'In Time' review

Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake (Credit: Stephen Vaughan/20th Century Fox)

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In a future society, time has literally become money. Everyone stops physically aging at 25 and receives only one year to live off of, unless they work like slaves to gain more time like Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) and his 50-year-old mother Rachel (Olivia Wilde), or happen to be born with all the time in the world like Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried) and her over 100-year-old father Philippe (Vincent Kartheiser). When a suicidal rich man (Matt Bomer) bequeaths a century to Will, Timekeeper detective Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy) believes a crime has been committed, and the ensuing manhunt sends Will directly into Sylvia’s world.

The buzz: Writer-director Andrew Niccol remains best known as the screenwriter of 1998’s “The Truman Show,” but with its high concept future setting and cast of pretty faces, “In Time” recalls Niccol’s 1997 directorial debut on the sleek sci-fi cult classic “Gattaca.” “Time” also marks the debut of pop star-turned-actor Timberlake as a big screen action hero (one of his first acting roles, the action thriller “Edison,” went straight to DVD).

The verdict: Stylish, thought-provoking, exciting and, yes, a little bit silly, “In Time” delivers ambitious sci-fi storytelling wrapped in a colorful, fast-paced Hollywood package. That there are any ideas here to begin with marks enough of a victory for commercial filmmaking. That the central struggle between the working class and entitled class is relevant and provocative to current headlines feels genuinely shocking. (Especially coming from 20th Century Fox…did Rupert Murdoch know about this?) Call it a fluke of timing if you like, but the added allure of an all-hotties cast surely helped secure a greenlight for a rare sci-fi movie not based on a pre-existing story or line of toys. Of course, just because the world stops aging at 25 doesn’t mean all 25 year olds should look like models. Leave your quibbles at the door and just be pleased Niccol found good looking and very talented actors like Seyfried, Murphy and Kartheiser, who all significantly elevate their respective stock characters: poor little rich girl, grizzled investigator and duplicitous millionaire. Timberlake struggles to establish similar credibility as an action hero, he’s likable but lightweight. Still, this is a movie driven by its luxurious visual design, tight action sequences necessitating frequent running and car chases, and most of all, the notion that one person’s dream shouldn’t be built on other people’s nightmares.

Did you know? This isn’t the first film that Timberlake, Seyfried, Kartheiser and Wilde have appeared in together—all four were also featured in the 2007 true crime drama “Alpha Dog.”

Follow Metromix's Geoff Berkshire on Twitter: @geoffberkshire

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