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At first glance, one might think that the film “Chain Reaction” has more work cut out on its script than it actually does, but in reality, it is perhaps less. There are so many scientific phenomena that take place in the film, including explained and unexplained chase sequences, that, I’m not going to lie, after writing eight pages of notes, I just decided to sit back and watch the ‘actions’ unfold on the screen. There are bits in the film that are incredibly captivating surrounded by a fierce energy in the acting, but when pieced together, it completely falters. The premise revolves around: Keanu Reeves acts as Eddie Kasalivich, who is a physics student and a machinist (yes, he has a machine shop in his apartment) attending the University of Chicago where he is working on the Hydrogen Energy Project. He once blew up a science lab, but never mind: “It could have been a good experiment.” He is now under the guidance of Dr. Barkley (Nicholas Rudall) who is brilliant but an idealist, with a dream of a future with no pollution. Barkley is guiding Eddie and his stunning fellow scientist Lily Sinclair (Rachel Weisz) towards achieving the impossible – to get energy from water. And early in the movie, after Eddie accidentally discovers something akin to the perfect sound frequency for splitting molecules, or something, they actually achieve it.
During the briefing, hydrogen flames are blasting in the background while the big water tank located in their lab is bouncing up and down like a towel dryer in a car wash. It gets better, with a single glass of water, the whole of Chicago could be powered for a week.
Sounds good? Not really, it’s worse than what it seems. If scientists had succeeded in posting their discoveries on the internet, they wouldn’t have to experience their lab getting blasted by a fireball that incinerates eight city blocks. Eddie, as coincidence would have it, was inside the building right before the explosion and found out that Dr. Barkley had been murdered. It doesn’t take long for him and Lily to discover that they are being set up as the scapegoats for selling classified intel to the Chinese.
There’s still the mysterious Shannon (Morgan Freeman), director of the “Foundation,” who, much like Collier (Brian Cox), remains a riddle. Collier appears to have single-handedly taken charge of the explosion, yet (1) he doesn’t wish to make the experiment known that blowing up eight blocks would certainly do, (2) he intends to have the ability to transform water into energy, (3) he has framed Eddie, the only person privy to the secret frequency, and (4) his men are currently engaged in creating the illusion that Eddie is a cop killer so that he can be killed on sight, which means Collier would have to do without the frequency. Call it a quirk of Shannon’s character that here and there he utters strange little phrases that suggest he doesn’t have the faintest idea what Collier is up to.
This movie was directed by Andrew Davis, who did that other and decidedly better chase picture “The Fugitive.” Even with his incomprehensible plot, Davis offers the audience superb visual appeal with a number of chase sequences that take place in a snowy winter wonderland. He even puts a new spin on that Chicago classic, a chase up the Michigan Avenue draw bridge as it is in the process of opening. (What the twist is, I am not sure; it looked to me like Eddie was hiding in the gears, but no, that could not be.) Later, Eddie and Lily take a train to Wisconsin where they meet an astronomer and escape from a police chopper in an ice boat. Then they end up in Washington. (The movie fails to explain how they got to Washington or I did not catch it).
All the chase scenes are spectacular, and as usual, there is a grand finale that includes yet another terrific explosion. (The getaway is through one of those moviematic ventilation ducts, which always go where you want them to.) There are even illogically interchangeable parts of dialogue in that they are literate, and do not connect, or flow anywhere. (Collier says to Shannnon, “I wish you would stop threatening to murder my scientists to their faces!”) There is an FBI agent (Fred Ward) who seems to try and impersonate Eddie, while simultaneously placing a $100 bet that he is being framed by the CIA and that he is innocent. Just about everything. While trying to reason everything out trying to fathom the logic of the movie, my conclusion was bewilderment. The Foundation appears to serve as a cover for the CIA and the CIA, obliviously, does not have a clue. Shannon and Collier are in charge of the water-to-energy-transfer project, and are deeply annoyed to find out that they actually succeeded. Why would they not want to? We are told that free energy would result in an recession, increased unemployment, and lower stock prices. But would it? Free energy, in my opinion, would lead to the undeniable longest period of prosperity on Earth.
When the movie ended, there were some stunning photography and some genuinely interesting chase scenes, but for the life of me, understanding the movie was out of the question.
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