I really can't explain why this film bombed in the box office with just 34 millions gross in USA and just 96 millions gross worldwide. I also can't explain why this film never took positive reviews from the critics and even from a lot of fans it's considered an average Arnold B-Movie when it's exactly the opposite. this film is not only an A grade movie but it's the best movie in years from this genre. I think it's even better than Arnold's masterpiece total recall. the reason is not only that it had a lot of action a great plot and twists but it's also brought the dilemma of where the human race is going if those clone experiments become reality in our lives. cloning is already happening today and this film foretold that some 20 years ago. it's a film which foretold the near future and it's considered an average film ? really ? this film should be re-released now and gross like a billion dollars. morals....all are tested in this film. personally I love all of Arnold's films but if I had to choose ONE film from him to have I would pick this one without a further thinking. one of the few films that gets from me not just an A grade but an A ++++++

It's simply a case of "good idea, bad execution" with this flashy movie which has a great plot - based in 'the near future', it's actually not far from reality - but lots of irritating stylistic bits which really let it down. The inclusion of a loud pop song into the brew didn't help one bit either. We watch things happen in slow-motion, images shake and shudder on the screen, mixing together bits from THE MATRIX and ENEMY OF THE STATE to no good effect. Whereas those two films benefited substantially from such gimmicks, THE SIXTH DAY merely looks shallow and pretentious.Oh, how the flaws with this film are endless. For a start there's the finale, which goes on half an hour too long (something I've never said before about a Schwarzenegger movie), and then there's the action. To put it bluntly, this may have been a better film without the flashy action which doesn't do it any favours. From a silly laser shootout to a hectic car chase, this film just doesn't generate the thrills and spills of other, better action movies. I like my action detailed, whereas things happen in such a rush here that it's difficult to keep track of what's going on. Sure, Arnie gets to fight in a variety of locations, but slowing things down a little would have been a better bet. It seems like their hearts just weren't in it - bring back James Cameron, I say.Another flaw of the movie is to bring in unnecessary comic relief where none is needed. Two supremely irritating villains are there for comic relief purposes. They also lack any menace altogether - one sports blue hair, the other an eyebrow ring. They look more like goths or hippies than any substantial threat. The lightness of the script means that it's difficult to care about any of the characters or even understand them, and my liking of Arnie came from him as an actor, not the character he portrays.Arnie's acting is this film's main highlight, for me at least. Schwarzenegger really seems to have developed as an actor over the years, and here he's likable and believable as a friendly family man caught up in the chaos. While lacking the mean edge which outlined some of his earlier offerings, his screen presence is still powerful enough to make you believe he's capable of performing all the major stunts that he pulls here. A glimpse of a bulging muscle is enough to convince me that the 54 year old star isn't past it just yet. He's also pretty funny, especially when delivering throwaway lines like "I might be back" and "I know who I am!".There are two other good actors in the film. Michael Rooker looks very evil as a government heavy, although unfortunately he doesn't get to do anything too horrible to anybody. Elsewhere, Robert Duvall is also pretty good as a misguided scientist who predictably turns his back on the experiments he started with devastating results. Michael Rapaport is okay in a light relief role as Arnie's helicopter buddy, but the bland Tony Goldwyn is supremely miscast as the chief villain, as his wooden acting really lets the film down. Couldn't they have gone for somebody with a bit of menace? The music, like the action, is superficial and forgettable. The special effects are adequate, but why do they insist on throwing in dodgy-looking CGI (here in the form of super-helicopters) all the time? Some of the laser fights look all right, as does the "abomination" at the end, a clone who has only been 84% created - resulting in a slimy, icky creature that looks like Seth Brundle in THE FLY when he was between his "human" and "fly" stages. Sadly, most of the violence is kept off screen, and the only really strong bits I remember are a neck breaking (treated as a joke) and somebody getting their foot shot off (it doesn't matter, as these characters can simply clone themselves again). At one stage in the film's finale it looks like we're in for a nicely gruesome scene showing a baddie getting cut in two with a helicopter blade, but it just doesn't happen.Another thing that annoyed me were the amount of clichés present in this film. Plenty of times I had a sense of déjà vu, starting right from the moment there's a car chase and music very similar TERMINATOR 2 pops up. Most noticeably, though, is the influence of TOTAL RECALL here, as both films consist of Schwarzenegger on the run from government criminals who are trying to execute him, and both rely on hi-tech gear to impress. For instance, Arnold buys a life-like doll for his daughter which sits in the back of a taxi with him and makes annoying comments. Compare this with the scene in TOTAL RECALL where Schwarzenegger enters a "Johnny-cab" and has to put up with an irritating dummy who can't understand his instructions. The resemblance is uncanny.What this film does have is an intelligent story which basically explores all the areas of cloning, what it means, how it's done, and what effect it may have on humanity. The strength of the story is what makes this film watchable, if not unmissable. Sadly if only they'd done away with the lame villains and stupid comedy it would have been a lot better, if darker. One thing I did enjoy were the scenes that Arnie shares with his clone - strangely, it made me think of the two Van Dammes for the price of one in DOUBLE IMPACT. These are pretty funny and cool, just like Arnie himself. Let's hope he makes some good movies like he used to before he gets too old for it...

Watching this film again some 15 years later I was struck by how lousy the script was crafted. Not just the expected stupid one-liners for Arnold, making fun of his earlier film triumphs, but how structurally deficient it is.Major plot hole, through which one could drive a fleet of trucks, is the most basic element of the screenplay. At the beginning we have the setup of colleague played by Michael Rapaport substituting for Schwarzenegger in flying the helicopter. This telegraphs to the audience that something serious will happen - clearly the death of Michael in place of Arnold is way too obvious an expectation. A talented scriptwriter, even for the most rudimentary TV show episode, will slip in such detail oh so subtly or masked by endless other details, so the viewer will only remember it afterward as a key foreshadowing. Not so here.Then for the film's biggest twist during Act III, we have a rather clumsy trotting out of the inevitable issue with clones or doppelgangers (or sometimes even twins) in pulp entertainment. It is revealed that the main protagonist through whom we have been observing all the action for an hour and a half of watching the movie is not the real character but rather Arnold's clone. That is certainly the corniest possible twist in this genre, but the scripters completely muff it. The big reveal is based on an ellipsis wherein the character seems to blacking -we saw a dissolve on screen with him getting out of a cab to go home as the original set-up, used retroactively to explain that it was really the clone in the cab. But here is where this plot twist unravels: while it is theoretically possible that the real Arnold has gone home earlier and is with his family, it is not credible that the evil bad guys led by mastermind Tony Goldwyn (and his scientist Robert Duvall) would send their cloned Arnold out into the world, into the cab and headed back home without checking (or at least double-checking) on what awaits him there. True, scenario posits that they think Arnold is dead in the 'copter crash, because they're unaware that Rapaport switched assignments with him and signed in falsely. But we're supposed to swallow that the mix-up has extended so far that the two Arnolds end up at home together. It's patently ridiculous, and just a gimmick so that the audience later on can feel that frisson of uh-oh! I'm a clone, not the real thing, identifying with the protagonist.Instead of this being a cute twist, it makes the rest of the film fall apart completely. The key element of plot in the final reels that Tony has secretly programmed the DNA of all the clones to make them defective so that they cannot represent a long- term threat creates sympathy for Arnold's clone, since it too is doomed in this manner just as Duvall's wife/clone was, but to create a paper-thin "happy ending" for not just Arnold but also his clone (since after all, we the audience have been and continue to identify with the clone) the scripters concoct a vacation-like trip for the clone at the end of the film "to find himself". Sounds good, if corny, on paper, but all he'll find is some horrible illness given Danny's careful booby-trapping of all his clones. Like the original twist, the screenwriters assume the viewer is an idiot who cannot put facts together to reach a conclusion, but will simply assimilate, scene by scene, whatever b.s. is handed out. That is a Hollywood tradition, but I am compelled to point out how lame these key structural errors (which could have been easily avoided) are in "The 6th Day". I admired director Roger Spottiswoode's early work, but this film evidences a drastic decline in quality later in his career - surely he could have demanded some more rewrites.

Years ago when I became a avid Schwarzenegger fan I remember watching The 6th Day and really not liking it much. I decided to check it out again recently and found myself pleasantly surprised that this is actually a great movie. It was one of Schwarzenegger's last films before he became Governor and it wasn't during the prime of his career. It was a colossal flop and is generally considering one of his worse but why? I hazard to say that this is almost on par with Total Recall. Set in the near future he is tough as nails, there is TWO of him, great one liners, terrific action...this was a lot of fun and exactly what you'd want from a Schwarzenegger film. It's interesting too that apparently it is set in 2015 (the current year) because it it still far ahead of where we are in reality but its still not completely "out there" for a Science Fiction movie. The concept is terrific and a cast that is outstanding. Its not a perfect movie and there are some rather campy moments mostly by Schwarzenegger but isn't that what we love about him? (Happy Birthday to him too as today is his Birthday.) The 6th Day is fun and well written with a strong cast and I can't imagine why I didn't like it the first time.Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't handle dual roles well. In fact, the special effects or double used in scenes with both of them is not great, in fact sometimes its terrible. There are scenes at the end where it blatantly clear its not him. His character is simple enough and doesn't have a lot of depth but he serves his purpose in running, chasing, shooting, fighting, delivering one liners and upending evil. This is what he does best and I think it was just timing that made it not successful. The cast of this film is outstanding as mentioned. Tony Goldwyn gives a great performance as the villainous Drucker. In the first half of the film I felt like he was underplayed but he definitely stands out in the latter half and is a great villain. You can't beat the closing scenes of him as a half formed clone. Michael Rooker is perfection as the main henchman, Michael Rapaport, Sarah Wynter, Terry Crews and of course Robert Duvall who plays a small but important part and is always a great addition to any cast. Each person mentioned has a good strong role and is well used in supporting parts.I admit that as a kid of the 80's who fell in love with that era of films I judge all action films by those standards. Putting aside the extremely sketchy special effects at various times, the action is well paced and balls to the wall so to speak. The end scene for the villain is fantastic and he himself turns out to be great as mentioned previously. The film is ending is very cut and dry and adds to the cheese of the film but I'm okay with that. Its just unfortunate they couldn't finely tune the tone of the movie to the rest of the good aspects. Regardless no one is watching Schwarzenegger films to Academy Award winning material (not that he doesn't deserve one in my opinion) but if you love Sci-Fi then there is plenty to really sink your teeth into here. A terrific obligatory car chase scene, tons of shoot outs and a story that works when it comes to clones. Even if you've seen it before like I had, give it another chance. You might be surprised. I certainly was!! 8/10