It's nice to see 70's distopian science fiction thrillers alive and well in the work of Andrew Niccol who after giving us Gattaca and S1m0ne, is back with In Time which replaces time itself as the single currency of mankind of the future.
As a piece of social commentary this is pretty strong stuff, particularly it's relevancy to the ever accelerating wealth gap between rich and poor in the western world, how the economic world is rigged in favor of the mega wealth and how banks control it all. It's the Occupy movements wet dream and all the better for it. It's maturely directed, has a distinct clean, but bleak look, thanks to its inventive use of the architectural style of the L.A. river system and has an effective cast with Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy (in bad guy mode), Olivia Wilde, Alex Pettyfer (perfect as an arrogant twat) and Mad Mens's Vincent Kartheiser.
What's not so great is it's predictable Robin Hood/Bonnie and Clyde plot and also it's lead Justin Timberlake. Now, so far, I've been a fan of Timberlake's movie work since he's wisely confined himself to lighter, more comedic roles to which he's perfectly suited. However, In Time requires something both deeper and tougher from the guy which he just can't deliver on. The next action superstar he is not. But in a year that's produced strong science fiction movies with the likes of Source Code, The Adjustment Bureau and Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes it's a worthy companion piece.
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