Total Recall (1990)

 Third viewing; previously viewed on January 2, 1991 and July 20, 2001.

A construction worker has recurring nightmares about Mars; he undergoes a memory implant procedure which goes wrong, and after which he is hunted by some agents linked with the Martian government.

Sci-fi action thriller with an imaginative plot and very vivid imagery with an emphasis on violence. It is an engaging film, albeit a slightly disturbing one; the leftwing orientation of its storyline contrasts with stylistic elements wich are more commonly associated with the Right. Christopher Mulrooney's short analysis calls it "Borgesian", presumably because of its parallels with Theme of the Traitor and the Hero.

Rating: 73 (up from 67)