Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
In a dystopian future, insurance fraud investigator William Gold arrives in Shanghai to investigate a forgery ring for "papelles", futuristic passports that record people's identities and genetics. Gold falls for Maria Gonzalez, the woman in charge of the forgeries. After a passionate affair, Gold returns home, having named a coworker as the culprit. But when one of Gonzalez's customers is found dead, Gold is sent back to Shanghai to complete the investigation.
Code 46 is a quietly ambitious dystopian romance that earns praise for its genuinely atmospheric cinematography — real Shanghai and Dubai locations lend it a textured, lived-in future that CGI-heavy sci-fi rarely achieves. The genetic-law concept (Code 46 prohibiting relationships between genetically similar individuals) is intriguing and gives the film its most distinctive quality. However, the plot execution is meandering and under-developed, never fully capitalizing on its thriller or romance potential. Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton deliver competent, understated performances but the emotional connection between them feels thin. The ending, while tonally consistent with the film's melancholy mood, is somewhat anticlimactic and leaves too many threads unresolved. A noble near-miss of a sci-fi film that prioritizes mood over substance.