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Plot Outline

Based on a novel by Philip K. Dick called The Golden Man, this is a story about Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) who has a secret which torments him. He can see a limited two minutes into his future.

Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government and medical establishment in his power, he lays low under an assumed name in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling "winnings."

But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, government agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm.

Overall Impressions:
The reviews I had read for this and general word on the street was, this is bad, really bad. I almost didn't bother seeing it. In the end I did & I'm glad I did, as I thoroughly enjoyed this. Okay Nicolas Cage has terrible hair but maybe that's where he gets the power, who knows?

Working out the structure in a time-travel / premonition film, you have to give it restrictions, in this case 2 minutes, otherwise there's always the option of, well why did he not do it earlier? Fine 2 minutes works, but for it to truely allow further scope we need a variable, that's where Jessica Biel comes in. The one phenomenon in whose presence his two minutes can be stretched further.

A well written film for sure, sure there is room for improvement, better bad guys, Julianne Moore's character explained a bit more (and less bitchy attitude), it also would have been nice to see more of the legendary Culumbo (Peter Falk), but hey we're in a policestation, as a Verbal Kint once said.

A little thing worth note: It's based on a book called The Golden Man & then adapted to a screenplay by someone called Goldman. Is there a story there I wonder?

Kinks aside, decent paranormal sci-fi that looks cool as well as keeping you thinking. (7 out of 10)