sci-fi, action movie.  This is not Minority Report.  As previously stated, this movie requires concentration and if you are expecting different, it may be easy to give up on it before giving it a chance.

Overall…

This movie requires your full attention to navigate the twists and turns (and jumps through time), but the payoff in the end makes it all worth it as you recall all the clues left behind throughout the film and debate the paradoxes of time-travel.

Recommended if you like:  Inception, Looper, Enemy