User reviews

I was pleasantly surprised with how good the not very favorably reviewed 6th day was. It delivered in several ways:

• It has the expected action, stunts, effects.

• It has the expected one-liners and humor.

• Acting is generally perfectly adequate for the purpose. Rather, it must be pretty good when I never was disturbed by any bad acting.

• It is nicely futuristic in a near-future fashion with many perfectly or partially believable ideas (and some that we don't quite believe in, but hey, if we accept hyperspace travel then we can accept this).

• It has a message that actually keeps us thinking after leaving the movie. The cloning problem is considered from many points of view (not only as the bad guy's evil plan). How far can we heal, how far can we preserve life, when does it become an ethical problem, when will it clash with religion?

That is quite impressive if you ask me.

However, sometimes it fails on two points: Predictability and suspense. Some scenes, especially involving the bad guy, are so embarrassingly predictable that it makes me wish they could have skipped some clichés just for once. And the movie misses great suspense opportunities on several occasions. I won't tell you how, who or when, but when a guy is assassinated, it should not happen just out of the blue, but we should be led into the situation slowly (for example from the assassin's point of view) so we get the chance to worry about it. That opportunity is missed at least twice, when the movie jumps straight into the kill, giving us momentary cheap shock instead of thrill. Compare it to the killing in, for example, Predator (one of the most excellent Arnold movies). Most kills by the Predator don't come out of the blue, we are warned, and it adds suspense and thrill.

Those flaws push the movie down from the top marks, but I still rank it pretty high for the points mentioned above. Quite entertaining and even interesting too, which makes it one of the better Arnold movies. Recommended!

The 6th Day had the potential to be a classic Schwarzenegger sci-if action film in the realm of Total Recall or Terminator, if only it aspired that high. The B-movie vibe is hard to escape with generic action scenes and wooden dialogue. Arnie is his usual entertaining self though and does most of the heavy lifting (pun intended). This film puts forth some genuinely interesting ethical dilemmas, just don't think too hard about the plot.

In the near future, cloning technology is highly developed and the corporation Replacement Technologies owned by the wealthy Michael Drucker (Tony Goldwyn) is responsible for cloning pets in RePet shops. However there is a law called Sixth Day that prohibits human cloning and many groups and movements that are against any type of cloning. When Drucker needs to travel to a remote location, he hires the professional helicopter pilots Adam Gibson (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his friend Hank Morgan (Michael Rapaport), requesting an eye test from them first. However Hamk flies since it is Adam's birthday; the family dog has just died and he is thinking about the possibility of cloning the animal for his daughter. Adam decides to by a doll called Cindy instead but when he arrives home, he finds that Oliver and he have been cloned. Further, he is hunted down by four professional killers and he needs to flee. What happened to Adam and why was he cloned?

"The 6th Day" is a thoughtful and full of action sci-fi from the beginning of this century. Possible consequences of cloning human beings are shown through the family man Adam Gibson performed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a double role. The plot has funny moments, lots of action and excellent cast. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O 6º Dia" ("The 6th Day")

"The 6th Day" marks the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to a role that seems to be second nature to him: action. This time there is an added twist; there is actually a decent plot attached to it.

"The 6th Day" revolves around a man who has been cloned and ends up on the run from a corporation who wants him dead. Arnold is this man who has lost his family, life and taking on the corporation who took it from him. All the while, Arnold is searching within himself to find a way to get his family back.

The 6th Day" boasts a cast that includes Robert Duvall, Michael Rooker, Tony Goldwyn and Sarah Wynters. I knew the second I saw these names flash across the screen I was in for a real treat.

The best thing about "The 6th Day" is the performance of Schwarzenegger because he is not only an action star in this film but a dramatic actor as he combines these two talents to pull off one of his better performances of his career.

Arnold did not make this film a hit by himself, he had a little help from his friends. From Robert Duvall who played the doctor who performed the cloning operations to Michael Rooker, who was one evil henchmen with his menacing attitude and presence "The 6th Day" is one great film to see.

I enjoyed how the plot of film didn't rely solely on the action sequences. Though, the action is fine and dandy; I believe that a film needs more than just action and "The 6th Day" has it.

"The 6th Day" is one of the best Arnold films I've seen including the "Terminator" series. It is filled with action, twists, turns, edge of your seat suspense and drama that will appeal to all movie fans of every age.

In an Utopian nearly future , cloning is a habitual exercise, fish, dogs,animals and food can be cloned, but no human genre, being illegal and pursued. When Adam Gibson(Arnold Schwarzenegger, also producer) goes to home after his job as helicopters pilot along with his friend Hank(Michael Rapaport) he encounters a clone has replaced him.Then he's chased by a murderers group(Michael Rooker, Sara Wynter, Terry Crews). He flees and must to solve the weird happenings from the creator of the clones, Michael Drucken(Tony Goldwyn), whose experiments is working Dr. Griffin(Robert Duvall).

This is a gripping sci-fi story plenty of action, thrills, suspense,tension, plot-twists and quite entertaining. It's a clichéd thriller with noisy and agreeable fun . It builds gradually with an interesting premise leading an impressive and breathtaking highlights, thanks to involving plot is interesting enough to keep the movie going on. Action set pieces are well made and amusingly mixed with humor, the picture delivers just what we have come expecting.It's one of the best of those years generally inappropriate crop of blockbusters, but this one contains lots of action and enjoyable humor. A sympathetic and as corpulent as always, Arnold Schwarzenegger as the good father of family plunged into a sinister scenery he tries to find out but doesn't understand. Adequate musical score fitting perfectly to action by Trevor Rabin and colorful cinematography by Pierre Mignot.The motion picture is acceptably directed by Robert Spottiswoode. He's a successful director from TV movies and cinema, as terror genre(Terror train), adventures(Air America,Shoot to kill),drama(Children of Hang Shi), James Bond film(Tomorrow never dies), and his best movie is ¨Under fire¨.Rating: Passable and good fun film. The pic will like to California governor's fans

Ran "Raw Deal" (1986) and "The Sixth Day" (2000) back to back and its interesting to see the embodiment of decadence. Fourteen years can make a big difference. I don't mean Arnold's aging. That's a given for all of us. And I don't mean his graceless and wooden movements. That was always a given for Arnold. I mean the fact that Arnold's earlier movies were usually more or less realistic, although they sometimes reached the parameters of possibility. But later they tended to transform themselves into logical puzzles enhanced by an abundance of computer-generated images.

In "Raw Deal," for instance, Arnold takes a few belts in the jaw, but he can clean out a nest of a dozen or more gangsters killing every one of them. They're all prepared and armed to the teeth but it makes no difference. They shoot and miss. Arnold doesn't miss. But that aside, it's a realistic movie set in the present. We can at least IMAGINE that Arnold can shoot that much better than everyone else. The story even reaches for the surreal at times. His drunken wife throws a cake at him. "You should not dwink and bake," he remarks unflappably. Later he kicks out the windshield of his Caddy convertible and drives wildly through a quarry full of enemies with machine guns. He mows them merrily down while "I Don't Get No Satisfaction" plays on his tape.

In "The Sixth Day" the wit and self parody are largely absent. The pieces of the logical puzzle are there but no one really bothers to fit them together. One or two comments and Arnold has had enough of what he calls "philosophy." It's about cloning and the management and bioethics of same. The villains, for instance -- Tony Goldwyn in a fine performance -- have built a life-limiting disorder into each of their clones because even after cloning a psychopath there is still the possibility of redemption. What do you do if you encounter someone who is your identical clone, right down to the slightest episodic memory from childhood, carrying the same devotion to your wife and daughter as you -- and he, all unwittingly, has taken your place? You have a chance to murder him but should you? He is, in every sense except birthing, a second you, although he doesn't know he is. Isn't that murder? How about -- suicide?

In any case, despite the zappy editing and loud noises, there are the usual moments of comedy. One young Gothic heavy has been killed and cloned so many times he's beginning to complain about a sore neck and has to be reminded that his spine was fractured in a previous life. A beautiful Goth woman with neon-blue hair is killed and then freshly reconstituted. She leaps nude from the table and rushes to a mirror, flushed with anger. "Now I have to pierce my ears again!"

The late 90's and early 00's felt to me like a clear nadir in cinema history. Gone were the days of 80's and 90's stunt-oriented action without the soulless sheen of CGI layered onto every new movie. It was the time period that gave us the rise of conveyor belt low budget U. S.-Canadian co-productions with the same assembly line group of Vancouver actors, including the rise of Uwe Boll, and similarly cut-and-paste films from tax shelter production companies / scams such as Franchise pictures. You were assured to have another low-brow crowd-pleaser in theaters every week, but crowds were starting to grow weary of these increasingly cynical glossy films with low-effort stories. In the midst of this slow spiral into junk-food entertainment came a chance for Arnold to revisit familiar sci-fi memory-theft territory as well as get to play multiple roles in the way Van Damme was already turning into an established science.

This movie comes off as so desperate to be liked, that it's hard not to toss it a little sympathy. There's so much attempt to gin up interest with NATURAL BORN KILLERS style MTv editing and lots of dutch angles and flashy split-screen effects. Crisp and dynamic camera movements showcase the bright and dynamic futuristic color pallet. All this pales in comparison to what Paul Verhoeven and Jost Vacano were able to accomplish 10 years earlier with Schwarzenegger's other big sci fi action adventure, TOTAL RECALL, a film that actually made you feel like you were stepping into another world with a sense of wonder.

Compared to RECALL, 6TH DAY, comes off as that untalented younger brother desperately vying for attention. There's plenty of interesting ideas here and a pretty good cast. Unfortunately the film falters right out of the gate by not really doing much with any of its potential. A lot of the cool ideas get thrown away immediately in favor of bland action scenes which lose all credibility considering Schwarzenegger is presented as a regular-guy Mr. Nice Guy helicopter pilot. Suddenly when push comes to shove, he's an invincible and fully agile sprinter, able to outwit, out-run, out-shoot, and out-McGuyver a bevy of incompetent villains. This all could have worked earlier in Arnie's career when he was in ultimate badass mode, but between this film and COLLATERAL DAMAGE, he just seemed to be getting ungainly, awkward, and subtly impatient as though he is just here for the money. At this time he was more like a parody of himself and no longer like the all-American/Germanic hero of days past.

Speaking of awkward, the frequent attempts to show Arnie's family life come off as some of the least believable of his career. His wife and daughter have practically no defining characteristics of their own considering how much we see them. Practically nothing emotional lands and there's this strange air of artificial and insincere goofiness in a film that purports to intelligently tackle some tricky subjects. The PG-13 rating certainly doesn't do any favors, lowering the brow of this already simian script even further to make it more kid-friendly. My guilty-favorite aspect of the film has to be the talking Sim-Pal Cindy doll, which is hilariously designed to look as creepy as possible. It's obvious the makers were copying the uncanny valley of Johnny Cab in TOTAL RECALL (with a touch of Chucky), but decide to give this concoction an inordinate amount of attention. She seems to be vaguely aware of what's going on, which makes things hilarious when the bad guys have her along for the ride in their car and she just mindlessly spouts platitudes of friendship to them as they speed along. The filmmakers obviously had it out for her though as she ends up taking on a nearly "Simpsons"-episode level of sadistic punishment. I'm surprised they didn't just go a little further and end with a money shot of several cars running over her head while she screams in pain.

So that sums up this movie in a nutshell; it just never quite goes far enough. It's tacky but never really funny, it's intriguing without being profound, and it's action-oriented without having an ounce of tension. Still for whatever reason, I have to revisit this film every few years as the very definition of guilty pleasure. I swear it's totally not just to see the creepy doll screaming and crying as it takes abuse. Okay, maybe it is.

Adam Gibson (Arnold Schwarzenegger) heads to work one day and on his return from work he discovers a clone of himself celebrating his birthday with his family. Cloning of humans is illegal and, for Gibson, discovering his clone is potentially bad news for both Gibson and his family as it means that the secret that they're trying to protect could end up becoming common knowledge. The organisation responsible for cloning Gibson will do everything in their power to protect their secret even if it means killing Gibson and his family.

As a concept, this is very interesting and it's the sort of film that provides you with a nice piece of escapism. The subject matter of cloning humans is ripe for all kinds of social commentary - would you want another chance at living again after you've died or would you just rather die naturally and let your loved ones mourn you and leave your memories with them? Although the cloning aspect is a forerunner for the film I did like the idea that one aspect of the film showed someone who didn't want to be cloned - yes it's too far-fetched to be taken seriously (it's science fiction after all), but it does make you think whilst the film is running.

As with most Arnie films, this one is very entertaining and lots of fun. Hank and his virtual girlfriend, the virtual lawyer and the virtual psychiatrist - all these characters were only in the film for a short period of time, but all of them were very memorable and very funny. I think the funniest part of the film was when Gibson was trying to ring the police and he kept being given lots of options before he could be connected to the police. This may have been mildly amusing back in 2000, but in 2015 when virtually every number that you ring now gives you these irritating options before you can actually speak to a person ultimately made that scene incredibly funny. When the two 'Arnies' cross paths later in the film these scenes also provide for some very funny exchanges. Arnie doesn't have quite as many 'one liners' as in previous outings, but we're treated to a great one towards the end of the film.

As much as I enjoyed this film I did find one or two weaknesses; I understand that the idea of cloning animals was referenced in the film because it's legal to clone animals, but illegal to clone humans. However, I felt it would have been better if the writers had just made it about cloning humans. The idea of cloning animals just isn't that interesting and the fact that it seemed important at the start and then was ignored for the rest of the film also seemed a little bit strange. I also felt the finale was a little over-blown and ran on for too long, but these are minor issues.

Despite some minor issues with the plotting, The 6th Day is an entertaining, fun and mostly thought-provoking film that is well worth watching. Whilst it doesn't quite reach the greatness of Total Recall (Arnie's other big sci-fi film) it's still a very good film that fans of Arnie and fans of sci-fi will not be disappointed with.

I like Arnie movies: Total Recall, The Terminator, True Lies. Great Fun. I wanted to like this movie too, having read reviews that mentioned Total Recall. I didn't. I hated it. Why?

* The writers came up with something that should be an interesting starting point, the ethical questions about cloning. However, instead of going deeper in the subject, it just misused this premise as an excuse for lots of explosions and car-chases. Absolutely nothing is even mildly original here.

* The special effects are very bad in places (when the bad guy's legg is shot off for example). The CGI effects are so-so.

* The plot doesn't make sense in a lot of places (spoiler alert):

-"You can't clone a brain, but you can clone a whole body". SAY WHAT?!

• Arnie goes to the re-pet store to clone his dog who just died. After a while, it is suggested that the 'other' Arnie was there before him (The salesman's remark "Still can't make up your mind, huh?"). But, after that Arnie drives home and finds the other Arnie *with the cloned dog"!

-Arnie is supposed to be the good, loving father and husband having some moral troubles with the hole cloning thing. But when he's chased by bad guys he immediately starts getting *sadistic pleasures* out of running over them. Makes him completely unlikeable and disgusting IMHO.

I'm all for setting myself in 'brain-dead' mode and going for some good Arnie action, but I couldn't help completely disliking this flick.

What a surprise! Must have missed this or it bombed at the box office. However watching this 18 year old movie (made in 2000), it seems to have stood the test of time. Much of the set designs, costumes and even self driving Chevy's and Drone style Helicopters! Super forward thinking concepts. It felt up to date and still relevant. Fun surprise of a flick. It has ages well like a good wine. 8 stars from me, kept our rapt attention. Well balanced and believeable sci fi, great sets, good soundtrack and lots of fun....WITHOUT ZOMBIES! LOL

"The Sixth Day" is an example of when a big movie star gets so self-indulgent that they make a movie that has absolutely nothing new or interesting to offer, other than seeing that big movie star do what they are known best for doing. Arnold is know for kicking ass in big budget movies and this is just what he does here. Nothing more. The plot is a lame and uninspired version of "Total Recall" and it tries to top it with almost hilarious futility. There is even a scene where Arnold wakes up in a cab with no recollection of how he got there. Sound familiar? It should, since you have probably seen that in a better movie.

Now, one can't blame this all on Arnold since the producers are likely to be just as much at fault. Take one of the opening sequences that involves two admitted cool helicopter/jet hybrids racing in a canyon with one on remote control and the other actually being flown by a pilot. It's a fun scene, but it offers nothing more than fancy special effects. I don't mind expansive special effects, but there is a clear difference when these effects are thoughtful and designed with purpose than when they are not. The expansive (and expensive) sets and effects of "Total Recall" all worked within the film to show you the futuristic world that the story takes place in. Here many things are shown off just because they look cool and the overall "sci-fi" world isn't really a sci-fi world at all. It is just our contemporary world with random sci-fi things thrown in like holograms, high-tech vehicles and gadgets. Though, in a very odd move, one of the film's main action scenes, a car chase, has just regular cars and a regular suburban setting. The only indicator of science fiction is that these vehicles are virtually indestructible as they plow through houses and take vehicle suspensions to new levels of abuse. However, in the end it just the same old thing reheated, re-glossed, and re-served on the same old movie screen.

In other words, wholly uninteresting science fiction/action movie that barely scratches the surface of its interesting premise. It'll only entertain if taken as a no-brainer action flick, but there are so many of those around anyway. --- 4/10

Rated PG-13 for violence. This is a real MPAA treat as we are treated to lasers severing body parts and neck breaking. A real high for violence in the PG-13 category. Ages 13+

I recently had the pleasure of teaching the wonders of film criticism to an English composition class at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio. The experience was enjoyable, and the class posed a number of questions. One of the more interesting questions concerned the films I had seen that I believed had potential, but ultimately failed in execution. While I have seen a number of films that fit into this category, I couldn't think of a decent example. This was because I hadn't seen "The 6th Day" yet. What could have been an interesting and exciting look at the evils of cloning was a "B" grade action film at best, despite an above-par script and one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's better roles to date.

The film's premise is heavily based in TRUE science fiction; that is, fiction having its basis in scientific truth, using projections of the future to fully examine some aspect of our society. Sorry to go into such an elaborate definition, but I believe a lot of stuff gets swept into the category of science fiction simply because it has a robot, or takes place in outer space. But I digress.

This fictional reality here deals with cloning. In the film, which takes place in the "near future," cloning is an every-day practice, but only with pets and animals. Cloning people has been outlawed, as the original human cloning project went horribly wrong. Schwarzenegger plays Adam Gibson, a decent family man and helicopter pilot chartered to fly Michael Drucker (Tony Goldwyn), a rich businessman who owns Replacement Technologies. This corporation is at the height of cloning technology, running everything from a fish cloning company to help repopulate the oceans, to "RePet," a company that clones dead family pets. There's even a rumor that the company's head doctor (Robert Duvall) is experimenting with illegal human cloning. Something goes terribly wrong on Drucker's first flight, and before he knows, Gibson discovers he has been cloned. Its up to him to discover the secret controversy, and get his life back.

With this premise, the film is wide open to make many social observations, and does so very well, on occasion. Much of the legalities concerning cloning, as well as the ethical concerns, are discussed and examined by the characters. Even though the technology exists in the future, it is not widely accepted. Some of these observations are stated with all the eloquence you could expect from an Arnold/action film, but others are done so subtly, and surprisingly, with biting humor. Much of the concept of "RePet" is quite amusing.

However, if science fiction is the film's basis, lame action sequences are its filler. In between these intriguing dialogues are shoddy, cookie-cutter action scenes one should expect from a made for TV film. No matter if it's a car chase, a laser gun shoot-out, or a helicopter battle, it all feels very dull. It's not that I'm knocking these things, because they have to appear in action film; I just wish they were done well. Ultimately, the action suffers from a lack of creativity, which ironically, is where the rest of the script excels.

And one can't blame Arnold for not trying, as he is both charming and believable in his part. His is a performance with a surprising level of humanity, especially in scenes where he's going about his daily life. One almost forgets he's an action star and begins to take him a little seriously. But don't worry, after the first half-hour he's picked up a laser gun and is fighting and one-lining his way to the climax.

I guess my one qualm with "The 6th Day" is its failed potential: with some better action sequences (like those found in "The Matrix"), this could have been a very decent film, one I would be sending you to right away. Instead, it's simply a wait-for-video flick, and by my guess, that wait won't be long.

Unfortunately this was one of the biggest flops of 2000. Arnie still kicks ass and there is no denying it. But beneath the horrid effects and poor script this movie raises important questions about human cloning and gives VERY good reasons as to why it should NEVER happen.

We all know the plot by now. Arnie comes home from work only to find that he's already there and celebrating his own birthday. What a high concept idea! But the execution of it and the bad script turn it into a shambles.

The action is badly done and the SFX are pathetic. I usually don't care much for SFX but I wasn't particularly impressed with this movie. Those helicopters that can turn into jet planes are soooooo tacky.

Many of us doubted Arnie after Batman and Robin and End of Days (I was one of them) but he has proved himself here once again as an action hero who can still be the lead in a movie, even if it still a crap one. Age has not slowed him down and it doesn't look like it will for a while yet. He has still got a few more action movies to go. Maybe one day we'll get a third Terminator.

Do not let Arnold in leading role mislead you. Although this movie is an action, it's not just an action, it's a lot more than just that. It deals with a serious topic and, although it is not too philosophical, it definitely doesn't banalize it. It is satisfactory intelligent and has just enough depth to challenge the imagination and arouse thoughts. The biggest flaw, in my opinion, is that the final twist is too predictable and if you watch carefully enough you'll know how it ends at the very beginning. It's a shame because this story has serious potential for a great mindfak. Then again, it would be too much to expect from Schwarzenegger movie. Even this way it's already surprisingly deep for an action movie.

7/10

Arnold Schwarzenegger's The 6th Day is his usuall action popcorn flick, but this one has plenty of intelligence to go around (not that Arnold's other flick's have no smartness). In this film, Arnold plays a helicopter pilot with a good family, but comes home one day to find that the new technology known as human cloning comes around to his home (in other words, he has been cloned). But that is just the tip of the scanner in this thriller with a good perspective on cloning, identity and a number of other things. A tailor made Schwarzenegger movie that works well. Michael Rappaport makes a good supporting character, among others. A-

Surprisingly, this was an excellent movie and certainly one that extends beyond simply being in the action genre. The 6th Day grapples with the ethics behind cloning and the broad spectrum of implications cloning could have on our everyday lives. While yes, the movie near the end becomes pretty action-oriented, it is a very smart movie overall, and it certainly merits one's attention.

Don't let the concept of Schwarzenegger with guns make you think that this movie is brainless...you'll be grossly underestimating it.

The 6th Day is one of those movies that finds its inspiration in the cash register. Not one second of this tired and confusing film about cloning is fresh or original or understandable. Arnold Schwartzenegger, who had finally begun to look his 50-some odd years at the time of this film's making, despite layers of makeup and what looks to be like Herculean plastic surgery, moves like a man of some 50-odd years through the usual calisthenics that his parts call for: his accent, which has gotten thicker over the years, and his timing, which has just about vanished, makes the vapid jokes even less comprehensible, and for an actor with some 35 films under his belt by the time this film was made, his performance is rudimentary and perfunctory – as though he had other things on his mind, for instance, like a run for the governorship of California. Robert Duvall, shuffles through a role as a benign though mad scientist. He too just manages to croak out his lines. One can only hope that he too enjoyed a great payday. A few more parts like these and he will just about disappear from the screen. A scion of movie royalty, Tony Goldwyn, is the arch-villain, and his performance demonstrate the Motion Picture-Mendelian rule that Hollywood eventually destroys all talent genes, even if it takes several generations. When all else fails, and that comes very early in the proceedings, director Robert Spottiswoode, throws another 10 minutes of digital- enhanced imagery at the viewer. He was once quoted as saying, "The movies I want to make are not people's priority. Nobody would touch them. They cost a lot of money, and studios no longer finance development, so if I didn't pay for them myself they wouldn't happen." This picture shouldn't have happened.