Christian Bale trained extensively in
Christian Bale trained extensively in gun kata for the Clerics combat sequences.
In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.
At a Glance
CountryUnited States
DirectorKurt Wimmer
Based onOriginal screenplay
Release2002
Why Equilibrium is worth watching
In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.
In Libria, a totalitarian state after the Third World War, human emotion is outlawed. Citizens take daily doses of Prozium to suppress feeling, and sense offenders are hunted by the Grammaton Clerics.
Cleric John Preston (Christian Bale) is the regime's deadliest enforcer — until a missed dose cracks his conditioning. Drawn to underground rebels and the forbidden art they protect, Preston begins to question the peace he has spent his life defending.
Kurt Wimmer's Equilibrium fuses dystopian sci-fi with balletic gun-kata action, building toward a revolt where one man rediscovers what it means to feel.
Christian Bale fights a future where feeling is forbidden
The film's dystopian aesthetic drew
The film's dystopian aesthetic drew comparisons to Fahrenheit 451 and 1984.
Gun kata was invented for the film by
Gun kata was invented for the film by writer-director Kurt Wimmer.
Equilibrium developed a strong cult
Equilibrium developed a strong cult following after underperforming at the box office.
Story
Christian Bale fights a future where feeling is forbidden
01
Gun kata in a grey world
Preston's combat style — choreographed firearm martial arts — turns suppression into spectacle, and makes the Clerics terrifyingly precise.
02
The cost of Prozium
When Preston stops taking the drug, colour, music, and love flood back into a city designed to feel nothing.
03
Burning the Mona Lisa
The underground hides paintings and poetry the state has banned — relics of a humanity Preston is learning to reclaim.
Cast
Main characters and performers
Behind the Scenes
Christian Bale trained extensively in gun kata for the Clerics combat sequences.
The film's dystopian aesthetic drew comparisons to Fahrenheit 451 and 1984.
Gun kata was invented for the film by writer-director Kurt Wimmer.
Equilibrium developed a strong cult following after underperforming at the box office.
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FAQ
What is Equilibrium about?
In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.
Who directs Equilibrium?
Kurt Wimmer directed the film.
How long is Equilibrium?
Approximately 107 min.
Where can I watch Equilibrium?
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