[theatrical cut]

i didn’t expect another masterwork from the Mann himself after HEAT, yet here we are. the obvious superlative: this remains the most beautiful-looking digital film ever, especially considering its era when digital cinematography was somewhat at its inception (not too informed on that, tho). everything from the nightlife to the vacationing is bathed in the visual textures of grain/camera noise, presented at the grittiest and most raw level; simultaneously persisting is a sensitive and romantic entity backing its…

a sleek cyberpunk mood piece with flourishes of neon/fluorescent hues, surveillance tapes/fuzzed images, and half-remembered memories, all commixing into one. ferrara perfectly constructs a dystopia in which everything has become reduced to corporate activity and hollow transactions; any remnants of deeper connections are lost and forgotten. gibson’s core vision: the dissolution of love by technology and capitalism —fully realized and translated here. the last half-hour, which is essentially x’s stream of consciousness played out, assembled from outtakes of scenes shown…