Know1ng

One of the deeper meanings of the title to this Nicolas Cage thriller is set up when Cage's character, John Koestler, tells his son, Caleb, that there's no way of knowing what happened to Caleb's mother after she died. We get a clue later that she knew where she was going, since she urged John to reunite with his father, a pastor.

Because of a paper filled with numbers, retrieved from a time capsule buried in 1959, Koestler, an astrophysics prof at MIT, finds himself knowing that major disasters of the past 50 years were predicted, and that three more are yet to come.

What follows is a bit of a spoiler, but not more than the poster of the world burning up, and don't worry: There are plenty of twists, turns and biblical allusions that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

When Koestler warns his father that the last disaster "prophesied" should send him to shelter, the pastor tells his son, "I'm ready," adding, "Are you?"

As society panics, looting and fires take over the cities. One graffiti artist readies those who have eyes to read: "Jesus is the way, the truth and the life."

Director Alex Proyas, who also worked on the screenplay, made the $50M budget go a long way by today's standards. Every performance was strong, the music (advertised here) was used well, the screenplay was tight, the pacing brought Joyce to check her pulse (don't worry: her heart's fine), and the only strong language is a single word Koestler uses to express how he feels before knowing. There is plenty of violence, but it all results from natural disasters.

This is a parable that I hope will stir many to make sure they're ready.

If you're not sure, I hope you'll read about my passion.