Cypher

Vincenzo Natali, USA, 2002, 95 minutes

Have you ever dreamed of being a secret agent? Morgan Sullivan has. And now he's going to get his chance.

It is the near future. Employed by technology giant Digicorp, Sullivan (Jeremy Northam) is assigned to travel from city to city to make covert recordings of seemingly inane conferences under the alias of Jack Thursby. At first Sullivan enjoys his new found excitement in life, but it comes at a price - he finds himself becoming increasingly detached from his wife, and is soon plagued by bizarre nightmares and neck pains. At this point he encounters Rita Foster (Lucy Liu), a mysterious femme fatale who reveals that, needless to say, nothing is quite as it seems...

Cypher is only the second film from director Vincenzo Natali, the first being the cult science fiction classic Cube, a film with which Cypher shares many stylistic traits. Natali's eye for geometric framing and his remarkable ability to fully utilise small budgets are clearly in evidence here, ensuring that the film is always intriguing to watch. Northam's acting is excellent, managing to effortlessly switch from a nerdy businessman to a suave super-spy without ever losing believability. Even Liu manages to cast off the shadow of Charlie's Angels with an effective performance (despite the burden of a questionable wig). The script too has a lot of merit, featuring a taxonomy of twists that bombard the viewer so rapidly that their head may begin to hurt.

With a highly cerebral plot, striking images and a unique sense of style, Cypher is undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi thrillers for many years. Just remember to ask yourself one question: Are you a secret agent?

Review by Iain Jackson
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2004