By Sam Bauman

Strange how fiction (or movies) sometime match up accidentally with the real world. An example of this is “In Time,” a film currently playing at the Fandango Galaxy multiplex in Carson City.

The parallel is with the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations taking place nationwide and around the world. In reality, the demos are about money; in “In Time” it’s all about the rich hoarding time, which in this future civilization replaces money. Here one lives according to a flashing clock on the arm, telling the arm’s owner how long he has to live. The system has been put up by the wealthy who can theoretically live forever, while the poor folk die automatically one year after they turn 25.

The cast is headed by Justin Timberlake (part of that 1 percent as he made $44 million last year, thank you, movie fans) as Will Salas, a working stiff from the “ghetto” (what kind of ghetto is never explained). He rescues a man from a bar where the man is about to be murdered. They escape by running away, although why the rescued man cooperates is not explained as he says he doesn’t care if he is murdered.

(Pause for an aside. There’s a whole lot of running in this movie, including that of Amanda Seyfried, who does it in high heels with lifter soles, like Ginger Rogers dancing in high heels with Fred Astair back when. Much of the time she runs along with Justin eagerly when she is supposed to be his captive. Not complaining, just pointing out the athletic aspects of this sci-fi movie.)

Back to the movie. Salas is given 100 years of life from the man he saved (he does this by pressing his arm against Salas’ arm while he sleeps; this happens often in “In Time.” Don’t ask.)

Salas is pegged as the killer of the man by the time cops headed by Timekeeper Leon (Cillian Murphy) in an appropriate black leather coat.

Salas with the century under his belt (or arm) grabs a car and drives through time zones, created to keep the time-poor away from the time-rich.
He gets to Greenwich time zone where the time-rich live, checks into a luxury hotel (“That’ll be a lot of years,” the desk clerk warns), has lunch and spots Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried in a nifty page boy bob to separate her from all the currently fashionable long haired ladies, and with eyes so wide open one wonder how she avoids eyestrain), the daughter of the mogul of time Philippe Weis (Vincent Kartheiser, a very young looking man to be the father of Sylvia with decidedly odd looks).

Well, Weis’ peer invites Salas to a gala party at his mansion by the sea, where Salas turns up in dinner jacket with a pre-tied bow tie (Where did he get the formal gear? Again, don’t ask.)

He leads Sylvia to the dance floor and then for a impromptu swim (flashing scene of her in a body suits). But bad guys from murder sequence show up and take Salas and Sylvia prisoner. He outguns them and Salas and Sylvia go on the run.

Many scenes of the arm transfer bit, a final gun battle with the Timekeeper who’s time runs out in his mid-final scene. More running, or did I already say that?

Anyhow, our romantic couple wind up robbing daddy’s time store and give out gadgets that fuel up ones life span. So indeed they foil the rich 1 percent, give people more life span and general beautify the landscape.

Acting is pretty casual, Seyfried is pretty enough with good legs she needed for the many running sequences. Timberlake is a multimillion hunk with the inevitable five o’clock shadow required of hunks these days. The supporting cast works hard and director Andrew Niccol moves things alone at a fairly rapid clip. Script is as usual these days loaded with phrases nobody in real life would use, but who said sci-fi had to make sense? Not I.

The “Occupy Wall Street” parallel may be a bit far fetched, but at least is adds a dimension to things. Rate it a fair 5 on scale on 1-10.
— Sam Bauman

Cast

  • Justin Timberlake as Will Salas
  • Amanda Seyfried as Sylvia Weis
  • Cillian Murphy as Timekeeper Leon
  • Olivia Wilde as Rachael Salas
  • Matt Bomer as Henry Hamilton
  • Elena Satine as Jasmine
  • Alex Pettyfer as Fortis
  • Johnny Galecki as Borel
  • Vincent Kartheiser as Philippe Weis
  • Rachel Roberts as Carrera
  • Ethan Peck as Constantin
  • Yaya DaCosta as Greta
  • Bella Heathcote as Michele Weis
  • Toby Hemingway as Minuteman Kors
  • Jessica Parker Kennedy as Edouarda
  • Collins Pennie as Minuteman Jaeger
  • Christoph Sanders as Nixon

Directed by Andrew Niccol
Produced by Marc Abraham, Amy Israel, Kristel Laiblin, Eric Newman
Written by Andrew Niccol
Music by Craig Armstrong
Cinematography Roger Deakins
Editing by Zach Staenberg
Rated PG-13
Running time 115 minutes