Strange Days (1995)
76%RT Audience Score: 73%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 4 nominations
Strange Days is a film that takes the viewer on a wild ride through a dystopian future that is both thrilling and thought-provoking. Director Kathryn Bigelow’s vision of a world where virtual reality has become a dangerous addiction is both prescient and unsettling. While the film may have its flaws, including a convoluted plot and some dated special effects, it remains a unique and unforgettable cinematic experience. With its blend of science fiction, social commentary, and murder mystery, Strange Days is a film that demands to be seen and discussed.
Strange Days is a wild ride that takes you on a journey through a not-too-distant future where virtual reality is the norm. While some critics may find fault with the film’s execution, I found it to be a thrilling and thought-provoking experience. Kathryn Bigelow’s direction is masterful, and the performances from the cast are top-notch. If you’re looking for a sci-fi thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Strange Days is definitely worth a watch. Just don’t forget to buckle up!
Production Company(ies)
CNN Films, Statement Pictures,
Distributor
20th Century Fox, Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites – 404 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for intense disturbing violence, sexuality and pervasive strong language
Year of Release
1995
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1 (original/open matte)
-
Runtime:2h 25m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 13, 1995 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 3, 2004
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D’Onofrio, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, written by James Cameron, Jay Cocks, produced by Steven-Charles Jaffe, James Cameron, Mystery & thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Juan M Mendez, Ange Anderson, Jack Kroll, Owen Gleiberman, Rick Groen, Brian Eggert, Jason Shawhan, Margaret A McGurk, Travis Johnson, MPAA rating R, virtual reality, murder mystery, police conspiracy, bootlegs, emotions, past experiences, bodyguard
Worldwide gross: $7,959,291
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,650,830
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,804
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,706,743
US/Canada gross: $7,959,291
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,650,830
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,485
US/Canada opening weekend: $31,062
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $61,079
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,135
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $42,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $82,587,114
Production budget ranking: 509
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $44,473,161
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$111,409,444
ROI to date (est.): -88%
ROI ranking: 1,945
Angela Bassett – Lornette “Mace” Mason
Juliette Lewis – Faith Justin
Tom Sizemore – Max Peltier
Michael Wincott – Philo Gant
Vincent D’Onofrio – Burton Steckler
Director(s)
Kathryn Bigelow
Writer(s)
James Cameron, Jay Cocks
Producer(s)
Steven-Charles Jaffe, James Cameron
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (34) | Rotten (18)
What this movie is ultimately saying is, don’t think at all.
June 7, 2022 | Rating: 2/4
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Strange Days is not a simple film, but a profound sensory experience, where the filmmaker is the prophet of a reality just around the corner.
August 18, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Juan M. Mendez
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Strange Days does something most dystopian films don’t: it presents a future where we aren’t all unhappily oppressed in a similar fashion.
December 29, 2020
Ange Anderson
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
Director Kathryn Bigelow comes closer than any other filmmaker to turning movies into a virtual reality trip.
January 18, 2013
Jack Kroll
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Once the premise has lost its promise, and Fiennes’s brave attempts at characterization are sacrificed to pseudo-dazzle, everything appears awfully humdrum and, yes, distinctly dated.
April 12, 2002
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
It proved so ahead of its time, so involved in its myriad of narrative threads, so full of virtuosic formal innovations, so rich in its cultural commentary, and so sybilline in its portrait of the future that its reappraisal seemed inevitable
June 17, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
The intervening 27 years have bolstered the films reputation as a singular vision of the not-too-distant future.
April 5, 2022
Jason Shawhan
Nashville Scene
Strange Days is a careening, high-decibel vision of the near future that combines science fiction, murder mystery and social commentary. It is not entirely successful, but it’s a worthy effort.
August 19, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
Kathryn Bigelow’s propulsive sci-fi thriller Strange Days is a stone cold, ass-kicking classic.
June 29, 2021
Travis Johnson
Blunt Magazine
Fortunately, the very convincing performances along with the entire climax of the film, helps to cover the problems of its realization and its script. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 24, 2019
Sergio Benítez
Espinof
Strange Days hurtles down the track for two hours, frantically trying to warn us en route to the Big Switchback, only to pull up in a hiss of smoke and hot air.
January 30, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/5
Harlan Jacobson
TV Guide…
Plot
In 1999, Los Angeles is racial war zone with the army and LSPD and SWAT officers fighting Afro-American people. The former cop Lenny Nero is a dealer of illegal recording in CDs that gives the memories and sensations of the recorder to the user. He buys the recordings from the supplier Tick; he misses his former mistress Faith, who was a hooker and now is a singer; his best friend is the private eye Max Peltier and the limousine driver Lornette ‘Mace’ Mason, who has unrequited love for him. Two days before the turn of the century, the black rapper Jeriko One is murdered. The hooker Iris seeks Lenny out but there is an incident and they do not talk to each other. However she drops a recording into Lenny’s car while he unsuccessfully tries to meet Faith at a night-club. However her boyfriend Philo Gant does not let them talk. When Lenny learns that Iris was sadistically raped and killed, he gets involved in a sick scheme and discovers dirty hidden secrets.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Ralph Fiennes stars as former policeman turned illegal virtual reality dealer in Strange Days.
Kathryn-Bigelow.jpg
