The 6th Day (2000)

Cloning doesn't seem to be as much of an issue now as it was back when this film was released, particularly since the famous Dolly didn't actually live for that long. Okay, there was been a ban on cloning in place since then, but you don't seem to hear as much about it anymore. Anyway, back then it is not surprising that an Arnie action movie, and this is basically what this film is - an Arnie action movie - came out with this idea in mind. It also isn't surprising that the bad guys seem to be the biotechology firm because, well, as one person told me the biotechnology department at his university seemed to be like some sort of James Bond super villain's lab. So, Arnie comes home one day to discover that there is an identical replica of him in his house. Now, cloning animals has been going on for some time, but cloning humans is a big no no. In fact not only is it illegal, but clones are considered to be void of any rights whatsoever and are to be terminated on sight. This is why these thugs appear to basically get rid of Arnie because they don't want anybody to know that they are actually cloning anybody. Well. We can pretty much guess what happens from there - Arnie goes on a rampage, kills the bad guy, and everybody lives happily ever after. The problem with cloning is that there seems to be an assumption that when we are cloned we pretty much become the clone, but honestly, I'm not actually convinced about that. In truth, there is so much we don't know about the brain, such as what makes us, us, that if we were to create a clone then we are probably just creating a completely new person. There is no suggestion that we are going to be able to transfer our consciousness into that new body, which means that if we are using clones to prolong our lives then we are probably just acting in vein. Okay, I am probably going a little too deep into what is basically an Arnie action flick, but we can't ignore these ideas because films like this are actually exploring these ideas. If we clone ourselves are our clones us, or are they completely different people. Moreso, if we are running around while our clone is running around do we experience both bodies - if not, then I guess this whole creating a replica in case we die isn't going to do us any good - we are still going to die. Interestingly though, there is this idea that it is not so much the rich and powerful protecting themselves, but protecting their investments. At the opening we have a multi-million dollar football player suffer a serious injury that will sideline him for, well, forever. So they kill him and bring in his clone. As such, it is actually working to make humans more of a commodity than they already are. Further, there is this idea that they have built in diseases to limit their life span, just in case they decide to do something that we don't particularly like. If that happens, well, we just kill them and then wheel out a clone that hasn't had that revelation yet - a great way to protect one's investments. Sure, they might not be the same person, but in reality that's probably what they want. As for the film, well, as I mentioned, it's an Arnie action flick, and if you like these types of films the you are surely going to be entertained for the two odd hours that it takes for this film to run.

It's simply a case of "good idea, bad execution" with this flashy movie which has a great plot - based in 'the near future', it's actually not far from reality - but lots of irritating stylistic bits which really let it down. The inclusion of a loud pop song into the brew didn't help one bit either. We watch things happen in slow-motion, images shake and shudder on the screen, mixing together bits from THE MATRIX and ENEMY OF THE STATE to no good effect. Whereas those two films benefited substantially from such gimmicks, THE SIXTH DAY merely looks shallow and pretentious.Oh, how the flaws with this film are endless. For a start there's the finale, which goes on half an hour too long (something I've never said before about a Schwarzenegger movie), and then there's the action. To put it bluntly, this may have been a better film without the flashy action which doesn't do it any favours. From a silly laser shootout to a hectic car chase, this film just doesn't generate the thrills and spills of other, better action movies. I like my action detailed, whereas things happen in such a rush here that it's difficult to keep track of what's going on. Sure, Arnie gets to fight in a variety of locations, but slowing things down a little would have been a better bet. It seems like their hearts just weren't in it - bring back James Cameron, I say.Another flaw of the movie is to bring in unnecessary comic relief where none is needed. Two supremely irritating villains are there for comic relief purposes. They also lack any menace altogether - one sports blue hair, the other an eyebrow ring. They look more like goths or hippies than any substantial threat. The lightness of the script means that it's difficult to care about any of the characters or even understand them, and my liking of Arnie came from him as an actor, not the character he portrays.Arnie's acting is this film's main highlight, for me at least. Schwarzenegger really seems to have developed as an actor over the years, and here he's likable and believable as a friendly family man caught up in the chaos. While lacking the mean edge which outlined some of his earlier offerings, his screen presence is still powerful enough to make you believe he's capable of performing all the major stunts that he pulls here. A glimpse of a bulging muscle is enough to convince me that the 54 year old star isn't past it just yet. He's also pretty funny, especially when delivering throwaway lines like "I might be back" and "I know who I am!".There are two other good actors in the film. Michael Rooker looks very evil as a government heavy, although unfortunately he doesn't get to do anything too horrible to anybody. Elsewhere, Robert Duvall is also pretty good as a misguided scientist who predictably turns his back on the experiments he started with devastating results. Michael Rapaport is okay in a light relief role as Arnie's helicopter buddy, but the bland Tony Goldwyn is supremely miscast as the chief villain, as his wooden acting really lets the film down. Couldn't they have gone for somebody with a bit of menace? The music, like the action, is superficial and forgettable. The special effects are adequate, but why do they insist on throwing in dodgy-looking CGI (here in the form of super-helicopters) all the time? Some of the laser fights look all right, as does the "abomination" at the end, a clone who has only been 84% created - resulting in a slimy, icky creature that looks like Seth Brundle in THE FLY when he was between his "human" and "fly" stages. Sadly, most of the violence is kept off screen, and the only really strong bits I remember are a neck breaking (treated as a joke) and somebody getting their foot shot off (it doesn't matter, as these characters can simply clone themselves again). At one stage in the film's finale it looks like we're in for a nicely gruesome scene showing a baddie getting cut in two with a helicopter blade, but it just doesn't happen.Another thing that annoyed me were the amount of clichés present in this film. Plenty of times I had a sense of déjà vu, starting right from the moment there's a car chase and music very similar TERMINATOR 2 pops up. Most noticeably, though, is the influence of TOTAL RECALL here, as both films consist of Schwarzenegger on the run from government criminals who are trying to execute him, and both rely on hi-tech gear to impress. For instance, Arnold buys a life-like doll for his daughter which sits in the back of a taxi with him and makes annoying comments. Compare this with the scene in TOTAL RECALL where Schwarzenegger enters a "Johnny-cab" and has to put up with an irritating dummy who can't understand his instructions. The resemblance is uncanny.What this film does have is an intelligent story which basically explores all the areas of cloning, what it means, how it's done, and what effect it may have on humanity. The strength of the story is what makes this film watchable, if not unmissable. Sadly if only they'd done away with the lame villains and stupid comedy it would have been a lot better, if darker. One thing I did enjoy were the scenes that Arnie shares with his clone - strangely, it made me think of the two Van Dammes for the price of one in DOUBLE IMPACT. These are pretty funny and cool, just like Arnie himself. Let's hope he makes some good movies like he used to before he gets too old for it...

The 6th Day is a brash, in your face sci fi actioner with some deft scientific notions that it plays around with in near satirical fashion. It chooses to shoot most of its scenes in my hometown of Vancouver, including a set piece atop the spiral shaped Vancouver Public Library tat sends sparks raining down into the streets and choppers spinning wildly to their demise. I love when films shoot here, because it gives my city an exciting chance to be a part of escapism, and it's amusing to watch them digitally maim all sorts of landmarks and then chuckle as I see them intact on my way to work the next day. Schwarzenegger, in one of his last great flicks before his deliberate hiatus (we shall not speak of the abomination that is Collateral Damage), plays Adam Gibson, a helicopter tour guide who has a strange blackout in mid flight while transporting the CEO of a swanky scientific corporation (slick Tony Goldwyn). He arrives back home to find a clone of himself living with his family, and things only get weirder from there. He has stumbled into the inner workings of extremely illegal experiments involving human replication, and Goldwyn & Co. are none too pleased about it. Goldwyn has secretly made human cloning an everyday thing for the company, hidden from the aging eyes of the moral upright doctor who founded the company (Robert Duvall). This is all enforced by a ruthless corporate thug for hire (Michael Rooker) and his foxy assistant (Sarah Wynter). Schwarzenegger is faced with the daunting task of taking down this un-sanctioned empire, reclaiming his family and blowing up some stuff along the way. It's a terrific flick, and Arnie gets to say the best line he's ever spoken, directed at Goldwyn, which I won't spoil here but it's pure gold. Goldwyn is hateable and malicious, the horrific third act prosthetics fitting him like a slimy glove. Duvall strikes a noble chord and almost seems to have wandered in from a more serious film. Rooker is intense, evil and scene stealing as always. Watch for Wendy Crewson, Michael Rapaport and Terry Crews as well. In a movie so committed to the trademark Ahnuld fireworks, it's cool to get a whiff of actual thought provoking, Asimov-esque intrigue with the cloning, a concept which is fully utilized and really a lot of fun here.

Adam Gibson (Arnold Schwarzenegger) heads to work one day and on his return from work he discovers a clone of himself celebrating his birthday with his family. Cloning of humans is illegal and, for Gibson, discovering his clone is potentially bad news for both Gibson and his family as it means that the secret that they're trying to protect could end up becoming common knowledge. The organisation responsible for cloning Gibson will do everything in their power to protect their secret even if it means killing Gibson and his family.As a concept, this is very interesting and it's the sort of film that provides you with a nice piece of escapism. The subject matter of cloning humans is ripe for all kinds of social commentary - would you want another chance at living again after you've died or would you just rather die naturally and let your loved ones mourn you and leave your memories with them? Although the cloning aspect is a forerunner for the film I did like the idea that one aspect of the film showed someone who didn't want to be cloned - yes it's too far-fetched to be taken seriously (it's science fiction after all), but it does make you think whilst the film is running.As with most Arnie films, this one is very entertaining and lots of fun. Hank and his virtual girlfriend, the virtual lawyer and the virtual psychiatrist - all these characters were only in the film for a short period of time, but all of them were very memorable and very funny. I think the funniest part of the film was when Gibson was trying to ring the police and he kept being given lots of options before he could be connected to the police. This may have been mildly amusing back in 2000, but in 2015 when virtually every number that you ring now gives you these irritating options before you can actually speak to a person ultimately made that scene incredibly funny. When the two 'Arnies' cross paths later in the film these scenes also provide for some very funny exchanges. Arnie doesn't have quite as many 'one liners' as in previous outings, but we're treated to a great one towards the end of the film.As much as I enjoyed this film I did find one or two weaknesses; I understand that the idea of cloning animals was referenced in the film because it's legal to clone animals, but illegal to clone humans. However, I felt it would have been better if the writers had just made it about cloning humans. The idea of cloning animals just isn't that interesting and the fact that it seemed important at the start and then was ignored for the rest of the film also seemed a little bit strange. I also felt the finale was a little over-blown and ran on for too long, but these are minor issues.Despite some minor issues with the plotting, The 6th Day is an entertaining, fun and mostly thought-provoking film that is well worth watching. Whilst it doesn't quite reach the greatness of Total Recall (Arnie's other big sci-fi film) it's still a very good film that fans of Arnie and fans of sci-fi will not be disappointed with.