Inspired plots can spin out their thrills no matter where or when they are set.

The innocent man being pursued by a relentless authority is as old as Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, as contemporary as The Fugitive or as futuristic as Imposter.

Set in 2079, Imposter is the story of Spencer Oldham (Gary Sinise), a scientist whose life becomes a nightmare of epic proportions.

On his way to work one day, he meets his best friend and co-worker Nelson Grimes (Tony Shalhoub), but before they can start work, they are confronted by D.H. Hathaway (Vincent D'Onofrio), a special agent for Earth Security.

For decades, Earth has been under attack by an alien civilization called the Alpha Centauri. Earth's remaining cities are now contained under protective domes, so the Alpha Centauri have devised a new weapon.

They have created androids that mimic their human counterparts to the most minute details, including memory, emotions and all bodily functions. Implanted in the android's heart is a bomb and a tracking device.

Hathaway insists Oldham is one of these replicants whose mission it is to assassinate Earth's ruling chancellor (Lindsay Crouse).

Oldham escapes Hathaway's clutches and goes on the run trying to prove he is human.

But this is an Orwellian society with Big Brother surveillance systems everywhere. Each human has a tracking implant so Oldham must get out of the city and into Dystopia, the apocalyptic ruin that surrounds the city.

He seeks the help of Cale (Mekhi Phifer), a man trying to save his people from a plague.

In return for removing his implant and escorting him back inside the dome, Oldham promises to get Cale the drugs he needs for his friends.

Imposter is a taut thriller that takes the audience on a pulse-pounding run with Oldham and Cale as they try to outwit Hathaway and his mini army.

Oldham is an everyman. He's vulnerable, so he has to use wit rather than brawn, making him a sympathetic and identifiable hero.

D'Onofrio has a slick, menacing aura about him. His early interrogation scene is particularly creepy because Hathaway appears so self-assured and haughty.

Madeleine Stowe plays Maya, Oldham's wife. She is the innocent who, like the audience, must decide if Oldham is an imposter. Her convictions and doubts are meant to reinforce and confuse the audience.

Imposter is a solid science-fiction thriller and an apt metaphor for the current climate in which governments are asking citizens to give up rights to combat terrorism. (More on: Imposter).

(This film is rated AA)

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