“This is who I am, and this is what I want to do.”

ZombieDog’s rating: Worth Decoding

ZombieDog’s review: Whenever my students write, I always direct them to have an audience in mind and constantly be asking, “Who am I writing this for?” The same goes for me. In my mind, the people who I am writing for love movies. I think anybody can be a critic, but recommending a movie allows people to decide if they see the world the same way as I do. The risk is people will dismiss you if what you value doesn’t align with their values. Ehh, it’s the differences that make life fun!

So, imagine you are Lucy Liu, you just had a pretty good run on Allie McBeal (1998-2002) and your agent is starting to field more phone calls to see if you’re available. It’s in the lull between Charlie’s Angels and Kill Bill, so you decided to pick up a small project called Cypher in the meantime. Now I can’t say if *I* would’ve decided to do the project, but obviously Lucy Liu did. The film also stars Jeremy Northam who most certainly is one of those “you recognize them when you see them” actors.

The real beauty is it actually works.

Cypher is about industrial espionage, where Morgan Sullivan (Northam) is being interviewed to work for a company so he can gather vital information on a rival firm. After extensive tests that proved he wasn’t a secret agent himself trying to infiltrate the company trying to hire him, they decided he is the perfect candidate. Part of his cover story is that he is to adopt the new name of “Jack Thursby.” A repressed Sullivan sees this Thursby as a chance to redefine himself — so that’s exactly what he does, embracing this new life, whatever it may be. Even if he starts suffering from seizures.

On its appearance, Cypher seems to draw influence from The Matrix, noir, and stylized ’90s cool aspects — all of which make it fairly unique. There’s also a heavy dose of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) mixed with some lo-fi which really creates this very eerie yet somewhat hypnotic atmosphere. It’s directed by Vincenzo Natali who started his career with 1997’s Cube. There is definitely a stylized fabric that you can see in both of these films, however Cypher is not as dark.

The real take away here should be a lesson on giving young directors opportunities. Natali was in his early 20s when he directed both of these films, and while I would say that Cypher is not as good as Cube, they are both strong showings for what they are. Cypher had a budget of $7 million and used it well. The special effects are not state-of-the-art, but I felt they were immersive.

If there were a singular reason I would recommend this movie, it would be because of the narrative style. It’s like a fairytale nightmare where reality is constantly fleeting and the character is desperately trying to figure out what’s real and who to trust.

Combine this with an off-center femme fatale in Lucy Liu, who is showing us an acting side of herself that I haven’t seen in any other work she’s done. She’s vulnerable, competent, and dangerous. There’s something else though, something that pulls us through the movie to find out.

The movie itself was shot in 35 days, and while you don’t really feel it, there are a few scenes that feel as though they could have been better or more refined. This is nitpicky. I couldn’t really find any information to support this, but I think the movie was probably shot for a cable TV channel. Natali’s Cube had a limited release but really found his footing in the rental market. I suspect this is the approach he was employing here. I have no problem with this marketing strategy — in fact it’s something that I have been desperately advocating for. Especially now in current day, there are multiple avenues for filmmakers to get their movies out there.

Lucy Liu is amazingly seductive and yet vulnerable at the same time. Jeremy Northam as our main character is the perfect blank canvas. He appears to be an everyday guy kind of hen-pecked, yet as layers of information peel away, we start to see additional depth in Northam’s portrayal. This is strangely fun to watch because we see him become empowered but also feel endangered at the same time. This duality, I would imagine, would challenge any actor.

So, is Cypher any good? Yes! Very much so. This movie is like your favorite album that you pull out from time to time when you’re in the mood for it. It really is a mellow ethereal dreamlike adventure. In the end though it’s a cool little spy film with some sci-fi thrown in. I would recommend watching it on some laid-back night after the day is done.