Right well I thought it was time for another Arnold Schwarzenegger film review so this one will be on Total Recall as directed by Paul Verhoeven (not the updated one). So strap yourself and get dreaming and get your ass to Mars....
And yes PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!
STORY
Right so the story begins with the story's main protagonist, Douglas Quaid (Arnie) waking up from a nightmare as he was dreaming about being on Mars alongside a mysterious woman but in the dream he slips down a mountain and cracks open his space helmet, which results in him beginning to suffocate. Quaid however has a decent normal life where he works as a construction worker and is married to the beautiful Lori (Sharon Stone). Quaid says to Lori that they should move to Mars but she is discouraged by the idea and tries to convince him not to. Quaid then decides to go to Rekall, which is a company who provides implant memories of vacations and opts to go on a trip to Mars as a secret agent. However during the procedure something goes wrong and Quaid becomes agitated and appears to reveal some repressed memories and he is sedated by the Rekall staff who also wipes his memory and put him in a taxi. As Quaid comes round after he is dropped off he is suddenly met with his fellow worker and friend, Harry (Robert Costanzo) along with some other construction workers they lead him away at gunpoint but Quaid suddenly out of nowhere reveals he has superior fighting skills and he kills them and flees. Quaid returns home where he tells Lori of his visit to Rekall and how he killed the construction workers, which leads to Lori making a call to someone unknown. Soon after Quaid is attacked by Lori who attempts to kill him with a gun but he soon disarms her and she admits that their marriage was a fake and his memories of their marriage were implants and his job was set up by an agency and she herself was sent by her boss, the corrupt Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox). Quaid then knocks out Lori and then leaves but is soon persued by one of the Cohaagen's henchmen, Richter (Michael Ironside) who turns out to be Lori's real husband but he manages to escape them.
Quaid afterward is given a suitcase containing money, gadgets, false IDs, a disguise and a video recording which is of himself except in the video Quaid calls himself "Hauser" and says that he used to work for Cohaagen but he found out about a precious alien artefact on Mars, which Cohaagen is after, so he had his mind wiped to protect himself. Hauser tells Quaid to get to Mars and also remove a bug that was implanted in his head, which he does by using a special gadget provided in the suitcase. Quaid soon reaches Mars and checks himself in a hotel using the fake ID and he follows a trail to Venusville, which is the colony's red-light district which is populated by people who have been mutated due to poor radiation shielding. Quaid meets a taxi driver, Benny (Mel Johnson Jr) who takes him to a bar where he discovers the woman from his dreams, Melina (Rachel Ticotin) but she rejects him as she believes that Quaid is still working for Cohaagen.
Quaid at his hotel room soon is visited by Dr Edgemar (Roy Brocksmith) as seen from the TV's "Rekall" adverts who says to Quaid that he has suffered a schizoid embelism and is trapped in a fantasy based on the implanted memories and is still at Rekall. Edgemar then invites in Lori and tries to reassure him that she is with him at Rekall and that she wants him to come back to her, Edgemar further persuades Quaid that he may be lobotomised if he doesn't return to reality and gives him a pill to swallow. Quaid however before he swallows it notices a bead of sweat roll down Edgemar's head, which makes Quaid realise that its a trick and he instead shoots Edgemar in the head but he is then attacked by Cohaagen's soldiers who capture him. However Quaid is soon rescued by Melina who kills the soldiers and engages in a fierce fight with Lori which nearly ends with Lori killing her but Quaid instead shoots Lori dead. After this Quaid and Melina hurry back to Venusville and head into the tunnels where they are soon taken to a secret base where Quaid is lead to Kuato, who is a parasitic twin cojoined to his brother's stomach. Kuato reads Quaids mind and learns that the artefact is in fact a tirbinuim reactor, which when activated will create a breathable atmosphere for on the planet and that Cohaagen has been blackmailing the Mars population all along by controlling the air supply. However they are soon interrupted as Cohaagen's men move in and kill most of the people including Kuato, who before he dies instructs Quaid to turn on the reactor.
And its from here that Cohaagen explains to Quaid his whole scheme and that Hauser was in fact working with Cohaagen all along and that they set up Quaid's identity to lead them to Kuato. And Cohaagen shows Quaid one last video from Hauser who reveals that he indeed has been working with Cohaagen and that he now wants his identity back as Cohaagen orders to have Quaid's memory erased and Hauser's re-implanted. However Quaid manages to escape before the process is complete along with Melina they make their way into the mines and from here they must find a way to defeat Cohaagen and his men and Richter in order to save Mars.....
THOUGHTS
There is not much doubt that Total Recall is one of Arnie's most entertaining films but it is also one of his most violent as well but it still manages despite that to be a fairly intelligent sci-fi action film which has no shortage of twists and turns. The film itself is based on a story "We can remember it for you wholesale" by the legendary sci-fi writer, Philip K.Dick and at the time the writers of Alien and also of this film's screenplay, Ronald Shusset and Dan Bannon tried to get the book made into a film but to no avail. And after being taken to several studios and years afterward, Arnie himself was interested in the project and got the film production company, Carolco to buy the rights for the film and insisted that he star in it as well and also even managed to give himself rights to veto any member of the production and the studio (wow!). After Arnie was onboard and negotiated his salary for the film he then approached Paul Verhoeven to direct the film having been impressed with him from seeing Robocop and the rest is history.
PERFORMANCES
Performance wise Total Recall is actually pretty good overall even though Arnie as we all know was never and is never going to be the greatest Thespian on the planet, he still slips effortlessly into playing the role of Quaid and provides the usual wisecracks along the way as well as racking up a hefty bodycount. Arnie has his share of good scenes in the film himself such as the one where after having killed his co-worker Harry and some construction workers goes back to Lori and she says "you are having paranoid delusions!" and Quaid shows her his bloody hands "You call THIS a deluison?!". And in the same scene after they fight, Quaid holds a gun to Lori who nervously says "You wouldn't shoot me, would you Doug? After all we've been through" and Quaid considers it and says "Yeah some of it was fun!" and he punches her knocking her out cold, he takes his jacket and leaves saying "Nice knowing you!". Then there is the scene where Quaid get's a ride from one of the irritating robot-driven Johnny cabs who charges him an amount for the ride but Quaid get's out and says "Sue me, dickhead!" which causes the cab to chase him and explode. Then there is the scene where Quaid goes to an abandoned building and opens the suitcase he was given and plays a video of himself or "Hauser" and Hauser says to Quaid "You are not you anymore. You are me!" and Quaid says "No shit!". Another good scene comes when Quaid is visited Dr Edgemar on Mars who tries to persuade him to take the pill and that he is still at Rekall strapped into the chair and Quaid says "Ah I get it! I'm dreaming! And this all part of the wonderful vacation your company has provided!". And after Quaid kills Edgemar, in the next scene Quaid shoots Lori just as she is about to shoot him and he says afterward "Consider that a divorce!". And last of all there is the scene where Quaid fights Richter on a lift as the lift rises, Quaid hits him and leaves Richter dangling who grabs hold of Quaid's arms but as the lift rises over a structure, Richter's arms are severed and falls to his death and Quaid holds Richter's arms, throwing them away he shouts out "See you a the party, Richter!!".
Sharon Stone who was virtually unknown back then is excellent here as the seductive and dangerous Lori who poses as Quaid's wife but really is working as an agent for Cohaagen. Sharon obviously has some good scenes as well such her opening scene where Quaid wakes up from his nightmare and she comforts him and they kiss and she says to him as she undoes her top "I'll give you something to dream about!". And later on in the scene where Lori attacks Quaid she reveals to him the truth about himself and says "Sorry Quaid, you're whole life is just a dream". And then Lori follows it up by saying "You were the best assignment I ever had" and Quaid says "I'm honoured!" and Lori says "Are you sure you don't want to? Just for old time's sake? If you don't trust me you can tie me up!". And later on there is the scene where Dr Edgemar tries to persuade Quaid to take the pill and he shoots him dead instead which prompts Lori to say "Now you've done it! NOW YOU'VE DONE IT!!!" which is a signal for Cohaagen's men to burst in and capture Quaid. And in the scene Lori kicks Quaid in the face "That's for making me come to Mars!" and she then kicks him in the nuts "You know much I hate this FUCKING PLANET!" and kicks him again and he passes out. And then in her last scene there, Stone as Lori engages in a fist fight with Melina and as she is about to kill Melina, Quaid shoots Lori's knife out of her hand and she says to him "Doug, honey... you wouldn't hurt me, would you, sweetheart? Sweetheart, be reasonable. After all, we're married!" and she goes to shoot him and Quaid kills her with a shot to the head.
Then there is Ronny Cox who is great as the main antagonist of the film, Cohaagen who is a corrupt governor of the mining colony on Mars. And Cox also has some great moments such as the one where he calls Richter to his office and he says to Richter "Richter, you know why I'm such a happy person? Because I have one of the greatest jobs in the solar system. As long as the turbinium keeps flowing, I can do anything I want. Anything! In fact, the only thing I worry about is, one day, if the rebels win, it all might end". And then Cohaagen turns angrily to Richter and yells "AND YOU'RE FUCKING MAKING IT HAPPEN!!". Another good scene from Cox comes when Cohaagen is looks at Kuato's dead body and he says to him "So this is the great man!" and he pulls back the cover saying with disgust "No wonder he kept out of sight!". And then there is the next scene where Cohaagen has Quaid and Melina placed in the implant chairs to have their minds erased and he says to Quaid "And you like Melina right? Well, you get to fuck her every night! That's right, she's going to be Hauser's babe!". And Melina angrily says "I'll bust his balls!" and Cohaagen says "Uh-uh, Princess. We're having you fixed. You're gonna be respectful, compliant, and appreciative... the way a woman should be!" and she spits in his face! And lastly there is the scene near the end where Cohaagen tries to stop Quaid from activating the tirbinium reactor and he says to Quaid "In thirty seconds you'll be dead, and I'll blow this place up and be home in time for Corn Flakes!".
Rachel Ticotin is also pretty good (and pretty) in her role as Melina, the woman of Quaid's dreams who eventually helps Quaid and falls in love with him as they fight together against Cohaagen. Rachel has some good moments in the film as well such as the scene where Melina meets with Quaid at the bar and she says to him "Hello Hauser. Still bulging, I see" and she grabs his crotch and says "What have you been feeding this thing?" and Quaid says "Blondes" and Melina sexily says "Its still hungry!". And after they go upstairs she get's him in a room and then she slaps him in the face saying "You son of a bitch! You're alive? I thought that Cohaagen tortured you to death!". And later on there is the big fist fight between Melina and Lori and after Quaid kills Lori, Melina looks up and says to Quaid "THAT was your wife?!" and Quaid nods and Melina get's up saying "What a bitch!". And last of all there is the film's last moment (PLOT SPOILER!!!!!!!) where Mars has been saved by Quaid who turns to be Melina and says "I just had a terrible thought, what if this is a dream?" and Melina says "Well then kiss me quick before you wake up!".
And lastly we have Michael Ironside who is great in his role as Richter, Cohaagen's psychotic henchman and he appears to relish in his part. Ironside is pretty much great as soon as he steps on screen and his first scene quickly sets the tone for his character as he runs in to check on Lori and one of his men goes to help her but Richter kicks the man aside and warns him "Don't touch her!". And in the scene after Richter fails to capture Quaid there is a good moment when Richter says "I want that fucker dead!" and his associate Helm says "I don't blame you, I wouldn't want Quaid porkin my old lady" and Richter threateningly says "You saying she liked it?!" and Helm says "No I'm sure she hated every minute of it!". And then there is the scene where Quaid is placed in the implant chair and Richter asks the doctor who is about to work on Quaid "Excuse me, doctor, but is he gonna remember any of this?" and the doctor says "Not a thing" and Richter smiles saying "Oh really?" and he punches Quaid hard in the face. And as Cohaagen says to Quaid "Oh by the way I'm having a party tonight. Why don't you and Melina drop by" and Richter grins saying "See you at the party!". And another good scene for Ironside comes when after Quaid escapes from the implant process, Richter goes into Cohaagen's office and says "You have to make a decision, sir" and Cohaagen ponders and finally says "Kill him!" and Richter smiles and cocks his gun saying "Its about goddamn time!".
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
And now I get to the director and music paragraph, starting with the film's director Paul Verhoeven who has done an excellent job with the film and when it comes to making compelling violent action films he is second to none (well he was back then anyway!). Verhoeven also keeps the action and the pace going pretty thick and fast so the film is never in any danger of lagging and he also manages to get some pretty good performances out of his cast (well most of them!). As for the film's music it features an excellent score by the late and great Jerry Goldsmith and the film's main theme is a memorable one also. Goldsmith also nicely blends in some orchestral and electronic arrangements into the score and it features some excellent tracks and overall it provides the perfect tone for the film with a good mixture of atmosphere and suspense.
FLAWS
Right as for the flaws.......well yeah OK Total Recall has some problems and for starters I would say one of the problems I have with the film is its over the top violence which is quite extreme at times. And even though it is never really disturbing there are some moments where it can make the viewer uncomfortable but at other times laugh out loud (especially when in one scene Quaid jams a crowbar through the head of one of Cohaagen's scientists!). But one such example of the film's violence being over the top and unpleasant is in the scene when Quaid uses an innocent bystander on a moving escalator as a human shield, who proceeds to get shot to pieces as Quaid uses him for cover to take down Richter's men. Its always been the one violent scene in the film that I felt went just that bit too far but then again in Verhoeven's mind you can never go too far, morely a case you can never go far enough no doubt!
Another thing that bugged was the make-up for the mutants in the story which was not that great to be honest and it looked rather unconvincing, from the characer Tony (played by Dean Norris of Breaking Bad fame) to the mutant prostitute with three breasts! It just looks pretty silly and in a way it was a bit disappointing given that the make-up artist involved was Rob Bottin who did some great work on John Carpenter's sci-fi horror classic, The Thing among other films. And some of the film's other special effects are also a bit naff looking especially the rather pointless scene where Quaid tries to disguise himself as a women using a special body suit and a face mask, which starts to malfunction and he is forced to deactivate it and reveal himself. But it begs the question??? Why didn't he just change his clothes and wear a baseball cap and some shades or something??? Or even shave his head??!! Achh well.
Another thing was although I never read the short story by Philip K. Dick I would however imagine that the original story was probably aimed to be a bit more cerebral than it ended up being here and as such I think while Verhoeven has made a good solid sci-fi action film, he also has somewhat dumbed down the concepts a bit as well to make room for the film's mindless violence. And if that is the case with the story then it in itself is a bit of a letdown as it would have been good if the film had a better balance of its clever ideas as well as the action involved too, but here it has to be said its probably 80% action and 20% ideas. But again I guess they needed to make the film more accessible to a mainstream audience and with Arnie involved you would always get your fair share of violence anyway.
Anyway that's it for the flaws.
SUM UP
So that's it for my look at Total Recall which is still a very enjoyable sci-fi action film and its hard to believe that its already 25 years old! And it has to be said that even though the film has its share of cheesy moments and a rather excessive level of violence its still one of Arnie's strongest films and it still manages to be alot cleverer than some of his previous films (and future ones) and that in itself makes it worth checking out.
And with that I shall see bid yee goodnight and see you at the party! (well later really!).
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