I do enjoy a Denzel Washington/Tony Scott team-up and this temporal thriller ends up being a lot more fun than I remember from the first time I saw it. Scott’s constantly moving camera, saturated colours, and tight editing are on full display here as the story follows ATF agent Doug Carlin (Washington) as he investigates a terrorist attack that blew up an entire ferry, killing over five hundred people in New Orleans.

He’s especially intrigued when the burned and mutilated body of a woman, Claire (Paula Patton), washes up. It’s meant to look like one of the ferry victims but the time of death is possibly a couple of hours earlier.

Investigating her place he finds a number of strange clues, but that’s just the beginning as he is recruited by Agent Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer) into a project overseen by McCready (Bruce Greenwood). It seems Denny (Adam Goldberg) has discovered a way to observe the past in the form of a trailing echo from four days ago. If the team can use Carlin’s investigative skills, they may know exactly where to look to find the responsible party.

And they do. A ‘patriot,’ Carroll (Jim Caviezel), who sounds alarmingly familiar, is the culprit, but will he it be enough, and what about Claire? She still ends up dead.

Unless.

What if it isn’t a recording of the past, but an actual window into the past? Could there be a way to crossover? To change what has already happened?

I had a lot of fun with this one, Washington is, as always, great and he’s surrounded by a cast I love. It’s a fast-moving tale and has some nice temporal folds and moments that let the mind wander and imagine possibilities of what it would be like to change events.

Scott is more interested in telling a thriller then delving into the intricacies of time travel, but with his usual aplomb, it works. You just have to buckle up and take the characters at their word that the story and this time travel theory holds together.

The only thing I wish there was more of in this film is more Washington and Kilmer scenes, I liked seeing them onscreen together, and honestly, there’s never enough screentime for Bruce Greenwood in anything he does – the man is captivating.

It’s no wonder this film was considered Patton’s breakout role, she is absolutely stunning, and the viewer, much like Carlin, can’t take their eyes off of her. Throw in the fact that she’s a powerhouse actor and you’ve got someone who it is a delight to watch.

I love Tony Scott films, and in that cross-section of Washington/Scott there’s always something to enjoy, and make time for.