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"If you've started watching a Christopher Lambert flick and said, "I hope this isn't as cheesy as his last movie," drop the remote and take a look at “Equilibrium.” Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer (“Sphere,” “The Recruit”) directs his own story about law enforcer Christian Bale (“American Psycho,” “Reign of Fire”) in a totalitarian society set in the near future. Moviegoers may have noticed the “Matrix”-like posters up in theater lobbies, but the comparison really only extends to some nifty gun battles. It's a closer cousin of “Logan's Run” and “Fahrenheit 451.”
.....While current alarmists of the Bush Administration's plans for Homeland Security may see some relevant elements in “Equilibrium,” Wimmer's futuristic society is standard genre fare and won't lead to deep post-film discussions. It does have more depth than other similar sci-fi or action films, but the story is much more Preston's story than about society's struggle between freedom and security. The underground resistance is only given courtesy screen time, and in the end the struggle slips into a clash of who's got the best dojo training. The slight interaction between Preston and his female captive offer little to champion the virtues of emotion. The audience can't help but ask questions; why would Preston and others get married? why does Diggs seem to relish his job so much, if neither feels any emotion?  ....Wimmer's script offers some decent twists, and he even dares break one of cinema's taboos: shooting some pet dogs (thankfully off camera), but quickly lightening the mood by sparing the cutest little puppy. It's fun to watch Diggs expand on his disarmingly deadly character from “The Way of the Gun.” Bale fans are treated to the obligatory sweaty and shirtless beefcake scene. He does get to act out his evolving emotional experiences, but it's his kick ass action sequences we can't wait to see next. Think “Matrix” hardware and moves, without the wire support and excessive slow-motion, plus some Japanese sword combat for extra nastiness. Fans of Emily Watson shouldn't expect much. She also strangely resembles a gypsy fortuneteller so much you keep wondering when she's going to pull out a crystal ball."    - Max Braden, December 9, 2002 (full review at The Trades)

"Here we have a case of a movie that's been out for quite a while now and yet has been ignored by such a large amount of people that it really needs to be given some positive press. It was given a cinema release here in Britain only a few weeks ago and other countries are getting it straight to video, which is a sad state of affairs when you consider that The Matrix Rehashed is receiving more praise than the love child of Mother Teresa and Gandhi even though it hasn't been released yet..... Ok then so I'm not trying to claim that Equilibrium is original because it's not, it's been influenced by everything from Fahrenheit 451 to The Matrix and in no way does it go out of it's way to develop distinction. The thing Equilibrium has in it's favour though is it's action. It may not have the effects of a movie like The Matrix, but considering the differences in Budget I found the effects in Equilibrium to be a lot more impressive, and well just plain cool. The Clericks in the film are trained in a sort of martial arts form that uses guns. Something about there only being a select few paths a bullet can come from and so doing certain maneuvers allows you to ensure you're never hit. It's all really ludicrous stuff but then again so is the majority of action movie concepts and this form of action looks stunning on screen. The only way I can think of to describe it would be sword fighting with guns as the characters parry and dodge as if they had swords in their hands, all the while firing off enough bullets to destroy the Matrix 3 times over.....Of course every action movie needs a charismatic star if it wants to succeed and Equlibrium has the most charismatic lead since Bruce Willis first donned that dirty vest in the original Die Hard. Bateman is not another Keanu Reeves who is supposed to be cool simply because of the effects that are backing him, but instead he brings with him a little talent for the role. I don't think I've seen anyone else play an emotionless role as well as Bateman does here, and yet it's when the character does start to feel that he really shines. You can tell when the character is upset, or when he is happy and yet you can still believe that no one would notice these emotions without more than a passing glance. His performance is all in his eyes with no more than a look to display his anguish in public and while the films story is definitely not subtle Bateman does display a subtlety that someone like Keanu Reeves could never dream of."        - Carl Lazarevic, December 6, 2002 (full review at MovieWeb)