Two young Americans with special abilities must race to find a girl in Hong Kong before a shadowy government organization called Division does.Two young Americans with special abilities must race to find a girl in Hong Kong before a shadowy government organization called Division does.Two young Americans with special abilities must race to find a girl in Hong Kong before a shadowy government organization called Division does.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
- Dice Man's Heavy
- (as Sun Nan Hung)
- Pop Father
- (as Haruihko Yamanouchi)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn order to deal with the constant bustle of Hong Kong, director Paul McGuigan and the crew decided to shoot the film "guerilla-style", with the cameras hidden in vans, filming through small holes, and the actors doing their scenes in one take on the streets.
- GoofsDuring the final scene when the mover Victor breaks open the locker to retrieve the case, when the camera pans out to a wider view the locker is clearly no longer broken but is closed and in perfect condition.
- Quotes
Cassie Holmes: There are special people in this world. We don't ask to be special. We're just born this way. We pass you on the streets every day, unnoticed by most. It started in 1945. The Nazis were conducting experiments in psychic warfare, trying to turn those with psychic abilities into soldiers. Lots of us died. The war ended, but the experiments never stopped. Other governments around the world set up what they called "divisions", trying to do what the Nazis couldn't, to turn us into weapons. The divisions agents are trained to track and hunt us down like animals. Take us away from our families and friends. They test us and categorize us. I'm what they call a Watcher. We can see the future, even if that's not always as simple as it sounds. Others are called Movers; just an easy way of saying telekinetic. Pushers put thoughts in your head, and make whatever lie they come up with the truth. Sniffs, Shifters, Shadows, Bleeders... it goes on and on. In divisions' eyes, we're all just lab rats. Only one problem - we keep dying. No one has ever survived the drug meant to boost our powers. My name is Cassie Holmes. Division took my mom from me. Right now, the future I see doesn't look so great. The good news is, the future is always changing, in the largest of ways, by the smallest of things. They've been winning a lot of battles. Now it's our turn to win the war.
- Crazy creditsAs the opening credits appear onscreen, the names and their attributes are wholly or partially redacted (crossed out so as to be illegible).
- SoundtracksRocket
Written by Working for a Nuclear Free City (as Working For A Nuclear Free City)
Performed by Working for a Nuclear Free City (as Working For A Nuclear Free City)
Courtesy of Deaf+Dumb+Blind Records
By arrangement with Zync Music Inc.
I guess to sum it up simply, it's a bit like the 'X-men.' There may not be a 'recognised' team of superheroes dedicated to saving the world here, but you do have a sub-group of human who are 'cursed' with special powers and so destined to either be hunted by shady Government agents before being studied in Top Secret laboratories , or simply working for the afore-mentioned shady Government agencies.
Chris Evans is one such 'person of power' - yes, THE Chris Evans who glossed over the 'Fantastic Four' to become one of the headliners of the Marvel universe, Captain America. However, rather than wielding a red, white and blue shield (or being able to burst into flames at will!) here he's a 'mover.' This is one of the many types of 'ability' these 'special' people exhibit and, in his case, basically means someone with telekinetic powers. He's currently on the run from the authorities in Hong Kong, but his life of hiding comes to a premature end when a young 'watcher' (someone who can see the future and played by Dakota Fanning) tracks him down in order to help her rescue more of their kind.
What follows is effectively a 'chase movie' where the 'gifted' youngsters are pursued by their evil equivalents. And, like I say, if you like superhero-type movies, it's all good sci-fi fun. The characters are likeable enough and there's good chemistry between the leads. Plus there's plenty of action and a few fight-scenes using special powers which are quite inventive and do stick in your mind once the credits have rolled.
If I had to mention a negative side (besides the kind of uninspiring title!) I'd say that the world which we find ourselves watching does need a lot of explaining so that you know all the rules of how it all works. Nowadays, we know what to expect in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but, back then, there was quite a lot of 'exposition' supplied in lengthy voice-overs of segments of dialogue. I'm not sure whether 'Push' was based on a comic, or book, but it felt like you'd certainly pick it up quicker if you'd read a great deal of backstory surrounding what's going on. And, it's because of this lack of knowledge as to what powers people possess, that our heroes seem to bounce from one scene after the next meeting a new person with the exact superpower required to either get them out of their current predicament, or move the story along.
However, I can forgive that and simply enjoy it for what it is - a harmless piece of superhero fun. Even if it never got the recognition that I felt it at least deserved, it's still fun. And, if you can find it on any of the popular modern streaming services, I'd recommend you watch it - even if it's just to see what Chris Evans did before life in the MCU.
- bowmanblue
- Jun 13, 2018
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $38,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $31,811,527
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $10,079,109
- Feb 8, 2009
- Gross worldwide
- $48,858,618
- Runtime1 hour 51 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1