Déjà Vu (2006 film)
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Déjà Vu (stylized onscreen as Deja Vu without accents) is a 2006 American science fiction action film directed by Tony Scott, written by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The film stars Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Jim Caviezel, Val Kilmer, Adam Goldberg and Bruce Greenwood. It involves an ATF agent who travels back in time in attempts to prevent a domestic terrorist attack that takes place in New Orleans and to save a woman with whom he falls in love.
Filming took place in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The film premiered in New York City on November 20, 2006, and was released in the United States and Canada on November 22, 2006. It received mixed reviews from critics and earned $180 million worldwide against its $75 million production budget. It was the 23rd most successful film worldwide for 2006. The film was nominated for five awards, and also won the International Gold Reel Award.
Plot
On Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the ferry Sen. Alvin T. Stumpf is carrying hundreds of U.S. Navy sailors and their families across the Mississippi River from their base to the city. Suddenly, the ferry explodes and sinks, killing 543 passengers and crew members.
Special Agent Douglas Carlin (Denzel Washington) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is sent to investigate and discovers evidence of a bomb planted by a domestic terrorist. Arriving at the scene he meets with local investigators and FBI Special Agent Paul Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer), and informs them of his findings. He learns about and is invited to examine a partially burned body pulled from the river, identified as Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton), which was reported to the authorities minutes before the explosion.
Pryzwarra is impressed with Doug's detective expertise, and asks him to join a newly formed governmental detective unit whose first case is to investigate the bombing. Led by Dr. Alexander Denny (Adam Goldberg), they investigate the events before the explosion by using a program called "Snow White", which enables them to look into the past (4 days, 6 hours, 3 minutes, 45 seconds, 14.5 nanoseconds) in detail by (according to Pryzwarra) using several satellites to form a triangulated image of events. The system is limited in that they can only see past events once; there is no fast forwarding or rewinding, although they can record what they see in the process. Convinced that Claire is a vital link, Doug persuades them to focus on her. While the team observes Claire's past through "Snow White", the bomber calls her to talk about the SUV that she advertised for sale. He doesn't buy her car, but the "Snow White" team now knows exactly where and when he was during the call.
Doug finds out "Snow White" is actually a time window, and can send inanimate objects into the past. Despite Denny's protests against tampering with the past, Doug has the team send a note back to his past self with the time and place to stop the ferry bomber. Instead, his partner Larry Minuti gets the note and while following up on it is shot by the terrorist. The team attempts to follow the fleeing terrorist, who takes Minuti with him, but he moves outside of Snow White's range. However, Doug is able to follow him in the present using a specially equipped vehicle with a mobile Snow White unit. In the past time, the bomber takes Minuti to his bayou shack where he kills him and sets fire to his body. Still needing a vehicle big enough to hold the bomb the terrorist goes to Claire's address, kidnaps her and takes her car.
Using a facial recognition system, the ferry bomber is identified and taken into custody. He turns out to be Carroll Oerstadt (Jim Caviezel), who is angry at the military after being turned down for joining by both the Marines and Army, because their medical screening showed he was unstable. Considering the case now closed, the government shuts down the Snow White investigation. Despite the killer having been caught, Claire and the ferry victims remain dead, which unsettles Doug since he is convinced that the Snow White team can actually alter history. Doug persuades Denny to do one last experiment: send Doug to the past to save Claire and stop the bombing; a risky procedure, since no human has ever been sent back. Doug survives the trip, because he was sent back to a hospital emergency room, where they were able to revive him. He steals an ambulance and races to Oerstadt's shack just in time to stop Claire's murder, while Oerstadt flees with the bomb.
Doug and Claire go to the ferry. Doug boards to try to find and disarm the bomb, but meanwhile Oerstadt captures Claire. Claire is tied up in the bomb car with her mouth gagged with duct tape. A brutal gunfight ensues which culminates with Doug attempting to negotiate with Oerstadt but finally catching him off guard and killing him. He gets into the car to try to free Claire but police surround the vehicle and threaten to open fire. To save everyone, Doug and Claire purposely drive the bomb SUV off the end of the ferry before it explodes. Claire escapes but Doug, unable to get out of the vehicle, dies in the underwater explosion. As Claire mourns Doug's death, she is approached by an identical Doug Carlin, the one from her present, who consoles her.
Cast
- Denzel Washington as ATF Special Agent Douglas Carlin
- Paula Patton as Claire Kuchever
- Jim Caviezel as Carroll Oerstadt
- Val Kilmer as FBI Special Agent Paul Pryzwarra
- Adam Goldberg as Dr. Alexander Denny
- Elden Henson as Gunnars
- Erika Alexander as Shanti
- Bruce Greenwood as FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Jack McCready
- Matt Craven as ATF Special Agent Larry Minuti
- Donna Scott as Beth
- Elle Fanning as Abbey
- Enrique Castillo as Claire's father
See also
