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Predestination
To save the future he must reshape the past.
Predestination chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to prevent future killers from committing their crimes. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must stop the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time and prevent a devastating attack in which thousands of lives will be lost.
- Original title
- Predestination
- Language
- EN
- Country
- AU
- Budget
- $5,500,000
- Revenue
- $4,942,449
CinemaSerf
Jan 27, 2025 · via TMDB
It all starts with a mysterious character setting what looks like a timer, only for something quite unexpected to happen and for that perpetrator to disappear. What's going on? Well, we meet the "Barkeep" (Ethan Hawke) who is the ultimate in crime prevention agents. He uses the temporal vortex to travel back and forth through time trying to identify those who commit heinous crimes and either talk them out of it, or just plan thwart their plans. He's been doing this for quite a while thus far, but his final mission might prove to be his most difficult. There's just one criminal who has continually eluded him and it's the "Unmarried Mother" (Sarah Snook) that he has to ensnare. Now it does take it's time to get going, but it resists the temptation to use it's time travelling theme to bombard us with different scenarios and timelines and gradually focuses us on quite a characterful study of hunter and quarry with lots of probing dialogue. The effectively intimate location provided by his bar - a sort of "in vino veritas" state of affairs works well, too. What's equally clear around half way in that, well, nothing is at all clear. The characterisations blur, the events blur - and that's not the whisky. The plot interweaves their respective chronologies in such a deliberately confusing fashion as to make it impossible to readily discern just who is who or what is what, though at least that does explain why this individual has proven to difficult for "Barkeep" to apprehend over the aeons. It has a very simple, industrial, feel to it and though the visuals are quite potent they don't overwhelm the personalities and both Hawke and an impressive Snook deliver a story that I found myself caring about. If you need your cinema to be structured with beginning, middle and end then this probably isn't for you, but if you can let it wash over you then it's quite an intriguing watch.
Rob
Jul 2, 2023 · via TMDB
This movie is quite beautiful to look at, especially the opening sequence, with a very noir aesthetic which really grabbed my attention. The huge exposition dump in the bar early on utterly kills the pace the beginning sets you up to expect. But by the end of the movie, it's obvious that couldn't be avoided. A bit of a mind-bender, and although a little predictable very imaginative and absorbing.
The Movie Diorama
Jan 17, 2020 · via TMDB
Predestination foreordained its paradoxical nature and exploited it with individuality. “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?”. An evolutionary question, now the setup for many punchlines, that has transcended time itself. The causality dilemma that considers both cause and effect. Infinite regression. Unsolvable. What really shapes a person’s biological anatomy or their metaphorical soul? Evolutionary diversity at birth or the nurturing of our surrounding environment? The aforementioned philosophical paradox is one which The Spierig Brothers held closely to the central plot that, on the surface may befuddle even the most avid sci-fi viewers, but dig somewhat deeper and find that the temporal trajectory is bursting with thematic representation. A time traveller is sent back to 1970s New York to prevent a terrorist, known only as the “Fizzle Bomber”, from murdering thousands. To mention certain plot strands, even touching upon their delicate coating, would be to spoil this ingeniously creative film. Therefore, as a precaution, I will not discuss the second half. Including the paradoxical plot twists of conception and death. This is a mind-bending sci-fi tale that purely excels when focussing on the human elements of its characters. Forget about the jarring tonal shift from exquisitely detailed flashback narration to sudden sci-fi extravaganza. Put aside the occasional heavy hand-holding (although justified for the dense concept) that unimaginatively explains the limitations of temporal shifting. Exclude the multitude of entrancing twists that seemingly allow the narrative to crumble towards its inevitable conclusion. Predestination works best when it’s exploring the human condition. The drive that constitutes our soul. And a central focal point, but not the sole purpose, of the story is Jane’s gender reassignment into becoming John. A “woman” valued as intersex. Internalised male organs as well as female. Despite raising transgender issues and justifiably exploring the emotional conflict of such a scenario, it’s never treated as unfamiliar territory. Much like the film in its entirety, it garners an identity. Enhancing accessibility by turning an irrelevant piece of fiction into a relevant transcendental concept. Snook gave an arousing performance of someone undergoing such a procedure. Harnessing female and male acting qualities and nudging them subtly through her performance. Returning to the preliminary question though, the eternally talented Hawke offers this dilemma to the prognosticating Snook, who simply replies “The Rooster”. And yet whilst it was a humorous retort, it maps out the ingenious narrative cohesion that The Spierig Brothers moulded. That intimidating evolutionary deliverance, providing a cathartic allure of inevitability. They masqueraded causality through a simple life story told vividly within the confinements of a cigarette infused bar. Strangely, much like with other labyrinthine features, the second viewing allowed me to sniff out breadcrumbs more clearly. The hidden clues that the Brothers had deliberately positioned to reach the predetermined final destination. Extraordinarily clever. The minuscule runtime should’ve been extended to better build the narrative foundations from the weight of all the mind-blowing twists, but The Spierig Brothers defied genre expectations by pushing a time-orientated story to its limits. The conventional boundaries of storytelling now extended indefinitely, addressing common time travel related issues and exploiting them ingeniously. Intelligence prevails once again.
artlawless
Jan 23, 2019 · via TMDB
This is a film based on the short story by Robert A Heinlein called All You Zombies. It's a fantastic film with a portrayal of paradoxes and the extent to which they can become convoluted if Time Travel was possible. And when I say Time Travel, I mean with the ability to interfere with the past and future, and not just witness. It's a tough movie to get your head around so be prepared to go back and watch it again. The cast is fantastic. _Ethan Hawke_ delivers as always. But we need to talk about _Sarah Snook_ - man she can act! She's the heart of the film and brings together the first half of the film so convincingly. It's rare that a film based on Time Travel is made without ugly holes in the plot. Predestination is one of those rare ones which is complete in its beginning and end.
Gimly
Oct 27, 2017 · via TMDB
Never forget that time travel is real. _Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._
Jeff_34
Feb 7, 2017 · via TMDB
**Rare excellent story - you cannot predict whatsoever** When's the last time you saw a film and could not even come close to predicting the ending. When's the last time after you saw a film you had to call up your best friends and tell them they have to see this. When's the last time you had a guest over and asked if they wanted to see a seriously twisted film - you couldn't resist that a near stranger would miss the chance to see this. If you're in the mood for a mind luck (ie. if fish = lish ^_^) you will not want to pass this up. Way way fun. Can be watched - and seriously enjoyed - multiple times --> no small feat these days.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Ethan Hawke
The Bartender
Sarah Snook
The Unmarried Mother
Noah Taylor
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Christopher Kirby
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Madeleine West
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Jim Knobeloch
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Emily Coupe
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Steven Boyle
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Kasia Kaczmarek
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Chris Weir
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Michael Spierig
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Peter Spierig
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Gary Hamilton
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Michael Spierig
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Peter Spierig
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Peter Spierig
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Michael Spierig
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Peter Spierig
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