The Final Cut (2004)

Director:

Omar Naim

Writer:

Omar Naim (written by)

Release Date:

11 November 2004 (Australia)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Every moment of your life recorded. Would you live it differently?

Plot:

Set in a world with memory implants, Robin Williams plays a cutter, someone with the power of final edit over people's recorded histories. His latest assignment is one that puts him in danger.

Plot Keywords:

Memory | Microchip | Implant | Slap | Rabbit's Foot

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Alan Hakman
Mira Sorvino	...	Delila
James Caviezel	...	Fletcher (as Jim Caviezel)
Mimi Kuzyk	...	Thelma
Stephanie Romanov	...	Jennifer Bannister
Thom Bishops	...	Hasan
Genevieve Buechner	...	Isabel Bannister
Brendan Fletcher	...	Michael
Vincent Gale	...	Simon
Casey Dubois	...	Young Alan - 9
Liam Ranger	...	Young Louis - 9
Joely Collins	...	Legz the Tattoo Artist
Michael St. John Smith	...	Charles Bannister
Christopher Britton	...	Jason Monroe (as Chris Britton)
Wanda Cannon	...	Caroline Monroe

Also Known As:

The final Cut - Dein Tod ist erst der Anfang (Germany) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, some violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA | Canada | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-11 | Norway:15 | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Lions Gate Entertainment

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Bannister takes his daughter into his study, he closes the door. The visual record is shot along the length of his arm, so either his eyes are in the middle of his chest, of the camera was shooting from too low.

Quotes:

Hasan: This girl was a complete wreck - drinking, drugs, in and out of schools. Then she turns 21... and she finds out about her Zoe implant. Complete 180. She's born again. Her knowing that someone would one day watch... transforms her into this kind, gentle, loving person.
Michael: So what happened?
Hasan: She committed suicide. Took a dive off her balcony... 27 floors straight onto her head. The implant was instantly vapourized.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

Enchanted Days

FORGETTABLE

What if someone could watch as your life flashed before your eyes? That's the premise of THE FINAL CUT (TFC), a movie that raises intriguing questions about privacy, truth, and memory, but unfortunately, leaves the answers on the cutting room floor.

TFC fast forwards from our post-911 world of surveillance cams and camera phones to a time when one in five people carry an organic TiVo in their brain. The Zoe Chip records everything seen and heard until death. Then 'cutters' convert a lifetime of memory into a movie-length 'rememory' for survivors.

ROBIN WILLIAMS plays Alan Hakman (hack man, get it?). He's the best, an artist able to turn mortal sinners into saints while keeping their worst secrets safe. Hakman's newest job is to makeover Charles Bannister, a nasty corporate lawyer employed by the implant company, Eye Tech.

Former cutter Fletcher, JIM CAVIEZEL, and other implant opponents want Bannister's memories. They're convinced it holds secrets that could destroy Eye Tech. But Hakman won't let go, in part because he's found something in Bannister could destroy his own life.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: TFC raises interesting questions. Should we always tell the truth about the past or should we look back at the past through rose colored glasses. Were the Happy Days of the 1950s really that good? Was the Kennedy era really Camelot?

However, instead of attempting to answer such questions, TFC fades into a forgettable film about corporate conspiracies and criminal acts. And that makes it not worth remembering.