THE 6TH DAY
Rated PG-13 for language and violence
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Rapaport, Tony Goldwyn, Sarah Wynter and Robert Duvall

CineSight Rating **

What would you do if you came home one day to discover that someone had taken over your family and your life - someone who looks exactly like you? That's the dilemma facing Adam Gibson (Schwarzenegger). To make matters worse, he's also being chased by a bunch of thugs looking like reject replicants from BLADE RUNNER who seem to want him dead.

Gibson discovers that he has become an unwitting participant in an illegal human cloning experiment. The trail leads to a corporation called Repet, which legally clones animals. Company chairman, Peter Drucker (Goldwyn - an evil clone of Bill Gates, maybe?), is a nasty piece of work who won't let little things like morality or the law get in the way of scientific progress and a quick buck. It turns out he is the one who has set the heavies onto Gibson, to make sure that only one Adam Gibson exists.

Once Arnie... I mean Gibson figures out what's up, the remainder of the movie is devoted to his plans to shut down Drucker and pals, and to get his life and family back. By the way, the title THE 6TH DAY, refers to the verse in the Book of Genesis which says that God created man on the sixth day.

While the premise of a thriller about human cloning is an intriguing one, I was rather disappointed by THE 6TH DAY. This idea, which could have been mined for all kinds of plot twists and surprises quickly loses steam, degenerating into a cross between a rehash of Arnold's previous TOTAL RECALL and a poor relative of BLADE RUNNER. In addition the direction, by Roger Donaldson (TOMORROW NEVER DIES) ends up seeming muddled and heavy-handed. He tries to gloss over choppy scene transitions with a high-tech MTV-style wipe gimmick, which looks okay once or twice, but becomes annoying and distracting after five or six times. Then there's Arnold... No one can deny Arnold's age is beginning to get the best of him. I think he realizes this, and has begun to move away from the intense action scenes that made him famous. There's just one problem: Arnold's an action hero, not a serious dramatic actor. His attempts here at being a caring dad and a loving husband are rather embarassing. I had flashbacks of the horrifying sickly KINDERGARTEN COP.

Having said all that, there were aspects of THE 6TH DAY that were enjoyable. The premise was good and the script does have moments where we glimpse of what might have been. I really like the design of the hybrid jet helicopter that Gibson flies, although it wasn't a necessary part of the story, and some of the other technological innovations were fun. Ultimately what makes an Arnold movie is action. While toning down the intensity for a PG-13 rating (and to appease legislators who've been slinging mud at Hollywood all year - which Arnold throws in as a sly gag), a couple of the action scenes are quite impressive. The most memorable is the extended climactic battle inside and on the roof of the Repet Corporation. All in all, a pleasant diversion, but THE 6TH DAY falls somewhat short in giving you anything solid to chew on after the credits roll.