The Adjustment Bureau

*****
UK Release Date: March 4th 2011

The affair between a politician and a ballerina is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart.

Director: George Nolfi

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Michael Kelly, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Terence Stamp

The Adjustment Bureau is just as much a love story as it is a sci-fi thriller. It's here to appease more than one type of audience. It breaks so many genres within such a small time-frame that you'll be left reeling by the end of it. 

Love has come across as cheesy, sickly, weak or unconvincing in the past. Not with this film. Love has never been stronger. Love has never felt so real. 

David Norris (Damon) has lost the running for New York senate. He's rehearsing his losing speech in a mens restroom when a noise from one of the cubicles interrupts his flow. A woman comes edging out, embarrassed that she's been caught listening.

'You're that guy running for Senate', Elise (Blunt) remarks.

'I am that guy yeah. Are you a registered New York voter?', he asks.

'Do I sound like I am?, she replies.

Their chemistry is a force unto itself, from the very moment they meet each other. 

David falls for Elise straight away, but encounters mysterious men who want to keep them apart. He soon learns that these men are hidden from the world, controlling everyone's moves, keeping them in their line of Fate as they see fit. He was never meant to bump into Elise. They are not destined to be together, according to their Plan. David's future has already been set out for him. David's feelings for Elise are too strong to let her slip by. He must decide whether to let her go and move down his predetermined future, or risk losing everything for the love of his life.

David and Elise's love for each other is so gripping it hurts, as if we're feeling what they feel. It must be seen to the bitter or sweet end, depending on the path David takes. It's obvious which path he chooses, but he must suffer along the way before he reaches his goal. 

The Adjustment Bureau is George Nolfi's debut, and what a high flyer it is. Everything falls in to place nicely, from the script to the romance, and the action to the settings. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt make us believe they are perfect for each other, as if they really are together. Their dialogue is perfect, as if every character has honed in on them and made them their own. The weather in NY City changes depending on David's mood, adding depth to his emotions. Blunt is charismatic and funny, whilst Damon is often irrational but charming. Support comes from Terence Stamp, known as 'The Hammer' amongst the Bureau, because he gets the job done swift and hard. An Angel such as Stamp has never felt so intimidating. There's also Anthony Mackie's Harry, who's sympathetic towards David, and helps him along the way. 

The Adjusment Bureau doesn't come without its flaws though. The Bureau, led by Madmen's John Slattery, has proven to David that the Adjustment Bureau have great power to stop him finding Elise, whether it's raising parts of the floor, knocking out phone communications or having taxi drivers ignore him when he needs them. Towards the end they become nothing more than men-in-pursuit. The most obvious flaw, and the most bugging, is why doesn't Elise ring David back after he loses her number? Surely he's the more accessible of the two.

Verdict: Putting its flaws aside, The Adjustment Bureau is a romantic-action-thriller, whatever you call it, you won't want to miss. Damon and Blunt are divine.

5/5