Based on the work of Masamune Shirow, this brilliant, brilliant anime film from 1996, directed by Mamoru Oshii, traces the action of Major Kusanagi, a (wo)man/machine AI as she tries to solve the death and subsequent disappearance of another AI, known as the PuppetMaster.
The film, on a simple level, is a police thriller but if viewed critically it's an exploration of ethics and philosophy surrounding life, the role of the state, and the continuing 'creep' of technology into our lives. It truly is, in a word: brilliant.
While I still find the ending disappointing, you have to give eprops to Shirow and Oshii for vision and for setting the trail the Wachowski brothers would follow with the Matrix trilogy three years later (in 1999). Rent it; see it!
My rating: 9 out of 10.
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