Total Recall

Total Recall (Original)

Released in 1990 and unfairly saddled with a shitty remake less than 25 years later, Paul Verhoeven’s high octane classic manages to be the best of both particular worlds: a bloody, carnage strewn, action masterpiece, and a twisty, mind bending, innovative sci-fi classic, adapted from Philip K. Dick’s short story, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale. Arnold Schwarzenegger (still riding his wave as the biggest action star in the history of the universe) stars as Douglas Quaid, a very common construction worker on 2084 Earth being haunted by dreams of having been on Mars, now colonized and basically a low breeding shithole filled with virtually enslaved citizens, along with a beautiful brunette that’s almost in contrast to his gorgeous blonde wife (Sharon Stone in the role that sent her to the A list). While on a subway, he notices an ad for a company called “Rekall”, where they advertise “implanting memories” for those who want to take trips to places they can’t reasonably afford. Quaid of course chooses Mars, and even has something called an “ego trip” installed, where he will take on the identity of a secret agent tasked with saving the planet, and into the chair he goes. That’s the first twenty minutes of the film, and the beauty of the concept is whether the insane, over the top action and craziness of the rest of the film is based on what’s actually happening to him, or whether it’s a part of the memory plant gone awry, a question where both sides as presented could be reasonably true, even as Verhoeven himself proclaimed it to all be part of a dream. It’s certainly true that Quaid now displays amazing fighting and weapons skills, though it’s not certain whether he had prior training or if it’s part of the so called ego trip. Certainly we see that his wife turns on him with a passion, beating him down and then claiming that their entire past was just an implant in and of itself, before siccing her actual man on him, played by Michael Ironside with such a ferocious, psychotic instensity that he manages to steal the film outright with his no holds barred attempts to bring down our hero. Ironside’s Richter blasts his way through the film with no regard to civilian bystanders, his henchmen, or his own safety, which in turn could suggest that his reckless actions might have been designed to make him the ultimate archnemesis in the ReKall secret agent program, or else just a very relentless killing machine who callously steps on the bloody corpses of his own men in hot pursuit of Quaid. Eventually all parties continue on to Mars, where the plot twists and crazy events keep on coming, and Quaid comes face to face with the girl of his dreams (Rachel Ticotin, starting a fine run as a second string actress in major Hollywood films), herself an ass kicking rebel fighter who has the eventual showdown with Stone’s blonde viper. It all adds up to where the de facto ruler of Mars (Ronny Cox), whom we know to be very real from seeing him in news broadcasts early in the film, is wanting to use Quaid to infiltrate the rebels (including Marshall Bell and a young, unrecognizable Dean Norris under a lot of mutant makeup) to lead them to their leader, Kuato (whose appearance is a surprise not to be spoiled). Some (including the original screenwriters) have criticized Verhoeven for relying too much on action and not enough on humor, although anyone who saw his Robocop knows that he did a fine job mixing satire with the carnage there, and indeed, the character development and straight up weird and funny moments are present here as well, from the mutant hooker with three breasts to the robot cabdriver (Johnnycab) that tries to run you down when you don’t pay the fare to the ultimate twist about Quaid’s true identity, it is undoubtedly true that Verhoeven had one hell of a screenplay to work from. And yet it all falls together beautifully as something to stimulate both the mind and adrenaline levels of the viewer, an intelligent action extravaganza that moved Arnold to another level and remains embedded in the cinema collective as another timeless classic not be tampered with by another useless remake starring Colin Farrell…

10/10

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