Contains brief discussion of murder, sexual assault, and racial violence.
The 1995 James Cameron-written cyberpunk thriller Strange Days proved to be a box office flop in its time and has failed to gain a cult following even now—in fact, barely anyone remembers this great 1990s action movie in spite of its big names. However, with its thematic relevance to present-day events, Strange Days deserves another look from modern audiences. Starring Ralph Fiennes as black market virtual reality (VR) dealer Lenny Nero, the film explores the societal impact of technological advances and mass violence.
Many great sci-fi movies got the future wrong, but oddly enough, Strange Days managed to predict quite a few things about the turn of the century as well as the American zeitgeist 30 years later. Civil unrest, police brutality, political corruption, and societal desensitization to mass violence are just a few themes from Strange Days, and while these heavy ethical motifs are arguably what makes the film great, they may also have led to this underrated 90s sci-fi masterpiece’s commercial failure.
1995 Movie Strange Days Is Underrated & Deserves Another Look
The Cyberpunk Tech Noir Is Full Of Culturally Relevant Themes, Even 30 Years Later
Sci-fi thriller Strange Days follows Lenny Nero, a former LAPD officer turned black market VR dealer. Nero and his assistant, Mace (Angela Bassett), work to untangle a web of police corruption after Nero witnesses the murder and rape of a young woman through his haunting discovery of a VR snuff tape. Simultaneously, the murder of rapper Jeriko One (Glenn Plummer) sends dystopian Los Angeles into a state of civil unrest at the turn of the century on New Year’s Eve, 1999.
Ralph Fiennes has one of the most exciting careers in Hollywood. From Schindler's List to Harry Potter, the actor has starred in many acclaimed films.
Following on the heels of the heavily televised Rodney King beating, Strange Days’ heavy motifs called into question the social impacts of modern America’s chronic voyeurism of violence. Plenty of sci-fi movies have aged poorly, but with footage of police brutality and even mass shootings being widely broadcast in recent years, Strange Days has become more culturally relevant than ever. In addition to the social unrest created by widespread racial violence, Strange Days predicted the recent advent of VR porn and explored the potential for the growing porn industry to promote rape culture and femicide.
Why Strange Days Wasn't A Bigger Success Upon Release, Despite Big Names Involved
The Film's Commercial Failure May Be Because Of Poor Execution Of Its Ending
Despite being one of the best tech noir movies of all time, Strange Days grossed less than a quarter of its budget worldwide upon the film’s original release. With James Cameron (Terminator, Avatar) as the writer and Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker) at its helm, the poor reception of the film is shocking. Famed critic Roger Ebert gave Strange Days four stars mere days after its 1995 release, but his high praise seemed to have been the exception rather than the rule. Contemporary audiences clearly missed the point of Strange Days, and this could be down to plot execution.
Modern audiences agree that the premise of this cyberpunk thriller is sound; however, the story told by Strange Days seems to have gotten in its own way, as much of its contemporary criticism centered around the plot rather than the thematic content. With a few less-than-believable plot elements arising toward the end, the social commentary in Strange Days’ thematic motifs may have been overlooked in the film’s drawn-out and somewhat frenetic conclusion.
“It’s revealing, how a scene like that seems so much more sad and distressing than the more graphic scenes of violence we see all the time in the movies: Bigelow is able to exploit the idea of what is happening; she forces her audience to deal with the screen reality, instead of allowing us to process it as routine 'action.'”
-Roger Ebert, discussing Strange Days (1995) snuff tape scene
It is equally possible, however, that the sci-fi genre of the time was perhaps uncomfortable with the social and ethical concepts explored by the film. Once the content of the film is examined beyond the surface level, Strange Daysforces the viewer to re-evaluate their role as consumers of violence as entertainment, and the impact this consumption may have on our society.
Strange Days is a science fiction film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, set in the near future of 1999. The plot revolves around ex-cop Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes), who deals in illegal virtual reality recordings. As the city erupts in chaos, Nero uncovers a conspiracy linked to the recordings, involving a range of characters played by Angela Bassett and Juliette Lewis. The film explores themes of technology and socio-political unrest.
Release Date
October 13, 1995
Runtime
145 Minutes
Main Genre
Sci-Fi
CastRalph Fiennes
, Angela Bassett
, Juliette Lewis
, Tom Sizemore
, Michael Wincott
, Vincent D'Onofrio
, Glenn Plummer
, Brigitte Bako
, Richard Edson
, William Fichtner
, Josef Sommer
, Joe Urla
, Nicky Katt
, Michael Jace
, Louise LeCavalier
, David Carrera
, Jim Ishida
, Todd Graff
, Malcolm Norrington
, Anais Munoz
, Ted Haler
, Rio Hackford
, Brook Susan Parker
, Brandon Hammond
, Donald Donnie Young
Character(s)
Lenny Nero
, Lornette Mace Mason
, Faith Justin
, Max Peltier
, Philo Gant
, Burton Steckler
, Jeriko One
, Iris
, Tick
, Dwayne Engelman
, Palmer Strickland
, Keith
, Joey Corto
, Wade Beemer
, Cindy Vita Minh
, Duncan
, Mr. Fumitsu
, Tex Arcana
, Replay
, Diamanda
, Tow Truck Driver
, Bobby the Bartender
, Cecile
, Zander
, Young Zander
Custom image by Milica Djordjevic
English (US) ·