Total Recall

Paul Verhoeven, USA, 1990, 109 minutes

'We Can Remember it for you Wholesale', a short story by Philip K. Dick provides the basis for this stunning Arnie movie. Arnie is just an ordinary labourer with the not-so-ordinary Sharon Stone as his athletic wife. He decides to go to Recall Inc. where they sell memories of a holiday for you. They can imprint the memory of a holiday to Mars, which is far safer than going there by space shuttle. Also it has no atmosphere. They guarantee you the holiday of a lifetime. Arnie buys a secret agent holiday and sits back in the machine to enjoy the experience. But here's the twist - is what happens all part of the memory imprint or is he really someone else, who has been living a sham? What follows is a wonderfully orchestrated sequence of bone-crushing violence and beautiful sets with far more dialogue coming from the Schwarzenegger lips than usual and there is far more to enjoy.

The over-hyped Terminator 2 seems to rely on the overuse of one special effect to carry it through. Total Recall has real action, Oscar-winning special effects, is visually satisfying and is the best Sci-Fi film of the nineties so far. Is Arnie the ordinary guy with an extraordinary holiday imprinted in his memory, or is he someone else who can bring salvation to the oppressed mutant freedom fighters on Mars? Does it really matter?

Review by Neill Harcus
Taken from EUFS Programme 1992-93