Deja Vu is a contemporary film with reference to science-fiction, and depicts ATF agent Douglas Carlin who travels back in time to save a woman with whom he falls in love from a terrorsit attack. The film is set in New Orleans.
Genre
The film is a crime-thriller, with some science-fiction undertones. The generic audience expectations at the beginning of the film are challenged in one sense, in that there is no dialogue to show how the narrative is progressing and there is no appearance of the main character. However, as with many thrillers there is a 'calm before the storm' effect, with joyuous scenes of celebration on the boat that the naval forces are on. This is reinforced by the music used in the piece, which seems eerily happy, creating tension and dramatic irony as though the setting is utopian, when in reality something is bound to go wrong, as it does.
Film Language
As with Cinderella Man, Deja Vu also uses typewriter font in its title sequence, however in this instance it is to convey the crime theme that underpins the story. We learn little or nothing about the characters within the film, as the main characters are not present within the opening sequence of the film.
The use of sound and mise-en-scene is particularly effective within the sequence; a security guard peers through the window of a car after hearing the radio on, and sees that the keys are still in the ignition. The sound in the background is the song 'Don't Worry Baby' by the Beach Boys, and as it plays a ticking noise starts to become apparent over the top of it; as the ticking becomes louder, the man moves further down the car, when he peers through the rear window to see bombs; the bomb the goes off and the boat explodes. The use of sound therefore creates dramatic irony, as the song creates a relaxed mood and feel as if there is nothing to worry about, whilst in reality, in the last few seconds of the guards' life he has a lot to be concerned with as he knows a bomb is about to explode.
Narrative
The opening sequence of the film is difficult to distinguish between being montage edited and continuity edited, as although it does show events unfolding through time, the events are not following one person constantly, and are at points shown in slow motion, meaning that time is being manipulated and therefore there is no continuous line of action. There are no major themes present in the narrative, but instead the sequence helps to set the scene for the rest of the film.
Representation and ideology
There is little to mention in regard to the representation of social groups within this opening, as there is no substantial dialogue within the opening sequence. However, conforming with contemporary viewpoints, there is equal representation of ethnicity in the sequence, and it could therefore be argued that the opening presents a dominant or even emergent ideology, and is therefore a progressive text.
Media Audiences
The film could be described as a tried and tested formula, in that it is a crime thriller with action sequences, and thus the target audience is likely to been male teenagers or young adults.
Institutional context
Denzel Washington is the main character, Douglas Carlin, and often plays lead roles in similar crime-thriller films, for example 'Inside Man'. The film was not produced by a large media conglomerate, however it was released by Touchstone Pictures.
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