I've come to have new found respect for Tony Scott. More often than not, he manages to blow me away with his frenetic shooting style - it worked best in Man on Fire; less so in Domino, but mainly because I love the former and hate the latter.
It seems the Tony Scott/Denzel Washington success machine is back in town and man, what a way to return to form! I loved Crimson Tide when that hit our screens in 1995, if not for Scott's vision, certainly for Denzel's performance (and Tarantino's script-doctoring of course...)
Deja Vu is an unassuming sci-fi action thriller. The first section plays out like an episode of CSI, (which in itself is cool anyway). Throughout this portion of the film we're introduced to the key players amidst the aftermath of an incident in which many people lose their lives. Washington plays an explosives expert bought in to survey the crime scene and employ his niche knowledge base. He soon becomes involved in what appears to be a separate murder case.
Throughout this portion, there are endless details brought to our attention, be it faces... clothing details... little throwaway things that you notice, but... don't notice, if you know what I mean.
Second segment plays out like a stylish technological thriller. Think Enemy of the State but with more whizzy whooshiness... yeah. This is the part where they explain the technology which you need to concentrate on to enjoy the third part to the full.
The third, and final, section involves Washington using the technology like no-one has before. And this is where you sit back and realise what a slam-dunk of a job, Scott has just played. Suddenly everything makes sense. It was at this point I went from enjoying the movie, to absolutely loving it.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.