Steven Spielberg's self-confessed `experimental stage' continues with another stab at adult sci-fi - - this time a murky film noir, set in the not-too-distant future. In 2054, to be exact. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) heads up Washington DC's Pre-Crime unit, a crack squad of 'tecs who use three clairvoyants - `Pre-Cogs' - to nail would-be murderers before a drop of blood is spilt. The system's faultless. Anderton is its strongest advocate. So, naturally, he's fingered as the next killer...

Not so much a whodunnit as a whowilldoit, Scott Frank and Jon Cohen's knotty script bolsters Janusz Kaminski's virtuoso visuals, while a controlled-yet-dynamic performance from Cruise acts as the rocket-pack strapped to the movie's back. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a rollicking actioner, though: three or four set-pieces, all brilliant, are crowded by tangled conversations conducted in gloomy rooms, and the cold, stormy images - - courtesy of a `bleach bypass' operation that siphons out reds and oranges - - look like reflections in black ice.

DVD Extras:

The usual Spielberg package - no commentary but terrifically detailed featurettes covering every aspect of production. If it's the people stuff you're after, then go to The Story, The Debate; The Players; The World Of Minority Report; or Final Report. These mini-docs find Spielberg, Cruise, co-stars (Morton, Farrell, Von Sydow...) and assorted crew discussing what it was like to work with each other - and chewing on the script's thorny theme of predestination versus free will. Tech stuff, meanwhile, is covered in God knows how many three-minute featurettes. Best bit? The ILM boys deconstructing their show-stopping work in the Mag-Lev car hop and the hoverpack chase. Comprehensive.