hen David Hume (Easton) discovers his longtime Citizens Protection Bureau partner Nick (Thomas Kretschmann) murdered by androids, he sets out on a vengeance-tainted mission for justice.
In 2070, murder is extremely rare, and this murder investigation is a particularly unusual one. Hume links the killing to the use of illegal experimental technology made by Rekall, a company that specializes in temporal vacations and artificial intelligence. The technology comes in the form of implants that allow androids to experience humanistic memory and self-realization--"a soul on loan"--and leaves them terrified by the comprehension that this consciousness will disappear when these non-rechargeable implants are deleted.
After interrogating a terrified immigrant couple who have had memories of their own son almost completely erased, Hume realizes that the android case may be connected to the disappearance of the couple's 12-year-old boy...a child with highly sensitive psychic abilities. Determined to recover the boy safely and seek justice for his fallen comrade, Hume works begrudgingly with his new prim partner Ian Farve (Pruner). The investigation is impeded by Rekall's head of security, Richard Collector (Mancuso), who's intent on protecting corporate security at all costs.
Hume and Farve journey to Mars to unravel the mystery, where they confront a group of threatening androids desperate to defend their conscious existence. On Mars, Hume discovers that his new partner Farve is himself an android...and Hume must then face his own anti-android prejudices in order to solve the case.
Recalling Philip K. Dick
Viewers looking for something to remind them, in any way, of the hit 1990 movie Total Recall (based on the Philip K. Dick short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale") will be sadly disappointed with Total Recall 2070. Like other recent Showtime series (such as Poltergeist), Total Recall 2070 has virtually nothing to do with its cinematic predecessor.
That doesn't mean it's unfamiliar territory, however. The makers of this series obviously had near total recall of Blade Runner (based on the Dick book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?). Total Recall 2070 takes place in an overpopulated, dark, mixed-architecture mega-city (sound familiar?). Hard-boiled detective Hume wears a trench coat and hunts renegade androids who only want a soul (sound even more familiar?). Oh, yeah, he also uses an old-fashioned, extra-large handgun.
Total Recall 2070 also seems inspired by Isaac Asimov's Caves of Steel, as well as the venerable TV series Holmes & Yo-Yo. And Michael Easton does an almost perfect David Duchovny-as-Mulder impersonation. He's got the same haircut, the same sexy disheveledness, and the same low-key delivery. Hume's partner (played with a much-needed touch of humor by Pruner), is the obligatory more-human-than-human android. But after the death of his first partner, Hume hates androids. See the built-in conflict?
Speaking of humor, the makers of Total Recall 2070 seem to have forgotten that the Paul Verhoeven film had an element of comedy in it. Well, there's none of that here. The funniest thing about Total Recall 2070 is the fact that super-sleuth Hume doesn't figure out until almost the end that his partner is an android...even though relatively unobservant viewers will spot this obvious fact when the character is introduced!
On a brighter note, the acting and production design are quite good. The digitally generated cityscapes are beautiful to look at, as are the generally attractive actors...and remember, since this is Showtime, there's a gratuitous sex scene in the first five minutes.
Otherwise, Total Recall 2070 is dark, brooding and overly convoluted, especially for a simple murder mystery that lacks the humor, originality and psychological introspection that made its namesake so enjoyable.
