1995 science fiction thriller Strange Days didn’t age particularly well, although this could be attributed mostly to the script by James Cameron and his wife (and film’s director) Kathryn Bigelow, too influenced by 1990s issues, including upcoming Y2K events and related anxietes. The plot is set in Los Angeles during the last days of 1999, a very near future that nevertheless features incredibly advanced technology that allows people to experience other peoples’ feelings and memories. Protagonist, played by Ralph Fiennes, is Nero, former policeman who now peddles so-called SQUID disks and who accidentally stumbles on a recording that shows police involved in murder of a charismatic Afroamerican rapper, an event that could trigger apocalyptic race riot. Strange Days, despite somewhat dodgy premise and despite far from being "1990s Blade Runner" (as some of the critics have hailed it), is nevertheless a very good film that features excellent acting, superb direction – especially in the scenes featuring SQUIDS recordings - and plenty of sequences in which Angela Bassett shines as genuine black female action hero.
RATING: 7/10