''Slipstream'' is a 2005

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstell ...

, written by

Louis Morneau Louis Morneau is an American film director and scenarist. Life Morneau has been described as a "graduate of the Roger Corman school". He is the director of various B/ cult films, including what Dread Central calls ’the notoriously terrible ...

and Phillip Badger and directed by David van Eyssen. The film stars

Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin ( né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in '' The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' (1993), ...

Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is a British actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Ch ...

, and

Ivana Miličević Ivana Miličević (; born April 26, 1974) is a Bosnian Croat-American actress and model. She is best known for her starring roles in the Cinemax action drama series ''Banshee'' (2013–2016) and The CW science fiction drama series ''The 100'' (20 ...

. It had its world premiere in 2005 at the London Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival, where van Eyssen received the award for "Best New Director to SF/Action". The film concerns the efforts of a socially inept

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophica ...

(

) and a female

FBI agent The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(

) to recover a

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

device (called "Slipstream") that was stolen by a group of bank robbers commanded by

Plot

Stuart Conway has developed a hand-held,

cellphone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...

-like time travel device called "Slipstream" that allows the user to travel back in time 10 minutes by interfacing with a cellphone system regional antenna. At first, he uses the device primarily to try, albeit unsuccessfully, to arrange a date with a female

bank clerk ''The Bank Clerk'' is a 1919 American short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle * Molly Malone See also * List of American films of 1919 This list of Amer ...

. The final time he tries to use the device, a group of

bank robber Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank branch or teller, as opposed to other bank-ow ...

s commanded by Winston Briggs rush into the bank and demand the money from the vault. At the time, FBI agent Sarah Tanner and her male partner Jake are in the bank tracking Stuart. Tanner initiates a gunfight against Jake's advice. Both agents are armed with pistols, while the criminals are wielding automatic weapons. By the end of the fight, Jake is shot and killed because he chased the criminals outside the bank. During the fight, Stuart had been shot in the chest by a stray bullet. Before he dies, Stuart takes Sarah and himself back in time to before the bank robbery, and Sarah unsuccessfully tries to foil the heist. Unfortunately, Briggs takes the Slipstream device as a

souvenir A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a ...

. Stuart and Sarah realize it's only a matter of time before Briggs and his cronies discover the true potential of the device. What follows is a high-speed

car chase A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on ro ...

of the criminals, a

hijack Hijack may refer to: Films * ''Hijack'' (1973 film), an American made-for-television film * ''Hijack!'', a 1975 British film sponsored by the Children's Film Foundation - see Children's Film Foundation filmography * ''Hijack'' (2008 film), a Bol ...

ing of a bus, a highway shootout, and a shootout in and downing of a

commercial airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ai ...

. Near the end, as a passenger in the falling airplane, Stuart is able to reverse the entire sequence of events because, being airborne, he has access to many cellphone relay systems and therefore is not restricted to the 10-minute limit. Stuart rewinds time to just before the bank robbery, taking Sarah with him, but Briggs grabs on as well and is rewinded too. This time Briggs decides not to rob the bank as he knows what will happen and that all of his men will die and he and his men leave without anyone being the wiser. This time Stuart is able to get a date with the teller by being himself and escapes using the Slipstream device from the bank when he is about to be arrested. Sarah is relieved that her partner is alive again and decides to let Stuart go as she knows that he's harmless. The movie ends with Stuart having fun using the Slipstream device.

Cast

as Stuart Conway *

as Winston Briggs *

as Sarah Tanner * Kevin Otto as Jake Hallman * Victoria Bartlett as Gillian * Thorsten Wedekind as Cam *

Hakeem Kae-Kazim Hakeem is an Arabic-language given name, a romanization variant of Hakim. It can also be used as a surname. Notablle people with the name include: Given name * Hakeem Abdul-Saboor * Hakeem Abdul-Shaheed *Hakeem Adeniji *Hakeem al-Araibi *Hakeem A ...

as Runson * Grant Swanby as Tokin

Production

Filming took place in South Africa during late 2003. The film was imagined as part

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

, part

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

and part

buddy comedy A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

. Sean Astin was chosen to portray the main character of Stuart Conway. Of the role, Astin has noted that he liked the movie's premise and that "Although they weren't offering much money, the prospect of going to South Africa was appealing to me."

Release

''Slipstream'' had its world premiere on February 3, 2005 at the London Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival. It later screened on SyFy that same month.

Reception

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

reviewed ''Slipstream'', writing that "It's not particularly brilliant in any way, but neither is it boring ... and it's a whole helluva lot better than most of the movies bearing the "Sci-Fi Network" banner."

Virginia Heffernan Virginia Heffernan (born August 8, 1969) is an American journalist and cultural critic. Since 2015, she has been a political columnist at the ''Los Angeles Times'' and a cultural columnist at '' Wired''. From 2003 to 2011, she worked as a staff ...

criticized the movie as "a bust", as she felt that it was a "handsome but vacuous caper movie". David Nusair of Reel Film was similarly critical, noting a kill from the villain midway through ''Slipstream'' that they stated was the "sort of jaw-dropping incompetence that quickly sinks ''Slipstream'', a sci-fi film with a decent premise but little else.

Awards

* Best New Director to SF/Action (2005, won)

References

External links

* * {{Official website, http://www.slipstreamfilm.com/ 2005 films Syfy original films 2000s science fiction thriller films Films about time travel Time loop films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films Films scored by Rob Lord