Review 122: "The 6th Day"

Two Arnold Schwarzeneggers for the price of one?

Score!

I Second That Schwarzenegger!

      You know, it is kind of surprising how many good Sci-Fi movies Arnold Schwarzenegger has made in the past. Big beefy action hero who talks in a thick accent and yet there he is in The Terminator, Total Recall and many others. And today I figured we talk a look at another one of them. I mean, it's not like he's suffered a major flop in the box office recently that may greatly reduce how many new movies he may be in. Anyway, The 6th Day follows Adam (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hercules in New York) who comes home to discover that he has been cloned. Aiming to take back his life, Adam teams up with his best friend Hank (Michael Rapaport, The Mob Doctor) and his clone in order to stop the evil cloner Drucker (Tony Goldwyn, Tarzan) and his clone henchmen Robert (Michael Rooker, The Walking Dead), Talia (Sarah Wynter, 24) and Wiley (Rodney Rowland, Space: Above and Beyond) from making more clones.

"Quick. We just need you to pose for the poster."

It Takes Two to Kick Ass

      Right now, you could possibly be thinking of how a story about cloning might be a bit too big for a Schwarzenegger actioner, the story here actually works rather well. The concept of somebody cloned me now I need to fight for my life back is a pretty cool concept. The possibilities with a story about secret clones wandering around among humans are numerous. However, the film does take the more explosion filled route with it's story, but it does it so well that it's hard to be upset. Seeing the two Arnold clones fighting together is a very cool visual and the idea that if you met your clone, you'd become almost immediate friends is often used to rather hilarious effect. The are many awesome action sequences, though nothing spectacular and the one-liners rank among some of Schwarzenegger's funniest ("When I told you screw yourself, I didn't mean for you to take it literally"). There' a lot to like here.

Are You Who You Think You Are

      That said, the film, of course, does have it's fair share of problems. Surprisingly, the film may actually be too densely plotted. The film often add in excellent plot twists that routinely go nowhere, including a reveal that some clones are infected with deadly diseases in case they can't be trusted, which is almost laughably handwaved in the end, despite leaving behind a few plot holes. Also included is the film's honestly surprising final twist, which never really becomes as big an issue as you'd hoped. Some characters, like Terry Crew's bad guy, are forgotten about partway through the movie as well, with little to no mention of what happened to them. Overall, it seems like the filmmakers were trying to make a much bigger story that got cut down in order to fit in more action. And while the action is good, it's a shame the story buckled underneath it.

"I've got my eye on me." 

The Verdict

      The 6th Day is a bit of a surprise. It's not that Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't proven himself to be capable in the Sci-Fi genre before, but a movie with Schwarzenegger about clones could have been overly silly. Thankfully though, The 6th Day turned out to be a very good movie in it's own right. The action is great, the humor is sharp, the Dual Arnolds are used to great effect. The story is also particularly good, even if the twists often don't leave much of an impact and there are a few good sized plot holes. Overall though, The 6th Day is a solid addition to any Sci-Fi fan's collection. The 6th Day gets 5 stars out of 6.