Total Recall (1990)

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Plot

 

Douglas Quaid is a normal blue collar guy working in a construction site but dreams of Mars and a woman he has never seen before haunt his sleep. Quaid discusses these dreams with his wife Lori and tries to convince her they should move to Mars. Lori tries to dissuade him out of it with talks of possible revolution on Mars and suggests they take a  holiday cruise to Saturn. Quaid leaves for work unhappy with Mars still playing on his mind.

Traveling to work on the Subway Quaid see an advertisement for a company called Recall. These show memory implants of unbelievable holidays such as traveling to the bottom of the Ocean, skiing in Antarctic and climbing the mountains of Mars that can feel like you have been there and cost a fraction of the cost. With Mars mountains playing a significant role in Doug's dreams he talks to his friend Harry at work about Recall who warns him off of going to get his head Lobotomised by them.

Without taking Harry advise Quaid makes an appointment with Recall salesman Bob McClane. Quaid explains he wants a memory of being on Mars. Bob explains the basic package is memories of 2 weeks on Mars starting with a private cabin on the shuttle there, deluxe suite at the Hilton, plus tours at Mount Pyramid, the Grand Canal, and Venusville. Reassuring Quaid, Bob explains that these memories will feel as real as any other memories he has experienced or get his money back. 

 

Bob convinces Quaid to take the deal but being a salesman he is then tries to up the price by offering the extra options. Quaid initial says he wants no option at first but on hearing about the Egotrip he considers them. The Egotrip is a memory of some one else experience, offering the illusion of being a millionaire playboy, a sports hero, an industrial tycoon or a secret agent. Without hesitation Quaid ask for more information about the secret agent add-on. 

Bob McClane: “Aaah, let me tantalize you. You're a top operative, back under deep cover on your most important mission. People are trying to kill you left and right. You meet a beautiful, exotic woman...” 
Doug Quaid : “Go on”
Bob McClane: “I don't wanna spoil it for you, Doug. Just rest assured, by the time the trip is over, you get the girl, you kill the bad guys, and you save the entire planet. Now you tell me. Is that worth three hundred measly credits?”  

 

 

 

Dr. Edgemar :” What's bullshit Mr. Quaid? Afraid to admit that you're having a schizo  
paranoid episode, or are you really an invincible secret agent from Mars, who is in the  
middle of an interplanetary conspiracy to make him think that he's a lonley construction
worker. Stop punishing yourself Doug, you're a fine upstanding man you have a beautiful  
wife who loves you, you have a whole life ahead of you. But you gotta want to return to  
reality."

 

Quaid considers it for a short while but sees a drop of sweat running down Dr. Edgemar head and shoots him. Next four agents blast through the wall and start attacking Quaid. After Lori kicks him in the face and testicles he is knocked out and dragged to the service elevator. After talking to Richter and expecting him to be in the elevator the doors open to show Melina who kills the four agents and starts fighting with Lori. With the fight going Lori way Quaid wakes up and shoot Lori in the head saving Melina. After escaping down the dome foundations they get into Benny taxi with Richter following them they manage to get back to The Last Resort and escape out a secret passage. As son as Richter gets to the bar he starts asking where they went but nobody tells them. Richter is mad and starts killing all the patrons but after talking to Cohaagen he is ordered to get all the troops out of Venusville and seal the area. After the doors are sealed Cohaagen shuts off the air to try and force Quaid to give up. 

Melina takes Quaid and Benny through the catacombs of the first Martian Colonies which is the secret entrance to Kuato lair. Several rebel soldiers are hiding in the the catacombs and ambush them. After telling them who they are we find out Benny is a mutant with a deformed left arm. They meet George the leader of the rebel soldiers who who takes Quaid to a empty room. With the door closed George tells Quaid that he went to the pyramid mines and found something that made Cohaagen wipe his memory that Kuato needs to recovery. George then unbuttons his shirt to reveal a second head known as Kuato. 

 

After reading Quaid mind and discovering the lost memory it is revealed that Cohaagen has discovered an alien device that is over half a million years old that would cause a melt down if activate. Cohaagen hides this device and does not want the rebels finding out about it. Just as the vision is ending the Agency storms the hideout. With George, Quaid, Melina and Benny escaping to the airlock Benny pulls out a guy and shoots George killing him and wounding Quaid. Opening the airlock door, allowing Richter and a group of soldiers to enter and capture them, Kuato calls on Quaid and pleads with him to switch on the alien device and free Mars. Richter then shoots Kuato through the head.
 
Taking them to Cohaagen's office to have the full situation explained to them that Cohaagen and Hauser made up the full situation to get close to Kuato, by wiping Hauser memories and manipulated him by setting Quaid up with the suitcase, helping him get to Mars and using Benny to follow them on Mars. Quaid doesn't believe him until Cohaagen shows Quaid a recording of Hauser congratulating Quaid on leading The Agency to Kuato. Quaid and Melina are strapped into the Memory Implant machines after Cohaagen leaves Quaid manages to loosen one of his straps and manages to kill the nearby scientist, escape the machine and kill the rest of the scientist before setting Melina free. 
 
Escaping the complex they make there way to the Pyramid mines, knowing they need to switch on the alien device to save Venusville as this will create a breathable atmosphere. Running into Benny driving a digging device on the way there Quaid manages to drills through a hose and stop the machine before drilling through the armour and impaling Benny. Still chasing Quaid, Richter and a group of solders catch up to them but using the Hologram projector he fools them and comes out of hiding killing the soldiers. Richter tries to escape using an elevator but Quaid jumps on and starts to fight with him before hanging Richter off a ledge holding his arm as they pass through a floor severing them from his body. Quaid continues up the elevator until reaching the top discoveries a indent switch in the shape of an alien hand that was shown to him by Kuato. Suddenly Cohaagen jumps out and tell Quaid to back off and tries to convinces him not to press the switch. Cohaagen is about to shoot Quaid when Melina comes up the other elevator and shoots him. Not killing him he starts a bomb timer which blows open a hole to Mars deadly atmosphere. Holding on for dear life, Quaid edges closer to the switch as Cohaagen is sucked out and dies a horrible death suffocating without air. Quaid eventually presses the switch and starts the reaction which pumps oxygen into the Martian atmosphere not being able to hold on Quaid and Melina are sucked out but are saved as the oxygen is at a breathable level. As the atmosphere expands it shatters all the domes and brings fresh air in time to save the residents of Venusville dying at the last minute.