Title: The Adjustment Bureau
Genre: Thriller/Action
Directed by: George Nolfi
Written by: George Nolfi
Starring:
Matt Damon
Emily Blunt
John Slattery
Anthony Mackie
Release Date: March 4th, 2011
Rating: 3.5/5
In The Adjustment Bureau we follow Matt Damon's character, an up and coming politician by the name of David Norris, who stumbles upon a group known as the 'Adjustment Bureau' who 'adjust' an individual when their life veers off the path the Bureau has decided they should take. However, in order to avoid being 'adjusted' himself, Norris must no longer see Emily Blunt's character, Elise. The movie follows Damon's character as he attempts to find Elise once again and escape the Bureau and having both him and Elise 'adjusted'.
What is it with Matt Damon and running away from things? It seems that ever since he did the Bourne Trilogy movie-makers have decided to have him running from people and things in all subsequent movies. Regardless, this movie is a better than average thriller. All of the main actors and secondary actors give good performances, the story's multiple story arcs (Norris's political career, Norris and Elise's love story, dealing with the Bureau, inner politics within the Bureau) are all blended together well, each given enough space to stand alone yet still pertinent to the overall story.
That being said, I think that Nolfi should have allowed the Adjustment Bureau to remain more ambiguous. He is pretty heavy handed with the interpretation of what the Bureau is (essentially telling the audience) and I think that if more ambiguity was kept in the movie as to exactly what the Bureau is, their motives, and what these agents really are would have added more atmosphere to the movie, added to the thrill, and made for an overall darker tone. As it is, the movies' tone seems to clash with itself as there are some very dark moments in the movie, but once you learn what the Agents are, in addition to the ending of the movie, these dark moments seem out of place. I would have preferred a darker movie, but that's just me.
All in all, The Adjustment Bureau is a interesting thriller in the same neighborhood as Inception (or at least tries to be) but I think that some of the directorial decisions regarding the plot keep this movie from reaching its full potential. But, if you are wanting to rent a good, if not exceptional, thriller where Matt Damon runs from things, I recommend checking this out.
What's with the hat, Damon?
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