Nicolas Cage has made a LOT of movies. in 2009, he got everything right by choosing KNOWING as his next project.
As the film opens in 1959, we watch school children prepare a drawing of the future to be placed in a time capsule. A quiet girl named Lucinda decides to fill both sides of her page with spewed numbers, rolling out of her at a seemingly endless pace.
The film moves forward 50 years to 2009. MIT Professor John Koestler (Cage) is a single dad, raising his young son Caleb, who happens to get Lucinda's letter when the time capsule is opened.
Almost immediately, spooky things begin to happen, including middle of the night visits from ethereal, still figures that seem to be watching Caleb.
Being an MIT scientist (a role perfectly suited to Cage's quirky line delivery) John discovers a pattern in the numbers that seems to predict man-made disasters with the exact date and body count.
But what are the other numbers on the pages?
Half mystery and half thriller, KNOWING pulls you in quickly. Director Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City) does a great job making every moment seem real and drawing great performances out of Cage and young Chandler Canterbury (Fringe) as Caleb.
John realizes that the numbers dont only recall past tragedies, it predicts new ones in the future.
There are two jaw dropping sequences, a passenger airline crash and a subway disaster, that immerse you in the middle of the events. Both are incredibly well staged by the special effects team. This isn't a movie you want to watch on an airplane.
Only upon repeat viewings do you realize that the entire plane crash sequence is one long, continuous camera shot without editing. How they staged that, I have no idea, but its fantastic.
Rose Byrne (Spy, Bridesmaids) is Lucinda's daughter, with a daughter of her own. Both are pulled into the mystery by John in his quest to understand the numbers.
The problem with this kind of film is that the story sets up almost impossible expectations for the ending, but I think Proyas, the cast and the special effects team deliver again, with a moving, thoughtful ending that's visually arresting.
It's my favorite Nicolas Cage film. Maybe he ought to play MIT professors more often.
KNOWING is a fun, exciting mystery that still holds up for repeat viewings even after you know its secrets.
What happens when the numbers run out? If you haven't seen this one, check it out. KNOWING gets an A.
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