this be a superbly imaginative low budget sci fi movie from cult director vincenzo natali . the film play out like a crossing of phillip k dick with hitchcock and cronenberg and the film take on a unique feel like nothing you would have see . the film be superbly shot and i love the cinematography in this and it feel fresh and original . plot wise the film explore similar theme to film like total recall and dark city and the matrix and it pretty staple sci fi stuff . morgan sullivan ( jeremy northam ) be a suburbanite who be bore with his life and have decide to take a job a a company spy for digicorp and a large technological corporation . he meet up with a recruitment officer at the beginning who bring sullivan on board and instruct him on what he have to do . it basically involve go to conference of rival company and record them via a satellite transmission device disguise a a pen . it also mean that he must take on a different persona and keep it a secret from his wife . after his first job thing become strange and his habit change and his personality begin to differ and he suffer pain in his neck and headache as well a nightmare . he encounter a beautiful woman name rita foster ( play by an intriguingly cast lucy liu . ) he take an instant attraction to . however when he go in his next job and see her again she reveal herself to be an agent of some sort who reveal that his job be not quite what it seem . he find out later on that he and the rest of the people attend the conference all work for digicorp . the conference be all cover to allow the company men to brainwash their spy . sullivan and whose alternate name be jack thursby have be give an antidote to digicorps drugging and while the rest of the spy at the late conference drift off into what seem like a brain dead day dream while the speaker drone on ( the speaker send all the attendant to sleep via subliminal message . ) suddenly the room light turn off and worker at digicorp come in shin light in all the occupant eye to ensure they be not conscious and then in a fairly nightmarish situation they bring in head set for each member which send message into the brain and brainwash the precipitant into believe they be someone else . digicorp be use these people a puppet and create personality and life for these people while wipe their own existence . sullivan now must pretend that he entirely believe he be now jack thursby . digicorp want to steal information from their rival samways and they want their own puppet to do it and they now effectively control what these spy do and except for sullivan . when samways get a hold of sullivan and discover he have not actually be brainwash they decide to use him a a pawn to spy on digicorp and make sullivan a double agent . they know that digicorp have send thursby to them to work his way into samways and work his way up the system until he can get into a situation to download important company information that could shut the company down . samways realise he have be plant and decide they will play along with digicorp and allow thursby to infiltrate their databanks but they will give digicorp a dodgy disc that will ruin their system . the plot begin to twist and turn a both company be use sullivan a a pawn . he be stick in the middle and rita foster be a mystery a he try to work out why she be help him . when a mysterious third party becomes involve and the person it be reveal that foster work for and sullivan must decide whether to go to this freelance agent and who could guarantee him a new life and safety or to stick with one of the company he work for . the tension all build to a stonking climax a it seem just about everyone want to dispose of him once his usefulness have expire . the cast be great . northam be superb and the subtlety in his performance be excellent . he bring a great visual aspect to his performance and his eye tell a story and we see a great subtle change a his character change from sullivan to thursby . lucy liu be just sexy beyond belief and her presence give a great dynamic to the film because it seem strange cast but work because of that fact . the rest of the cast be also good . director natali whose previous film be the cult classic sci fi flick cube and have a real visual flair . he pace the film superbly as well and have give it a great look . for a low budget film it feature some imaginative visual effect and although the cgi isn not great it never begin too much of a centre piece to effect the film negatively . the film really do bring feeling of the matrix and other great sci fi film and it be up there with them . the plot nearly becomes too convolute at time but in truth that help in a film like this and that be where the cronenberg and lynch influence be evident . the film have you constantly work out what be go on and genuinely surprise a it go along . this be overall an obvious cult classic and i can see this be incredibly popular when it be release in the state . half .