“Total Recall” came out around the golden age of Arnold Schwarzenegger films. Back when he used to work with interesting directors and take on projects that had an edge. “Total Recall” was helmed by Paul Verhoven, who directed such films as “Robocop”, “Basic Instinct”, and “Starship Troopers”.
“Total Recall” tells the story of a seemingly regular guy named Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger). The year is 2084. At this point Earth has established a colony on Mars. Quaid lives in a world where people sometimes don’t even take trips anymore. Instead, they hire companies like Rekall to implant fake memories into their brains, causing them to think they have taken a vacation. Quaid decides that it is for him.
Quaid’s vacation is along the lines of a James Bond adventure. He plays the part of a secret agent who meets a brunette bombshell. Something goes wrong in the procedure causing Quaid to think that he has actually gone there on a mission. Soon his life starts falling apart around him. Nothing is as it seems anymore. His life, job and wife are all fake. Is he a deadly agent? Did he go to Mars. The story follows this mystery right up to it’s shocking finale.
The appeal of Schwarzenegger is that he can always play a convincing everyman caught in an outrageous situation. Despite his accent and impeccable physique, he always seems to pull it off.
The film itself is well directed by Paul Verhoven. He finds the right notes balancing the mystery and the action, all the while maintaining a very dark sense of humour. I think one of his best moves was hiring Michael Ironside as the villain. Being an R rated film Ironside is allowed to use as much profane language as possible.
Oh and about that R rating, this film fully earns it. The violence is fairly bloody which caused some criticism towards the film. My point of view is that it is what it is. This is a film for grown ups.
Leslie Adams At The Movies 