Reviews

Indeed, Cristof orchestrates Truman's world to make sure he keep viewers interested and that his star never feels like leaving (Truman's father is 'killed' in a boating accident so he won't try to sail away). When lovely infiltrator Natascha McElhone tries to give the game away to Truman, she's quickly expelled from the set by men in black. Truman's love for her is eventually what drives him to escape his hollow marriage (a running joke is that devoted wife Linney actually can't stand him) and the crumbling artificiality of his small town universe.

What writer Andrew Niccol and director Peter Weir have most fun with, though, are the little details. What sets the plot in motion is a light falling from the roof that almost hits Truman as he stands in the street. It's the first thread of a yarn that will unravel to reveal that the townspeople are actors, Truman's household items product placements and ultimately that he needs to conquer his fear of water and travel to the 'real world' to escape the cameras.

Ed Harris as Cristof, the "villain" of the piece

With its anti-authoritarian echoes of The Prisoner, Brazil and The Matrix, Truman's journey to break free of his imposed reality is often at great personal cost. He's genuinely a nice, honest guy - that's why TV audiences were drawn to his show - but he's also a fighter who represents the idealised strength of the human spirit.

With the explosion of reality TV in the years since its release, The Truman Show has never been more timely and firmly deserves its place in the list of iconic 90's movies.

Surely those fashions are enough to set alarm bells ringing for Truman.

The Blu-ray includes all the bonus material from the 2005 special edition DVD but sadly it's presented in standard definition instead of HD. The film itself looks better than ever, but nitpickers will point out some minor flaws such as unwelcome DNR (Digital Noise Reduction) and an underwhelming sound mix, but bearing in mind the film is 11 years old and made with a relatively simple visual and audio aesthetic, you can't complain too much. It would have been nice to see some new extras on the disc though.

Blu-ray Special Features:

How's It Going To End? (SD, 42 mins)

Faux Finishing (SD, 13 mins)

Deleted Scenes (SD, 13 mins)

Marketing Materials (HD)