The reason I have watched so many of these obscure, toxic masculine movies is because my friends and I had a contest on who could find the best one. I highlighted my friend Adrian’s best find, which was Riki-Oh. My boy Larry introduced me to Shaolin vs Lama, the best martial arts movie of all time. I believe Equilibrium might be my greatest entry into the contest.
Equilibrium was ahead of its time but unfortunately found itself released in the trough of the leather-bound, gun-fu wave that kicked off with The Matrix in 1999. By the time Equilibrium hit the theaters in 2002, there was a glut of Matrix-type movies and blatant rip-offs that many great movies were dismissed outright because of the comparisons.
People are beginning to see the brilliance of Dark City, which was considered another The Matrix rip-off, and Equilibrium has already gained a cult following. While not as esoteric as Dark City, Equilibrium did bring a lot of different ideas to the screen that would be a massive hit today, as everyone appears to see fascism everywhere. Plus, the action in this movie is so dang cool, and Christian Bale’s John Preston carries many toxic traits such as agency, bravery, and self-sacrifice that you absolutely must not emulate.
It’s time to fight your toxic masculinity by consuming more toxic masculinity by watching Equilibrium!
Plot:
Equilibrium is set in a dystopian future after a third world war, in the totalitarian city called Libria. Libria is run by the Tetragrammaton Council, which is led by a man called ‘Father’ who speaks to the people through large screens across the city. Father preaches that the sins of the past stemmed from humanity’s uncontrolled emotions. Thus, humans take Prozium supplied by the government to suppress their emotions.
The city is policed by Grammaton Clerics who are on a constant vigil for ‘sense offenders’, or people who allow emotions. Father’s will is so absolute in Libria that children are trained and used to inform on their family who break the law and feel.
The elite clerics train in a martial art called gun kata, which is as cool as it sounds as they use geometry and physics to become killing machines.
The clerics use these skills when they raid the Nether, the land outside the city, for a group called the underground, who want to take down Father. Books and art are burned, and sense offenders are executed on the spot by the cleric’s authority.
Bale’s John Preston is a high-ranking cleric. A single parent of two children, John did nothing as his wife Vivian was found to be a sense offender and was executed for her crimes. Feeling nothing while on Prozium, John’s indifference to her death was seen as loyalty to the Tetragrammaton.
While on a raid in the Nether, John witnessed his partner Partridge, played by Sean Bean, hide a book instead of burning it. Methodically, John hunts down Partridge in the Nether and finds him reading the book. Partridge tells John that he has been off Prozium for some time and will pay the penalty for feeling emotion. Partridge hides his eyes with the book he continues to read as John executes him on the spot.
Prozium is taken by injection and John accidently breaks his vile in the bathroom. With the Prozium clinic closed, John goes to sleep only to wake up after experiencing dreams of his wife. When he awakens, the world looks different. His heart arches, and he marvels at the sun rising behind the rain on his window.
John is like a child seeing the world for the first time, and he actually tries to find more Prozium until he is struck by the guilt of killing Partridge and letting his wife die, which makes him break down in tears. Feeling emotions for the first time in years, John can’t go back to the way he was.
Why You Should Watch: *Spoilers ahead*
There is a lot of meat left on the bone with Equilibrium. John must navigate his new reality while having two kids spies still on the drug and loyal to Father, at home. Given a new partner, played by Taye Diggs, he also has to fight to suppress his emotions while conducting his duties as a cleric.
As he hunts down the underground, John is drawn to their art, books, music, and banned artifacts. Finding a stray dog that is also forbidden, John cannot bring himself to kill it, and hides it instead, just like his partner did the book, This puts him in danger from his ambitious new partner who is watching his every move.
John eventually makes a decision to aid the underground after a woman he captures is set for execution. And it is a thrilling ride to watch as he tries to feign being a cleric while also covering for the underground when he can, using his amazing gun-fighting skills to keep the rebels alive.
There are twists and turns along the way, and the ending gun fight is on par with anything you saw in The Matrix that I don’t want to ruin. After living life under oppressive authoritarianism, John puts everything on the line to finally do what is right.
Give Equilibrium a try. It truly was ahead of its time story wise and visually, but fell victim to Matrix fatigue. You can rent it on Amazon and sometimes watch it free on Tubi. Or better yet, buy the DVD before the government actually makes Prozium.
Check out my Rumble channel as I give a deeper dive into Equilibrium!
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I caved! For the first time, my debut novel, Fiasco of Adventures, is available digitally! You can order the e-book on Amazon here or from my Linktree! And check out my website, TheMegacosm.com, for the latest news involving this universe. I’m also starting Rumble and Youtube channels. Give them a sub so I can start getting paid!
English (US) · 