Alex Proyas' latest film, Knowing, is a complex and difficult film. Besieged by a number of flaws, it is ultimately an interesting film with a great premise that makes choices that become increasingly hard to swallow -- ultimately offering one of those rare films that you are either completely on board for or absolutely not. The film's first act opens with the unveiling of a time capsule with a strange list of numbers. By the end of that act we know the twist -- that these numbers correspond with the dates and death figures from a number of the world's worst tragedies. But as the second act has us following lead Nicolas Cage jumping through the requisite hoops in hopes of preventing the incidents that have not yet occurred, stranger plot twists begin to develop. Dark strangers appear and begin stalking him and his son. Strange things begin to happen. And it all leads to unraveling the mystery of the little girl who placed the sheet of paper in the capsule to begin with.

The problems here are numerous. Nicolas Cage seems to be phoning in one of the worst performances in his career opposite the beautiful Rose Byrne, who is actually quite good but lacks any chemistry whatsoever with Cage. Making matters worse is that the film begins to ask an awful lot of the audience, especially when it comes to logic problems like "why does the magical list know airplane crashes that kill 81 people but don't seem to account for wars?" Then, as the explanation of the dark strangers becomes clear, questions begin to crop up about how they actually know everything they really do know. Finally, when the film enters its final apocalyptic scenes and garners its strongest emotions, it serves up a final shot that is almost awe-inspiring in its audacity.

But say what you will about the film's story or Cage's acting, Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City) directs the centerpiece scenes here with the genius we've come to expect from him. One scene, an incredible three-minute extended shot of Nicolas Cage running through the burning wreckage of an airplane trying to save passengers is simply jaw-dropping -- this scene alone makes the film worth seeing. Another scene, which takes place in a subway, likewise is well worth the price of a rental. And the film's aforementioned final apocalyptic imagery is stunning. When everything in this film goes to hell, it really goes to hell and Proyas sells every moment of it. It's unfortunate that so much of this doesn't work -- because so much of it really does.

And while the Blu-ray is sparse, with only two special features, both are well worth checking out. The first, your standard 10-minute making-of, really puts its focus on the hell they went through getting the film's money shot (the airplane sequence) done in a single take. Watching the crazy lengths they have to go through to battle weather, light, stunt coordination, and various human conditions adds an extra layer of respect to a film whose script wouldn't ordinarily demand it. After that is a very interesting 20-minute short subject on both the apocalypse and the various stories attached to it, as well as the science behind the radical third act turn that might or might not bring an end to our own world. It's a very scholarly featurette, loaded with a number of different experts from a wide array of fields. It feels more akin to a great PBS doc than anything you'd find on a disc as a mere extra. If you pick this disc up, you owe it to yourself to check this out after the film.

Knowing is available now from Summit Entertainment.

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