Cypher film review

certificate_15

CYPHER

Five years after his low-budget sci-fi thriller Cube became a cult success the world over, director Vincenzo Natali is back with his second full-length film. Fans of his first work will not be disappointed by this Kafka-esque exploration of identity. This is a film which demands much of its audience, not least in actually figuring out what is going on, but does so with its tongue heading towards its cheek. It's a rewarding experience that marks Natali out as one of independent cinema's most unique and idiosyncratic voices.

Jeremy Northam stars as Morgan Sullivan, a benign company man in a world that may be the world we live in right now, or then again it may not. But when Morgan takes a job as a company spy, he is forced to change his identity and report back on the banal reports given at countless seminars and conferences throughout the United States. Suspecting that all may not be quite what it seems, Morgan elicits information from a beautiful but shady colleague (Lucy Liu) who warns him that the conferences are in fact drugging centres to instill conformity into society.

Confused? You will be. Natali revs up the conspiracy level by playing with our expectations in nearly every scene. As Morgan's paranoia increases and the world he lives in becomes more and more complex, viewers may find it harder and harder to keep up. Some may find it annoying but many will enjoy playing along with what becomes an engrossing game.

The film's distinct visual look, all sharp greys and blues, heighten the small man in a confusing world syndrome, as does the performance of Jeremy Northam in the lead role. This English actor is a great character player with the looks of a matinee idol, and his portrayal of a man whose identity is under constant threat drives the film forward.

Some cool gadgetry, a labyrinthine plot and a notable physical style confirms Natali's arrival as a filmmaker of note, and while there are moments when the film may be a little too clever for its own good it's still a very different ride from anything else on our screens right now.