Fahrenheit 451 (2018)
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A fireman in a future America where books are illegal begins to question his role in society after meeting a young woman.
The story
In a future America following a Second American Civil War, reading is largely confined to the Internet, known as "The 9," and most books are banned. Firemen no longer extinguish fires but instead start them and are tasked with burning books and buildings. Guy Montag, a fireman living in Cleveland, performs his duties without question until his consciousness is expanded by reading a dystopian novel. His convictions are further challenged when he meets an informant named Clarisse, who reveals real history and the rise of the Ministry. Realizing he wants to read, Montag seeks to rebel against the established order.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In a future America where books are banned and firemen start fires to destroy literature, Guy Montag serves as a fireman in Cleveland under Captain Beatty. After reading Dostoyevsky’s Notes from Underground and meeting an informant named Clarisse, Montag begins to question the state's censorship. He decides to join a group of rebels known as "Eels" who aim to preserve knowledge by embedding books into the DNA of starlings to be transported to Canada. Montag is tasked with obtaining a transponder from his department to attach to a bird. However, Captain Beatty discovers Montag's intent. During a confrontation, Beatty finds a stash of books at Montag's house; Montag refuses to burn them, remembering Beatty's past cruelty toward his father. Beatty erases Montag's identity, and Montag flees as a fugitive. He eventually connects with the Eels and attaches the transponder to a bird. Beatty confronts him again, allows the bird to fly away, and then sets Montag on fire. The starling successfully reaches Canada to join a flock.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ramin Bahrani
- Writers
- Ramin Bahrani · co-writer; Amir Naderi · co-writer
- Cast and characters
- Michael B. Jordan · Guy Montag; Michael Shannon · Captain John Beatty; Sofia Boutella · Clarisse McClellan; Khandi Alexander · Toni Morrison; Lilly Singh · Raven; Martin Donovan · Commissioner Nyari; Andy McQueen · Gustavo; Dylan Taylor · Douglas
- Genres
- dystopian drama
- Themes
- censorship; totalitarianism; bibliophilia
- Tone and mood
- dystopian
- Premise and plot tags
- dystopian; censorship; totalitarianism
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1953 book of the same name by Ray Bradbury
- Reception
- The film received mixed critical reviews, with praise for the performances and visuals, but criticism for the screenplay and lack of faithfulness to the source material.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Production trivia
- The film is a remake of the 1966 film of the same name.; Laura Harrier was cast as Millie, Montag's wife, but was ultimately cut from the film.; The film's tagline was 'Fact. Fiction. It all burns.'
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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