Anon movie review

“I give the fight up: let there be an end. A privacy, an obscure nook for me. I want to be forgotten, even by God.” Opening with a quote from Robert Browning’s poem, Paracelus, suggests that Andrew Niccol’s latest techno-thriller might be slightly more high brow than his previous film In Time. Clive Owen certainly offers more gravitas than Justin Timberlake could muster in that 2011 outing, his surly demeanour immediately placing him outside the era he finds himself in.

A detective in an age where everything we do is recorded, by us, you’d think he’d have been pensioned off as perps give themselves away with their own histories. This technology, which is tantalizingly never discussed or explained outside its obvious usage, is like Shazam, Wikipedia, LinkedIn and facial recognition software all delivered as a digital overlay to the world. But when someone cracks the system and the bodies start piling up, it’s clear some old-school detecting is in order. “Who can hack a human being,” is the question that goes unanswered.

Packed with current issues that resonate in a climate that sees Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg up in front of a Senate hearing, the only thing spoiling the tech plotting is, well, the plotting. A borderline totalitarian police state lets a murderess slip through its fingers multiple times, while a late attempt to explain away the killings makes no sense whosoever.

Throw in some gratuitous sex scenes that see unnecessary repetition thanks to the always-on ocular run throughs, as Owen lives out the kind of male fantasy a ’70s gumshoe would enjoy, and the clever sci-fi antics are somewhat swept away. Shame, as the drab, colourless world that serves as the basis for all the digital signage is a powerful counter to our billboard covered times, and the themes on offer can’t help but resonate in our current climate. Review by Matt Chapman

INFO
Release: 11 May 2018
From: Sky Cinema
Format: Theatrical Release and Sky Cinema subscription channel
Age Rating: 15