Susan Granger’s review of “THE 6th DAY” (Columbia Pictures)
Beginning with a quote from Genesis – “and God created man on the sixth day” – this sci-fi fantasy revolves around a billionaire entrepreneur (Tony Goldwyn) who is determined to conquer death: “I’m just taking over where God left off.” To this end, he’s funded Replacement Technology where genetic research is done by a highly respected, if conflicted scientist (Robert Duvall). In this world of the near future, animal cloning is accepted but human cloning is strictly forbidden. So when an assassination attempt goes wrong and a charter helicopter pilot (that’s Arnold) is unwillingly cloned, indomitable Arnold teams up with his duplicate to reveal a sinister corporate conspiracy. “I’m going to take my life back,” he vows. So much for the plot concocted by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley. What’s likely to catch your interest is the sexy holographic girlfriend that Arnold’s buddy, Michael Rapaport, has created; she’s compliant with his desires and disappears when she’s no longer needed. Or perhaps you’ll like director Roger Spottiswoode’s (“Tomorrow Never Dies”) mega-budget array of high-decibel explosions, gunfire and car crashes. Amusing moments occur when the relentless, virtually indestructible assassins (Michael Rooker, Sarah Wynter) keep reappearing – “Doesn’t anyone stay dead anymore?” – and when Arnold, the family man, quips, “I don’t want to expose (my daughter) to any excessive violence. She gets enough of that from the media.” But the real humor, or drama, inherent in having someone meet his clone is never explored. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The 6th Day” is an action-packed 5. It’s ironic that a movie that puts a spin on the dangers of cloning looks like a clone of other, better Arnold Schwarzenegger movies like “Total Recall.”
