Does free will exist? Are we masters of our fate, or are we pre-destined to follow a master plan created by a divine power. This is the age old quandary of human purpose, told with a modern twist, in screenwriter turned director George Nolfi's superb adaptation of The Adjustment Bureau. Based on a classic short story by science fiction legend Phillip K. Dick, The Adjustment Bureau is a tale of one man's quest for his true love against god-like forces. Before I go further, I promise an absolutely spoiler-free review. I'll refer to the plot in a general sense, juxtaposed against the philosophical merits of the film.

Matt Damon stars as maverick Brooklyn politician, David Norris. On the night he loses the race to become the next senator from New York, he has a chance encounter with Elise (Emily Blunt); a free-spirited woman that captivates him utterly. Years later, he accidentally meets her again. But this time, there are men in suits and hats (Anthony Mackie, John Slattery), following them to make sure this second meeting is their last. This is the Adjustment Bureau, tasked with keeping David and Elise on the right path. Unfortunately for them, the path, as dictated by the Bureau, is a separate one.

The philosophical implications of this romance have been argued by man since the dawn of self-awareness. Other films have addressed this question with staggering levels of complexity. Insert Inception here. Nolfi's tale is beautifully simplistic, told in the familiar backdrop of the modern business world. Unrequited love against destiny. The Bureau behaves like the tax collector updating a ledger. The formula has to work to balance the books, so what is something like love and happiness in a world where greatness is measured concretely.

I would define this film as a romance, science fiction, thriller. Yes, there are chases and action scenes. But this is not the big-budget, sledgehammer gun battles Hollywood normally equates to Dick's books. Insert Total Recall, Minority Report, Scanners, Next, Paycheck, and Imposter here. These films were essentially bastardized into behemoth action films that lost all of the original substance. The Adjustment Bureau is more like Blade Runner and A Scanner Darkly in the sense that it preserves the tone of what Dick originally wrote. It has a distinctly human element that any audience member will relate to.

Matt Damon and Emily Blunt are well cast here. Their performances are so natural. I totally bought the idea of love at first sight. That's a hard thing to sell in film. Nolfi's script and directing are key, but the word I use so much in almost every review - chemistry - makes the higher philosophy work. If you're worried about too much thinking, with no desire whatsover to have existential conversations over coffee after the film, then it also works purely on an entertainment level. The Adjustment Bureau is an excellent debut for George Nolfi. Let's hope his next film can be as good as this one.