columbia / 1 : 52 / 1997 / pg-13 ( language , violence , sex , brief nudity ) cast : ethan hawke ; uma thurman ; jude law ; gore vidal ; alan arkin ; loren dean ; elias koteas ; xander berkeley ; jayne brook ; tony shalhoub director : andrew niccol screenplay : andrew niccol " gattaca " represents a solid breakthrough in the recent onslaught of science-fiction films -- it's a genre picture that doesn't rely on alien creatures or loud explosions to tell its story . the movie takes place in a futuristic world where babies are created through genetic tampering and not sexual reproduction . this allows parents to predetermine what kind of eye color , intelligence and life span they'd like for their child , and also eliminates most pesky chances of health defects . those made the old-fashioned way are labeled as " in-valids " and confined to the lower rung of society . vincent freeman ( ethan hawke ) is one such person , born not too long before the genetic process was perfected and forced to grow up in a home with his petrie dish-molded younger brother anton . fed up with being second-rate and enchanted by dreams of one day traveling through space , vincent leaves home and takes a janitorial position at the gattaca aerospace corporation . everyday , he watches as " superior " folk make his fantasy a reality . determined to do the same , vincent meets a dna broker ( tony shalhoub in a funny cameo ) who sells fake identities to in-valids . his counterpart for this scam is jerome morrow ( jude law ) , an ex-athlete left paralyzed in an accident and confined to a wheelchair for life . for a price and the promise of a caretaker , jerome supplies vincent with his identity , as well as blood , skin and urine samples for all of those pesky on-the-job tests and physical examinations -- this future is one where employees clock in by pricking their fingers instead of punching a time card . because of his drastically improved status , vincent is quickly propelled to a high position in gattaca , and catches the eye of comely co-worker irene ( uma thurman ) on the way -- obsessed with her own minor heart defect , she's enamored by his flawless persona she doesn't know is a lie . but on the figurative eve of his upcoming planetary departure , the mission director is murdered . two ardent detectives ( alan arkin and billy bathgate's loren dean ) determine the killer is on the inside of gattaca , and the sole clue they find at the crime scene -- one of vincent's eyelashes -- threatens to blow vincent's cover and derail his goal . even if " gattaca " were dramatically empty , it would still boast a sublime set of production credentials -- the film's look is dazzling without ever being flashy . first-time director/writer andrew niccol ( he also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming jim carrey drama " the truman show " ) demonstrates a keen eye for the stylish ; his collaboration with cinematographer slawomir idziak , production designer jan roelfs and costume designer colleen atwood result in a sophisticated composition that emanates classy , retro ambiance . an opening credits sequence -- where skin , nail and hair fragments fall in slow-motion through a colored camera lens -- displays these combined talents uncannily . niccol even utilizes voice-over narration ( a device almost always poorly-employed ) in an effective way . when it comes to acting , the movie is also flawless . ethan hawke does magnificent work , proving his ability to carry a film and reaffirming his enormously high charisma level . his chemistry with thurman is a bit on the icy side , but needfully so , adding to the setting's clinical chill . as the bitter jerome , jude law has a star-making presence , and it's his scenes with hawke that give the movie its fine emotional core . in " gattaca " 's series of final shots , the fates of vincent and jerome are superimposed over each other , and the effect is sad , lyrical and beautiful . things get a little strange as the movie nears its climax , when vincent's relationship with his brother comes back into view . the big dramatic culmination is a swim race , which is somewhat silly albeit beautifully photographed . still , the single most surprising aspect of gattaca is its use of backdrop -- it's successful sci-fi without showy special effects , it's a crisp thriller with character-driven thrills , it's a futuristic fable without blood and guts . even its murder mystery is relegated to a secondary subplot , ensuring that a smart story about smart people and smart science takes center stage . although it's portrayal of the upcoming century is grim , " gattaca " serves up one of the most thought-provoking societal forecasts ever depicted on film . © 1997 jamie peck e-mail : <a href= " mailto : jpeck1@gl . umbc . edu " >jpeck1@gl . umbc . edu</a> visit the reel deal online : <a href= " http : //www . gl . umbc . edu/~jpeck1/ " >http : //www . gl . umbc . edu/~jpeck1/</a> 
