Déjà Vu is a 2006 American action thriller film with elements of crime and science fiction, directed by Tony Scott, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and co-written by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio. The film stars Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Bruce Greenwood, Matt Craven, Jim Caviezel, Adam Goldberg, and Paula Patton as the main characters. Déjà Vu involves ATF agent Douglas Carlin, who travels back in time in attempts to prevent a domestic terrorist attack that takes place in New Orleans and to save Claire Kuchever, with whom he falls in love. Filming took place throughout post-Katrina New Orleans.^[1]

The film premiered in New York City on November 20, 2006, and was released broadly in the United States two days later. The film was released to Mexico and Canada by the end of November, and worldwide by the early months of 2007. It received mixed reviews from critics, and the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes' compiled ratings give the film a below average rating of 55%. While earning $64 million in the United States, the film went on to gross $180 million worldwide; Déjà Vu was the 23rd most successful film worldwide for 2006. The film was nominated for five awards, and won the Golden Reel Award.

Plot[link]

On Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the ferry Sen. Alvin T. Stumpf is carrying hundreds of U.S. Navy sailors and their families across the Mississippi River from the Algiers dock to a celebration, when it explodes and sinks into the river, killing at least 543 on board. Special Agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF) is sent to investigate the explosion and discovers evidence that the attack was a bombing committed by a domestic terrorist. On arrival at the scene he hears his ring tone; the ringing is coming from a body bag nearby. He then meets with the investigating police officers and FBI Special Agent Paul Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer), and informs them of his findings. Back at his office, Doug learns about a charred body pulled from the river, that of a Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton). However, unlike the other bodies found in the river, this one was discovered to have been killed before the explosion.

Pryzwarra is impressed with Doug's detective expertise, and convinces him to join a newly formed government-funded detective unit whose first case is to investigate the explosion. With a team led by scientist Dr. Alexander Denny (Adam Goldberg), they investigate the events leading up to the explosion by using a new program called "Snow White", which enables them to look into the past (4 days, 6 hours, 3 minutes, 45 seconds, 14.5 nanoseconds) in detail. The system is limited in that they can only see past events once; there is no fast forwarding or rewinding, although they can record what they see. Convinced that Claire is a vital link to the case, Doug persuades the team to focus on her. While investigating Claire's past through "Snow White", the bomber calls her to try to purchase her SUV to use to blow up the ferry. Although he decides not to purchase her car, during the phone call the "Snow White" team is able to discover an exact time and place where they know the terrorist will be.

Doug eventually discovers "Snow White" is actually a time window, and is also capable of sending inanimate objects into the past. Despite Denny's protests against tampering with the past, Doug has the team send a note back in time to inform his past self of the time and place to meet and stop the ferry bomber. Instead, his partner Larry Minuti sees it first and, while checking up on it, is shot by the terrorist through his car door. The team attempt to follow the terrorist, who takes Minuti with him, but he goes out of range of "Snow White". Doug follows him in the present time using a "Snow White" like helmet that increases the range. Doug follows the terrorist to his home. In the past time, Minuti begins to regain consciousness, but is fatally shot and then burned by the terrorist. In need of a vehicle that is big enough to hold the bomb and is not riddled with bullet holes, and knowing Claire's address, the terrorist kidnaps her and steals her car.

Using face recognition technology, the ferry bomber is identified and taken into custody. He turns out to be a disillusioned man named Carroll Oerstadt, who is angry at the U.S. government after being turned down for enlistment by the Marines and Army, who believed he was overcommitted and psychologically unstable. Convinced that the case is now closed, the government shuts down the "Snow White" unit's investigation. Despite the killer's being caught, Claire and the ferry victims remain dead, which is unsettling to Doug considering the "Snow White" team presents an opportunity to alter history. Doug convinces Denny to do one last unauthorized experiment: send Doug to the past to save Claire and stop the ferry bombing. The procedure is risky, as until then no human has been sent through, and doing so could mean death to the time traveler. Against all odds, he survives the trip and stops Claire from being murdered in Oerstadt's house.

After tending to a bullet wound at Claire's house, Doug goes to the ferry where, with Claire's help, he kills Carroll, but is unable to disarm the bomb. To save everyone on the ferry, Doug and Claire drive the SUV with the bomb off the ferry into the water just before it explodes. Claire is able to escape, but Doug is unable to get out before the bomb explodes, and he dies in the underwater explosion. As Claire mourns Doug's death, she is approached by another Doug Carlin, the one from her present, who consoles her. As they drive off, the Beach Boys' song "Don't Worry Baby", which had played at the beginning of the film and at the end before they drive the car off the boat, plays on the radio.

Plot Timeline

Cast[link]

• Denzel Washington as ATF Special Agent Douglas Carlin
• Paula Patton as Claire Kuchever
• Adam Goldberg as Dr. Alexander Denny
• Val Kilmer as FBI Special Agent Paul Pryzwarra
• Bruce Greenwood as FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Jack McCready
• Matt Craven as ATF Special Agent Larry Minuti
• James Caviezel as Carroll Oerstadt
• Elden Henson as Gunnars
• Erika Alexander as Shanti

Background and production[link]

The idea of a time travel thriller film originated between screenwriters Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio, who communicated via email in attempts to develop the plot because of communication difficulties.^[2] However, the creation of Déjà Vu's progenitor was set aside by the September 11, 2001 attacks that disrupted New York-native Marsilii,^[2] and the advent of the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl film, which occupied Los Angeles-native Rossio.^[2][3] However, by 2006, the two screenwriters had completed the concept, having worked alongside Brian Greene from Columbia University to create a scientifically plausible feel to the script.^[2] The screenwriters submitted their work to Jerry Bruckheimer, who with Tony Scott was searching for new ideas for a feature film.^[2]

Movie set at Gravier and Claiborne

Filming[link]

Principal photography in New Orleans, Louisiana, was delayed following Hurricane Katrina because of the devastation caused by the storm and the collapse of the levees.^[1][4] Many of the exteriors were set to be shot in New Orleans, including a key sequence involving the Canal Street Ferry across the Mississippi River.^[4] After the city was reopened, the cast and crew returned to New Orleans to continue filming. Some scenes of the post-Katrina devastation were worked into the plot, including those in the Lower 9th Ward; additionally, evidence of Katrina's impact on the city was worked into the script.^[1] The filming crew spent two weeks filming a scene at the Four Mile Bayou in Morgan City, Louisiana.^[5]

According to director Tony Scott, New Orleans was not the planned setting for Déjà Vu; he had originally considered Long Island, New York, but changed the location after Hurricane Katrina tore through the city in 2005.^[6] Jerry Bruckheimer noted that Denzel Washington had pushed Tony Scott to choose New Orleans as a destination, although Washington later declared his neutrality on the subject.^[7]

To create a sense of realism, Scott and Washington interviewed numerous men and women whose real-life occupations pertained to positions in the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Washington notes that he and Scott had conducted similar research during the productions of Man on Fire and Crimson Tide.^[7]

Visual effects[link]

Visual effects editor Marc Varisco, who had previously collaborated with director Scott on the 2005 action film Domino, worked again with Scott to develop Déjà Vu into a fully-fledged work. In total, approximately 400 visual effects scenes were shot during the production of Déjà Vu.^[8] They had acquired a LIDAR device, which incorporated lasers to scatter light with the intent of mapping out a small region, during the production of Domino; Scott and Varisco decided to use the apparatus again during the production of Déjà Vu.^[8] Additionally, the two utilized the Panavision Genesis high definition camera to film the shots that would encompass the past that the Snow White team would peer at throughout the film, as well as the various night scenes.^[8] The LIDAR apparatus, which was operated by a hired Texan company devoted to the device, performed scans of Claire Kuchever's apartment, the ferry, the ATF office, and actress Paula Patton, among others.^[8] Effects editor Zachary Tucker combined the elements created by the Texan LIDAR company with computer-generated graphics to make possible the scenes of time-travel experienced in the film.^[8]

The explosion of the Stumpf was filmed using an actual New Orleans ferry in a portion of the Mississippi River sectioned off especially for the event; the occurrence took over four hours to prepare.^[8] Under the supervision of pyrotechnics expert John Frazier, the ferry was coated entirely with fire retardant and rigged with fifty gasoline bombs including black dirt and diesel, each one set to detonate within a five-second range.^[9] People and cars were added in later as elements of computer-generated graphics.^[8] Chris Lebenzon was largely responsible for moving clips from each of the sixteen cameras in place to create the sensation of an extended explosion sequence.^[9] The spectacular explosion actually caused no significant structural damage to the ferry; after a bout of sandblasting and repainting, the ferry was very similar to its previous state.^[8] The ferry was returned into service four days after the production of the film's scene concluded.^[9] During filming of the underwater car scenes, actual cars were dropped into the water; computer-generated effects were later added, simulating the entities' explosions. Compositing was done on the Autodesk Inferno special effects program.^[8]

Similarities between Timothy McVeigh and Carroll Oerstadt[link]

Jim Caviezel's character, Carroll Oerstadt, seemed to mirror in several ways the story of Timothy McVeigh, a domestic terrorist who destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City with a bomb in 1995. Caviezel and Scott^[6] did not deny this, and both admitted that the Oerstadt character was at least partly based on McVeigh.^[10] Ross Johnson of the New York Times also compared the ferry bombing at the beginning of the film to the Oklahoma City bombing.^[9]

Reception[link]

Déjà Vu opened to mixed reviews. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film is rated 55% and classified as "rotten",^[11] similar to the website Metacritic, which assigned the film a weighted average rating of 59 out of 100 based on the reviews of thirty-two professional critics.^[12] Joel Siegel of ABC News disapproved of the movie on basis of the scientific elements of the storyline,^[13] as did Manohla Dargis of the New York Times, who additionally found the depiction of parishes decimated by Hurricane Katrina "vulgar".^[14] Todd Gilchrist from IGN rated the movie eight out of ten, calling it a "bravura set piece", despite an ending that "feels inappropriate given the urgency (and seeming inevitability) of the story's dénouement."^[15] Likewise, Michael Wilmington of the Orlando Sentinel rated the film three out of four stars, citing the "good cast, Tony Scott's swift direction, and unyielding professionalism" as rationale for his rating.^[16] Kenneth Turan from the Los Angeles Times denoted the movie's concept as a "sci-fi staple for generations".^[17]

Film writers and director[link]

Both Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii acknowledge that the film was not shot the way they had wanted it to be, shifting the blame to director Tony Scott and his goal to focus more on the action aspect of the film than on the more meaningful plot the screenplay had called for. Marsilii, although "quite critical of the mistakes made", said he was proud of the finished product.^[18] Rossio, however, was so put off during filming that he, as of May 2008, had not seen the film.^[19] Rossio complained that Scott had ignored the inclusion of important plot details from the screenplay whenever "there was something he wanted to do" instead.^[20] "When the director is wrong the picture is pretty much doomed", Rossio stated.^[21] In the DVD commentary, Scott admits that he thought he did a mediocre job shooting Déjà Vu.^[22]

Rossio and Marsilii believe that many of the negative reviews of Déjà Vu are a direct result of Scott's direction of the movie, and have stated that "Tony Scott added nothing to Déjà Vu and made several hundred small mistakes and about eight or nine deadly mistakes",^[23] which makes the movie seem like it has many unforgivable plot holes, when it should not have had any. "[T]here are no plot holes at all, and scrutiny reveals the plot to be air tight." says Rossio. "We had years to think of all this and work it out."^[24] It was felt there were many misunderstandings that Scott's take on the plot introduced into the film. In his own defense, Scott cited in an interview with Iain Blair of BNET that only nineteen weeks were provided for the production of the film, which "isn't a lot for a film like Déjà Vu."^[25]

Box office[link]

Déjà Vu premiered in New York City on November 20, 2006, two days before its release to the remainder of the United States and to Canada. Alongside Mexico, the three countries were the sole nations to open the film in November. The United Kingdom opened the film on December 15, 2006, and was followed shortly thereafter by New Zealand on December 22. Australia was the last English-speaking country where the film premiered on January 18, 2007.^[26]

The film opened in the #3 spot with $20.5 million in 3,108 theaters, an average of $6,619 per theater. Déjà Vu ran for fourteen weeks, staying in the top ten for its first three weeks. The US domestic box office earnings for the film were $64,038,616, and the total worldwide box office earnings were $180,557,550. These earnings made Déjà Vu the 23rd most successful film of 2006 worldwide.^[27]

Awards[link]

Although reviews from critics were mixed, Déjà Vu was nominated for five different awards. The film won one nomination. Déjà Vu was nominated for the Saturn Award in the category "Best Science Fiction Film", but lost to Children of Men;^[28]

Paula Patton, who played Claire Kuchever, was nominated for "Best Breakthrough Performance" for the Black Reel Awards, although the award was given to Brandon T. Jackson for his performance in the film Roll Bounce.^[29]

Harry Gregson-Williams, the composer of the film's soundtrack, was nominated for the "Film Composer of the Year" division of the World Soundtrack Academy Awards, though Alexandre Desplat of The Queen took the award.^[30]

Déjà Vu lost two nominations pertaining to the "Best Fire Stunt" and the "Best Work with a Vehicle", although it won the "International Gold Reel Award", a merit derived from the Nielsen EDI Gold Reel Awards ceremonies.^[31]

Home media[link]

Déjà Vu was released to DVD and home video approximately five months after its release in American theaters, on April 24, 2007. In the two weeks succeeding the day of the DVD's release, the film was the second most-purchased entity in the United States.^[32] It was second only to Night at the Museum during this period in time.^[33][34]

Special features on the disc include an audio commentary from director Tony Scott for both the film and its deleted scenes. The DVD cover also includes a "Surveillance Window" feature, which includes featurettes on the production of the film in New Orleans.^[35]

Soundtrack[link]

The track listing for Déjà Vu largely borrows music not originally produced for the film; three of the songs that make an appearance in Déjà Vu uphold elements of soul and gospel. "Don't Worry Baby" by The Beach Boys simulated the actual concept of déjà vu, as detailed in the plot.

Songwriters such as Harry Gregson-Williams contributed music to the film; artists like Charmaine Neville and Macy Grey performed music especially for the movie.^[36]

The music featured in the film's trailer was titled "Hello Zepp", the main theme for Saw.

See also[link]

• Primer
• Deus ex machina

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Déjà Vu

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Déjà Vu

• Official website
• Déjà Vu at the Internet Movie Database
• Déjà Vu at Box Office Mojo
• Déjà Vu at AllRovi
• Déjà Vu at Rotten Tomatoes