Push
DIR: Paul McGuigan • WRI: David Bourla • PRO: Bruce Davey, Kyle Mann, David M. Richardson, Kerry Rock, Christa Vausbinder, William Vince, Glenn Williamson • DOP: Peter Sova • ED: Nicolas Trembasiewicz • DES: François Séguin • CAST: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou

Push is about people with different kinds of telekinetic abilities: Chris Evans can move things with his mind, Dakota Fanning can draw the future, and both of them are trying to locate a mysterious case, a girl who has escaped from a US government agency, and, in particular, Djimon Hounsou. They’re also being pursued by a gang of Asians who also have psychic abilities, and may or may not be involved with the aforementioned government agency. There’s a touch of Heroes about it, but it’s more frenetic, and the powers are based around different forms of telekinesis, and therefore less wide-ranging. It opens with a sequence involving Chris Evans as a child, his father and some as yet unknown baddies. This sets up the suspense pretty well, and is then followed by a credit sequence featuring a voice-over from Dakota Fanning, explaining the whole psychic situation. Once that’s done the film moves fast as fast can be, which is a good thing, because it might not be too believable otherwise (insofar as a film about telekinesis can be believable).

There’s also a romantic subplot, which thankfully doesn’t get in the way, and is intrinsic to the main plot, although the love interest in question turns into more of a weapon than a love interest. Of course this could be good or bad, depending on your point of view.

There are some pretty cool sequences, like the big fight towards the end, and another where Chris Evans corners Djimon Hounsou, and gets beaten up. The effects are also quite good. Some of the powers are a bit crap though. Sniffers, for example, smell things and know what you’ve been up to for the last few months. Perhaps this is realism of sorts: not everyone can have a cool power. Actually, in general the powers aren’t too good. Watchers predict a future that keeps changing and therefore turn out to be wrong a lot of the time. The fact that their powers seem to be increased with an injection (the film’s MacGuffin) or alcohol (Dakota Fanning drunk!) is also something that can only be described as an interesting choice.

It’s set in Hong Kong, which looks and sounds pretty cool and distinctive in the film, and provides a novelty for a story that isn’t hugely original, but is enjoyable enough. The mechanics of the plot get a bit muddled, but by the time that happens, you’re either into the movie or you’re not.

Tim Hanan
(Read biog here)

Rated 15A (see IFCO website for details)
Push is released on 20th February 2009
Push – Official website