The best, most thoughtful, most fun part of this effort from Gary Fleder based on a 1953 Philip Dick novel is that technology might become so advanced (or alien) that one might not even know one's identity as friend or enemy. And if one doesn't even know, then what kind of enemy is that? Rather sadly, in a way, this point is made very strongly in a quite early (and quite memorable) scene in "Impostor", and we don't really recapture those heady heights until the last 5 minutes. It's no secret (or even spoiler) that much of the film is devoted to having us wonder if our hero is ... or isn't. Simultaneously, we've got a routine-ish "fugitive on the run" movie, if one made reasonably compelling by the solid performance of Gary Sinese as Spencer Olham, as well as certain futuristic touches giving us the odd insight into the world in 2079. But since this is all taking place in a (very) long-distance (and pretty technologically implausible) war between Earth and Alpha Centauri that has necessitated far-reaching changes on our home planet, this reviewer at least felt regularly distracted by a yearning to home in more on that kind of topic (nicely rendered in "Starship Troopers"), as opposed to wondering whether Olham is going to manage to get through this door, slip down that dark and gloomy tunnel (much of this film is in over-subdued lighting), or find some other way to evade the next detector device. Maybe the small story illustrates the bigger picture, but here we have only hints of the latter, which we'd certainly like more of. What is quite interesting is interplay between Sinese's character and that of Cale (played by Mekhi Phifer), though the status of his group of outlaws goes somewhat unexplained. After all, Earth has a deadly alien enemy, so a desire on the part of some to rebel against a rather dictatorial regime can't help but look a bit of a finicky sideshow. A pretty good and nuanced performance is also turned in by Vincent D'Onofrio as Hathaway.Seasoned sci fi fans keen on seeing every film in the genre should not miss it (and Dick is Dick for all that - though the short story is still out there, on paper). Nor should Sinese aficionados pass up the chance (he also produced). Others may wonder if their time might not be better spent, though admittedly this is a short piece at less than 90 minutes before the credits roll.

Impostor is one of the lesser known stories by the master of Science Fiction, Philip K. Dick. It is so unknown, that one of his biggest fans, didn't even realize that this film was based on a story by Dick, until I saw it in the credits. As usual, the story is out of this world, as it takes place in the distance future, a future where the Earth is at war with an alien species. This species has the ability to clone humans in such a realistic way, that it is nearly impossible to detect them. Special military investigator, Hathaway (Vincent D'Onofrio), is tasked with figuring out who has been replaced. On the eve of a big announcement by the President, Hathaway intercepts a transmission claiming that her top military adviser, Dr. Spencer Olham (Gary Sinise), has been replaced. When Hathaway confronts Olham, he claims to have no knowledge of this, and unlike previous replicates, he has memories. As Hathaway prepares to eliminate Olham, he escapes to the surface, where he teams up with the exiled citizens who live there. Together they try to prove Olham's innocence, while avoiding being captured by Hathaway. Vincent D'Onofrio stars as Hathaway, and much like his role in Law & Order: Criminal Intent his intensity and determination are infectious. He's paired with Gary Sinise, an actor I'm always disappointed to see in a leading role, and whom always manages to surprise me with a great performance. He isn't what I'd call an action star, and may not have been ideal for the role of Olham, but he was very believable. Impostor was only one of Dick's short stories, but it is every bit as good as his better known works, which of course include; Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report. If you want to see a unique story that blends Science Fiction, Drama, and Action, look no further than Impostor.

If you like movies like total recall, you may like this movie.It is exciting to watch. However, when I think about it afterward, there are many things that are lame.For example, if a robot were to take over a human, why would it program itself to the point it doesn't know itself is a robot, and therefore can't carry out its mission in an efficient manner? Also, the movie showed a video clip of a previous robot being drilled. Why wasn't the robot programmed to explode when drilled? Why would the robot leave dead human bodies to be discovered in such obvious place? If they are as advanced as the human say they are, they ought to have a better way to get rid of a dead body.If the aliens want to assassin someone, once they get past the shield, they could just send a smart guided bomb, why bother with the robot thing?

A half-baked science fiction plodder in which Gary Sinise tries to convince the authorities he's not actually a body-snatching cyborg with a bomb in his heart. Originally intended as one-third of a short story anthology, the studio called an audible midway through production and stretched it to a feature length by itself. The lack of preparation is crippling, as bad effects, terrible scenery, atrocious dialog and a heavily padded plot are exposed and emphasized by the longer running time. Sinise's character, the intended heart and soul of the picture, is incendiary and unlikeable, a standoffish prick who makes an already-bad position worse for himself in almost every situation. The awful lines he spits (seriously, the worst-written dialog this side of The Room) aren't helped by a hyperactive editor, switching angles several times in a single sentence. Awful in almost every sense, at least it goes out with a bang.