Cypher (2002)

Description[from Freebase]

Cypher (also known as Brainstorm), is a 2002 science fiction thriller film starring Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu. The film was written by Brian King and directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was shown in limited release in theaters in the USA, and released on DVD on August 2nd 2005. Morgan Sullivan (Northam), a recently unemployed accountant, is bored with his suburban life. Pressured by his wife to take a job with her father's company, he instead pursues a role in corporate espionage. Digicorp's Head of Security, Finster (Bennett), inducts Morgan, and assigns him a new identity. As Jack Thursby, he is sent to conventions to secretly record presentations and transmit them to headquarters. Sullivan is soon haunted by recurring nightmares and neck pain. When he meets Rita Foster (Liu) from a competing corporation, his life starts to become complicated. Rita gives him pills to cure his pain and nightmares, and tells him not to transmit at the next convention. After the convention, Digicorp confirms the receipt of his transmission, though Morgan sent nothing. Sure that something strange is going on, Morgan takes the pills Rita gave him. They work.

Review

Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu make an interesting pair in this high-tech story of spies, mind control, and corporate espionage. Alas, even the most attentive viewer will find it to be utterly baffling, with twist after twist completely screwing your mind into a knot. Sci-fi genre fans will find it engaging and different, but casual viewers will probably give up after the third or fourth brain probe.
by Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
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