Move Over, Matrix. This Is the Ultimate ’90s Cyberpunk Movie
Fans of the cyberpunk genre have much to look forward to, with Blade Runner 2099 and Apple TV’s Neuromancer adaptation on the way. But if you’re hungry for a great “high tech, low life” film right now, you might consider looking to the not-so-distant past. Strange Days flew under my radar for years, but now it’s one of my favorite science-fiction movies. Though it was released back in 1995, Strange Days looks and feels like it could’ve come out yesterday. It’s one of those rare old movies that imagined the technology of virtual reality without turning it into a gimmick. Strange Days takes place in 1999 Los Angeles during the last 48 hours of the millennium. Lenny Nero, played by Ralph Fiennes, is a former cop who now peddles an illegal virtual reality experience called Playback. Nero’s friend and bodyguard, Mace (Angela Bassett), tries to keep him rooted in reality and away from trouble. Together, they work to track down a brutal rapist and murderer — a man who uses VR Playback discs to record his crimes from his …



