Experiencing 'Deja Vu' With Jerry Bruckheimer
In Theaters Nov. 17, 2006

Feeling 'Deja Vu'

I'm sitting on a couch in a comfy TriBeCa office watching 45 minutes of unfinished footage from 'Deja Vu,' a pulse-pounding, mind-bending Denzel Washington vehicle from producer Jerry Bruckheimer ('Pirates of the Caribbean,' 'Armageddon,' 'Top Gun' -- ring any bells?). Oh yeah, and Jerry is sitting next to me, stopping the film every so often so we can chat about what we've just watched. What follows is an inside look at the movie with some juicy tidbits courtesy of Bruckheimer himself.

More About 'Deja Vu'

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• See Denzel Washington photos
• Get Jerry Bruckheimer DVDs
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Mr. Bruckheimer Goes to Washington

'Deja Vu' marks the third time Bruckheimer and Washington have worked together, their previous collaborations being 'Crimson Tide' and 'Remember the Titans.' In 'Deja Vu,' Washington plays an ATF agent who, while investigating a catasrophic ferry explosion in New Orleans, discovers that the government has invented a device capable of looking directly into the past at events as they are happening. Having trouble wrapping your brain around that one? Fear not, more on the subject to come.

Classic Tony Scott

With Bruckheimer as producer and frequent collaborator/action auteur Tony Scott ('Top Gun,' 'Man on Fire,' 'Spy Game,') in the director's chair, it's no surprise that the film's inciting incident is an explosion of gargantuan proportions (yes, that cloud of smoke, fire and water to the left used to be a majestic ferry boat). And that's just the beginning. Within the first 10 minutes, Scott executes his patented swooping 360-degree crane shot and a more-badass-than-thou hero's introduction for Denzel.

Iceman Cometh

Val Kilmer -- another Scott/Bruckheimer veteran (how could anyone forget him as legendary Naval aviator Iceman in 'Top Gun'?) -- plays the government agent who recruits Washington to help investigate the ferry explosion. Initially, he tells Denzel the government's top-secret device merely uses digital satellite feeds to reconstruct past events from every angle imaginable. The device can even look through walls into people's homes. Strangely, this seemss utterly feasible. Think about that next time you're showering.

Time, It Is a River

Kilmer and tech geek Adam Goldberg ultimately reveal to Washington that they are looking at LIVE footage of the past, roughly four day previous. Hero that he is, Washington gets the idea that he can travel back in time to stop the ferry explosion. According to Bruckheimer, this reflects the theory of branching universes, by which "time is like a giant river, and a significant event dropped into this river causes alternate tributaries to shoot out." Long story short: The past and the future are fluid, and Denzel is always right.

Patton-tly Perfect

Luminous newcomer Paula Patton, whom Bruckheimer is convinced will be a big star after this film, plays a woman whose charred body washes ashore before the ferry explosion. Convinced that she holds the key to solving the crime, Washington leaps back in time to prevent her murder ... and falls in love with her in the process. Denzel, you're a crafty one.

Questionable Role Models

James Caviezel plays a righteous baddie (in more ways than one) convinced that his morally suspect actions are above reproach. Says Bruckheimer, "We took a lot of what he says in this interrogation scene from transcripts of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, and the Colorado snipers." Talk about deja vu.

History of Reckless Driving

In one especially cool scene, Washington hops in a Humvee, throws on some futuristic headgear and engages in an explosive car chase ... with a vehicle that was driving the same route four days ago. With one eye looking through the headgear at a video screen and one eye on the road -- driving the wrong way across a bridge -- it's only natural that Denzel's going to cause a couple of minor fender benders, which brings us to ...

MACK Truck, Meet Humvee

This photo pretty much says it all. Crashing semis, flipping cars, screeching tires -- this has all the makings of a classic Bruckheimer/Scott chase scene. Especially gratifying is the use of the Humvee, a nice homage to the Sean Connery-Nic Cage chase in 'The Rock.' Speaking of which, the best way to describe 'Deja Vu' is 'The Rock' (lots of action, cool chase scenes) meets 'Enemy of the State' (mind-blowing technology, Big-Brother-is-watching-motif). If that sounds appealing, get psched to experience 'Deja Vu.'