Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Jeremy Northam plays a corporate spy caught between two rival firms in a cyberpunk future where he's not always quite sure who he's working for, who's on his side, or even of his own identity. Lucy Liu plays a femme fatale of sorts who helps (or is she manipulating?) Northam. It's a clever twisting plot, though the film suffers some from it's limited budget and suffers more so from under developed characters, which made me less interested in what happens to them. These strengths and weaknesses were also true of writer/director Vincenzo Natali's previous film "Cube" (he also later directed the underrated "Splice"). Overall, the Byzantine plot is so clever and so much smarter than most science fiction films, it makes this film well worth checking out by sci-fi fans despite it's deficiencies.

Director Vincenzo Natali's earlier "Cube" (1997) was a fascinating film, and that was reason enough to give "Cypher" (2002) a look."Cypher" makes a very intriguing start; a man named Morgan Sullivan (Jeremy Northam) is being interviewed by Digicorp's head of security and is being put through some neurological tests. He is being hired for corporate espionage and will soon be sent on missions to various conventions to secretly transmit corporate presentations for the benefit of Digicorp. He is given a new identity; that of Jack Thursby and his first assignment begins. It all seems fine in the beginning and Digicorp seems to be pleased with Sullivan's job. A chance encounter at the convention with a mysterious but beautiful stranger Rita (Lucy Liu) brings forth startling revelations and Sullivan finds that he could be caught in a deadly web of deceit amidst an ongoing cutthroat corporate war! Revealing more would take out whatever fun there is in watching "Cypher" for it is entirely a plot-driven film and it is the turns in the plot that keep it going.A terrific beginning doesn't always guarantee picture perfect masterpieces and "Cypher" proves just that. Further down, beneath the highly enticing exterior of brilliantly sleek cinematography, surreal camera-work and a background score that creates a sense of dread, there is great ambition that unfortunately succumbs under its own weight and finds itself settling into the comfort zone of a 'been there-done that' thriller which incorporates the essential ingredients of a typical edge-of-the-seat action/thriller.After a promising start, the film picks up a decent amount of momentum and does build tension to a considerable extent, enough to keep you hooked throughout, in its maze of twists and turns, that sometimes catch you unawares and sometimes come across as predictable. Certain twists are just too convenient for their own good, but you find yourself excusing them as you become increasingly curious to learn where it's all going to lead. There are hi-tech contraptions and otherworldly gadgets, a glass-eyed evil looking man who has to be an antagonist by design, odd shaped choppers and underground vaults in isolated locations, to access which, you have to use some fast capsule-shaped elevators that go some several hundred feet beneath the ground! The filmmakers play with your mind. An 'alien' angle, perhaps; or just a futuristic vision of corporate security measures!? It is a very interesting representation, although an exaggerated one; maybe the intention was to make a statement about the future of the contest in the corporate world! Brian King's screenplay and the director's vision of it, definitely draws a whole lot of inspiration from past masters. Some of the set design and the overall mood of the film quickly bring to mind, Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" (1982). Some of the thematic elements also remind you of John Frankenheimer 's masterpiece, "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962). Only those were ground-breaking films for their times and "Cypher" doesn't particularly create anything strikingly innovative. The oft-used gimmick of too many twists in the final act raise entirely new questions in an already befuddling narrative, making us rewind and think of the numerous holes that the film may have managed to riddle itself with. Employment of fast cut editing for showing some visions in the protagonists mind that may be distant memories or just random nightmares tends to strain the eyes. "Mission Impossible"-like athletic stunts and nick of time narrow escapes put a dent in the film's grave atmosphere and transport the viewer to the world of popcorn cinema for those brief moments!Nonetheless, a very sincere and convincing lead performance by the underrated Jeremy Northam and a steady pace that doesn't let up, make for an engaging and entertaining sci-fi noir thriller. Do not expect anything earth-shattering; then perhaps it wouldn't hurt to check "Cypher" out when you have nothing better to do.Score: 7/10

A mind-bending science fiction thriller that comes across as a mix of THE MATRIX and TOTAL RECALL. CYPHER doesn't have a huge budget, so don't go in expecting masses of special effects and mind-blowing visuals as in those other two films; instead this is a film offering purely cerebral thrillers as it works through the layers of consciousness to the very core of identity. Director Vincenzo Natali delivered the goods with CUBE and this is nearly as good.In the end, it turns out the film has one twist too many, crossing the divide between the merely implausible and the outlandish, but that doesn't stop it being a pacey and inventive ride up until that point. Brian King's script keeps you guessing with a complex brew of brainwashing, corporate spying, femme fatales and one innocent man, and the film's premise is never less than intriguing. As for the cast, well, Jeremy Northam is fine as the everyday 'grey man' caught up in an adventure that's rapidly spiralling out of control, and Lucy Liu, who I usually dislike, has never been better.CYPHER is one of those films it's best to not know too much about when you watch it; keeping up with the twisty-turny plotting is part of the appeal. I liked it.

Cypher starts out with an interesting premise -- corporate espionage -- but then attempts to add twists & turns and layer upon layer, before pretty soon you have no idea what is going on, who are the good guys, who are the bad guys...what you're watching at all.The (apparently) deliberate monochromatic visual tones, pedestrian acting and dull CGI sequences don't help either. By the end I was rooting only for the film to end so I could get more space on my DVR.A film with some similarity, far better done, is Inception.My rating should really be 5.5/10. Hard to understand what why so many folks rated it so highly -- one of the few times IMDb ratings have steered me wrong.