In the new action-thriller from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott, written Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilli, it is dj vu that unexpectedly guides ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) agent Doug Carlin, played by Denzel Washington, through an investigation into a shattering crime.
Call in to recover evidence after a bomb sets off a cataclysmic explosion on a New Orleans Ferry, Carlin is about to discover what most people believe is only in their heads is actually something far more powerful, which will lead him on a mind-bending race to save hundreds of innocent people.
As Carlin's investigation deepens, it not only probes through the very fabric of space and time, but also becomes a love story, told in reverse, when Carlin discovers his puzzling connection to a woman whose past holds the key to stopping a catastrophe that could destroy their future. In the split second of a glance, without words yet with complete trust, Carlin takes one chance to change everything.
The sensation of dj vu has mystified human beings for centuries. The feeling hits at the strangest momentswhen we fall instantly and madly in love with a total stranger, when we arrive at a brand new place we know like the back of our hand, whenever events occur that inexplicably feel like they must have played out somehow, somewhere before in our lives.
Gray Areas
From philosophers to filmmakers, we have all wondered: Where does this feeling come from Is it all in the mind or does it emerge from some deeper reality Why does it happen What does it mean It is these gray areas that lie at the heart of the film.
Life's Big Mystery
I was swept up when I read Dj Vu's uniquely time-shifting, backwards-moving structure and its provocative exploration of one of life's most inexplicable experiences through the lens of a love story and a crime-solving thriller. I think we all have had the feeling that we have been somewhere beforeI've had it too. I used to have this dream about a particular place in Brooklyn, and then one day I went there and I couldn't help but feel like I had been there before. It's one of those big mysteries in life that I think everyone wants to get to the bottom of.
Bizarre Love Story
I was drawn not only to the thriller aspects of the story but to a relationship unlike any other I had ever encountered, that between my character and Claire Kuchever (played by Paula Patton), who, in a bizarre twist typical of the film's unexpected turns, appears to die before he gets to know her.
I like that a big part of this movie is a love story in reverse. My character encounters a young woman who's dead when he meets her, and then he gets a chance to watch her live. It sounds complicated at first, but with Jerry Bruckheimer and Tony Scott involved, I knew that it was going to be a great ride.
Voyeuristic Pleasure
I felt strong affinity for Paula Patton's performance. My character ends up watching every move Claire makes through satellite surveillance footage, leading up to her death. It is a bit voyeuristic, but it wasn't hard at all with a beautiful actress as Paula Patton. The camera loves her, and everybody in the room falls for her.
Working with ATF Agents
It helps to do research with real ATF agents like Jerry Rudden, who has spent 20 years in high-profile, post-blast investigations, such as the tragic explosion of the Alfred E. Murrah building in Oklahoma City and the 1993 car bombing of the World Trade Center.
You name it, Rudden was there and he knows what it's really like. It helped me to really understand how, as a bomb specialist, my character is not really as good at dealing with people as he is at dealing with evidence.
Shooting around New Orleans
Just being in New Orleans during those early days of its recovery was extremely moving. I was truly touched by the people that I met in New Orleans who were fighting to get back their lives. Katrina was a tragedy beyond imagination. I got in my truck everyday and just took rides around the city by myself to see mile after mile of devastation. I'll just never forget what I witnessed.
Facing Fear
I faced several moments of fear. There was this day when we were shooting under the Mississippi Bridge and just to get down to the set we had to climb over railings and shimmy on narrow planks while 350 feet in the air. I saw Tony Scott go over the side, but you know he has experience rock climbing. That is when ego comes into play. My faith was tested but it was cool, fun and exciting.
