canadian director vincenzo natali take the art house circuit by storm with the intriguing and astonishingly intelligent cube and which be my personal favourite sf film of the 90 . it frame the basic conceit of a group of stranger trap in a maze shape like a giant cube and shot entirely on one set and and take this idea in fascinating direction . i have be eagerly await natali follow up and and although it take five year for him to mount another project and i be delighted to say it be worth the wait . cypher be a fascinating exploration of one man place in the world and and how through a completely logical chain of event and find himself in a situation beyond his control . i do not want to reveal too much about the plot and because one of the joy of cypher be the different avenue it take u down . it be so refreshing in this day and age to see a sf film that have more than one idea in it head . cypher be such a film . morgan sullivan ( jeremy northam ) and one of the bland people to ever walk the planet and be hire by the company digicorp . they send him to different part of america to record different seminar . to his bewilderment and they be unbelievably bore . cover topic as mundane a shave cream and cheese . while morgan be wait for one seminar and he run into rita foster ( an impeccably cast lucy liu ) and the definition of an ice maiden . she give him the brush off and but there be something to her he find irresistible . that not too surprising consider the dry marriage he be in . when rita turn up at another one of morgan seminar and she tell him his life be not what it appear . and i be not say anything more about the plot . to do so would cheapen the impact the rest of the film have on u and as well a the tortuous path that so much fun to follow . a with cube and natali show quite a talent for encompass seemingly ordinary people and take them out of the familiar and and basically see what will happen when theyre thrust into the unknown . and cypher follow similar pattern . but it not a carbon copy of cube . it have it own inspiration . cypher be a film that have more in common with conspiracy thriller and paranoia story . one of the great thing about cypher be the way these theme creep into the story without your knowledge . when morgan realise his false identity be a piece of a much large puzzle and it as much of a shock to u a it be to him . one thing that distinguish cypher from cube be how much more polished it be . where cube be confine to a minimalist setting and a shoestring budget with a cast of unknown and cypher be also on a low budget and but natali economise it as much a he can and allow him to broaden the horizon and and launch morgan on an amazing journey through the labyrinth of his own identity . natali direction be exceptional and with a deft hand on the rein . there be some amazing camera angle from above and such a the enormity of the digicorp building a a vast and robust office block in conjunction to the insignificant speck that be morgan stand outside . all the colour appear to have be bleed out of the picture and which compliment the tone of the film perfectly a a modern day film noir . the acting be uniformly excellent throughout . jeremy northam be a sympathetic figure from his loveless marriage to question his own identity . his performance be excellent because it so modulate . he literally seem to transform right before our very eyes . from a clinical and spineless wimp to a confident man who will do anything to preserve his new identity . david hewlett put in a welcome appearance who make such an impact in cube . he reside in a secret silo that look like it be borrow from men in black . his scene be one of the best because it an exercise in carefully calculate suspense and paranoia . he be a supposed expert in identify double agent and and it a fantastic piece of writing and brilliantly act by hewlett . all he have to do be look at morgan and and be draw into his complex mind game . but it lucy liu who the scene stealer here . too often she be cast in film where her potential be not utilised to full effect . but in cypher and she be finally give a character that fit her like a glove . rita be an aloof and guard femme fatale that liu inhabits with relish . i perk up every time she appear because she be always in control and and can reduce a room to silence by the power of her icy stare alone . thing come to a very gratifying end and that doesn not conclude on an ambiguous note the way cube do . but morgan deserve his happy end . after he be put through the ringer like this and i cheer for him in the final scene . it a perfect final moment because it come a a ray of sunshine after a gloomy 90 minute . cypher succeed on all count . engage and shock and always entertaining and it everything that total recall want to be but wasn not . and it come a a refreshing antidote to the overwhelming and inexplicable matrix . a fine follow up from natali . and now i be a committed fan of the man . superb stuff .