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Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D'Onofrio, Tony Shalhoub, Tim Guinee ... see more see more... , Mekhi Phifer , Lindsay Crouse , Elizabeth Peņa , Brian Brophy , Scott Burkholder , Gary Dourdan , John Gatins , Erica Gimpel , Jonelle Kennedy , Ted King , Kimberly Scott , Tracey Walter , Melinda Ramos Renna , Veena Bidasha , Rachel Luttrell , Burt Bulos , Una Damon , Golden Brooks , Arly Jover , Jason Beck , Ivana Milicevic , Shane Brolly , Maury Sterling , Judy Jean Berns , Ellen Bradley , Morty Coyle , Yvette Ocampo Coyle , Cristos , Bayani Ison , Elizabeth Kate , Malea McGuinness , Diane Mizota , Adam Rodriguez , Shannon Saint Ryan , Greg Serand , Mac Sinise , Giovanni Sirchia , Julie Vitz , Tim Walsh , Dwayne Wycoff

This long-delayed science fiction thriller from director Gary Fleder was actually filmed prior to his box-office hit Don't Say a Word (2001), which preceded it in theaters by several months. Based on ... read more read more...a 1953 short story by Philip K. Dick, the film shares that schizophrenic author's long-running obsessions with concealed identity and humanity's potential inferiority to alternative life forms. Gary Sinise stars as Spencer John Olham, a respected government scientist in the year 2079 trying to devise a secret weapon that will help his fellow humans win a decade-long war with invading aliens that are cloning human subjects and using the replicas as walking time bombs. Suddenly, Olham is accused of being an alien spy and a nationwide manhunt to capture him ensues. With even his doctor wife (Madeleine Stowe) unsure that she can trust him, Olham must uncover the truth on his own, even as he's relentlessly pursued by Hathaway (Vincent D'Onofrio), a federal agent charged with destroying the clones. Imposter has a complicated history, originally produced in early 2000 as a 30-minute short to be included in an anthology entitled "The Light Years Trilogy," a project that never got off the ground. So impressed was Dimension Films with the completed piece, however, that the footage was incorporated into a new feature version. That film was then shuffled around the release schedule for more than a year as effects were completed, reshoots were ordered, and the film was recut for a PG-13 rating instead of its original R. The R-rated "director's cut" was later released on DVD. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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44% liked it

6,907 ratings

Critics

22% liked it

93 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Gary Fleder

Release Date: December 4, 2001

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DVD Release Date: July 9, 2002

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Stats: 300 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (300)

  • FiLmCrAzY
    April 29, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    i really enjoyed this movie it hasnt been given enough credit to be honest
    i like the the way its been set and the year its funny and action packed and with a twist the ending is a bit disappointing but the thing with a lot of films is that the entire film is brilliant and then... read more they sort of run out of time towards the end so they rush it but neverthe less worth a watch!
  • garyX
    April 1, 2009
    garyX
    Weapons designer Gary Sinise finds himself on the run in a warring future state after being accused of being an alien spy. Yet another potboiler based on a Philip K. Dick short story, Impostor doesn't really have the depth or invention to satisfyingly explore the source material'... read mores themes of identity and sense of self. It does however have some nice effects and production design, and a cast that although lacking in big name stars, does have enough in the way of solid character actors to keep you watching, including Vincent D'Onofrio, Tony Shalhoub and Madeleine Stowe. The rather straight to DVD style direction and unimaginative plot (it's basically just a long chase sequence) means it will win no prizes for originality, but taken as a no frills sci-fi B-movie it has enough action and twists to pass 80 minutes inoffensively enough. Nowhere near the best Philip K. Dick adaptation, but far from the worst.
  • superclerk25
    January 8, 2008
    superclerk25
    Great story and the casting was spot on. The action worked but the emotional conflict with the characters were what makes this a great movie.
  • Lyndaofwirral
    January 6, 2011
    Lyndaofwirral
    An underrated picture based on a story by sci-fi giant Philp K. Dick. The cast are generally excellent. The main plot is intelligent and thought provoking but the film loses the plot a bit when it tries too hard to be an action movie.
  • filmguy450
    November 26, 2009
    filmguy450
    Based upon a Phillip K. Dick story, and expanded from a short, this sci-fi "Fugitive" is an enjoyable, if unnecessary bit of techno fun.
  • ElisaLopez20
    March 6, 2009
    ElisaLopez20
    Based on the Phillip K. Dick short story "Impostor" is not exactly crystal clear or, for that matter, consistently compelling, but it does a good job of making its main point, which is to evoke the suffocating, ever-spiraling paranoia so easily triggered in such an environment. I... read moret evokes a pervasive feeling of uncertainty that lies at the heart of the human condition, a feeling that logically will only intensify in a future when it becomes increasingly difficult, if not downright impossible, to distinguish the real from the artificial, even within one's self.

    Sinise and the supporting cast are on target with their focused portrayals and Mark Isham's score is at once elegant and ominous, a major asset in creating and sustaining a tense atmosphere. The directing is top-notch as well, with a great twist ending.

    "Impostor" is likely to be best appreciated by dedicated sci-fi fans, which I definately am, but if you find the question - "How can you know what you know or who you are when all your ideas are filtered through your own biased and highly fallible consciousness?" - even a tad bit intriguing then this is a movie for you to see. A thinking man's sci-fi flick staying true to Dick's original story and spirit.
  • jes25924
    September 16, 2008
    jes25924
    The end makes the movie(I saw a directors cut), so it might be different on other versions. The story is traditional, light PKD. A weapons designer, is caught in a case of mistaken identity, when the government thinks he is actually a highly advanced...(read more) alien bomb. To ... read morecomplicate things, he's been dosed with a high grade hullucinagen, which only increases his paranoi and subjectivity.

    Like so many "man wrongly accused" stories, there's alot of light footed thriller action (some which resemble Minority Report), another Dick story from the same year. Most of which is pretty standard and forgetful.

    What I liked about this was that it stuck to it's premise, didn't interject too many other sci-fi tropes to keep up it's energy(it does get a little slow), and actually had an ending worthy of bieng a Philip K. Dick story.

    The ending is more than just a twist for twists sake, it really does alter the way we have viewed the story until thent, and it calls into questionthe accepted ideas about things like love, authencity, what it means to be a "self", etc.

    Those familiar with this type of thing, won't be shocked, but it's decent sci-fi thriller that does i'ts source material a fair justice. Also it's closer to "human nature", and the problems of "authenciticy" than "Red Belt"
  • caseyjtucker
    June 14, 2008
    caseyjtucker
    I expected at any moment to hear the Outer Limits narrator cut in.

    Solid premise, fairly good special effects, and atrocious delivery. Gary Sinese and Vincent D'Onofrio, what could go wrong? Well, unfortunately our stars are running at full speed into a ham sandwich. I blame the... read more writers for taking a good idea and heaping on cliche after to cliche to create a side-show attraction of a script. This is a must see if you've run out of Outer Limits and Twilight Zone episodes to watch. However, if you are looking for a good movie, or just a solid sci-flick, then you are out of luck.
  • TheAluminumMonster
    December 23, 2007
    TheAluminumMonster
    Seriously, every person to ever be on celluloid is in this movie...as well as most of the cast of CSI for some reason. It wasn't bad at all, for a sci-fi mystery thriller. It had decent acting and a pretty neat plot. The twist at the end wasn't that surprising to me, but I'm a... read more petty and jaded prick...so what do you want from me? Not a bad thing to pick up for one of those rainy days where comedy or horror just isn't what you're in the mood for.
  • Sheiob
    November 11, 2007
    Sheiob
    The Science Fiction equivalent to The Fugitive. A solid, interesting story with enough special effects to make it work, despite a smaller budget than other Philip K Dick inspired films. Although a somewhat limited plot line, the cast of top notch character actors makes this a wor... read morethy view for almost anyone.

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Critic Reviews

Kirk Honeycutt
October 15, 2002
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

A worthy successor to those sci-fi B-movies of old even if it is nowhere in the league of such Dick-inspired films as Total Recall and Blade Runner.

Owen Gleiberman
January 10, 2002
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Feels less like a cousin to Blade Runner than like a bottom-feeder sequel in the Escape From New York series. Full Review

Peter Travers
January 8, 2002
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Pushes the same old cliches in Blade Runner packaging.

Andrew O'Hehir
January 8, 2002
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

Everything about Impostor ... is both familiar and profoundly unoriginal. Full Review

Robert Koehler
January 7, 2002
Robert Koehler, Variety

In the end, alas, the obvious interests of an actor of Sinise's range and depth are subsumed to the blunt demands of a standardized chase movie. Full Review

Mike Clark
January 6, 2002
Mike Clark, USA Today

Unless there are zoning ordinances to protect your community from the dullest science fiction, Impostor is opening today at a theater near you. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 6, 2002
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Impostor isn't really a movie, it's only impersonating one.

James Berardinelli
January 5, 2002
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Includes too much obvious padding. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
January 4, 2002
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

In the transition from prescient work of fiction to pummelling popcorn flick, Impostor seems to have had its soul hijacked. Full Review

Bob Graham
January 4, 2002
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

This movie is something of an impostor itself, stretching and padding its material in a blur of dead ends and distracting camera work. Full Review

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Impostor Trivia

  • Status Rating Correct One of these movies is NOT based on a story by scifi-author Philip K. Dick: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, The Island, Paycheck, Impostor, Screamer, A Scanner Darkly.   Answer »
  • One night, during a typical midnight screening at a New York theater, a patron was asked to leave before the film ended. This patron was accused of being an impostor. Who was it?  Answer »
  • One night, during a typical midnight screening at a New York theater, a patron was asked to leave before the film ended. This patron was accused of being an impostor. Who was it?  Answer »
  • Which sci-fi film had an alien race known as the Centauri?  Answer »
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