The 6th Day
Encyclopedia
The 6th Day is a 2000 American science fiction
action
thriller film directed by Roger Spottiswoode
, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
as family man Adam Gibson, who is cloned
against his will in the future of 2015. Schwarzenegger received a salary of $25 million for his role in the film.
). Michael Drucker (Tony Goldwyn
), the owner of Replacement Technologies, a conglomerate that specializes in cloning, charters them for a skiing trip. Due to Drucker's financial and political influence, both Gibson and Morgan undergo blood and eye tests prior to his arrival to verify their identities and aptitude. On the day of Drucker's arrival, the same as Gibson's birthday, Gibson finds that his family dog Oliver (which belongs to his daughter Clara (Taylor Anne Reid) has died, and Morgan offers to take his place as Drucker's pilot to allow Gibson a chance to run out and get his pet cloned. Gibson disagrees with the idea of cloning the dog, but takes a look in Re-Pet anyway. After hearing the sales pitch about cloned pets, he decides to think further about getting Oliver cloned and instead gets a Sim-Pal (a responsive 'living doll') for Clara.
Gibson later returns home and discovers Oliver had already been cloned, suspecting it was his wife Natalie (Wendy Crewson
) who went ahead with the Re-Pet. He almost enters the house when he sees what could only be a clone of himself already celebrating with his family. While sneaking around outside his own home, Gibson is confronted and chased by Replacement Technologies security agents Robert Marshall (Michael Rooker
), Talia Elsworth (Sarah Wynter
), P. Wiley (Rodney Rowland
) and Vincent Bansworth (Terry Crews
), who are all trying to kill him. He is able to escape and seeks refuge at Morgan's apartment. He speaks with Morgan for a few minutes when Morgan is suddenly shot by Tripp, a religious anti-cloning fundamentalist. Tripp reveals that the Morgan he shot was actually an illegal clone. Tripp tells Gibson he had killed both Morgan and Drucker on the mountaintop earlier that day. Tripp then commits suicide to avoid being captured by Drucker's security team, shooting himself in the head so they could not scan his memory in search of other anti-cloning activists.
Gibson sneaks into Drucker's company and finds Dr. Griffin Weir (Robert Duvall
), the scientist behind Drucker's human cloning technology. Weir explains to Gibson that Drucker and Morgan were both killed earlier that day, and were cloned to cover up the incident using a memory scan captured during the medical and eye exams the pilots took. However, they believed that Gibson was flying the helicopter, and they accidentally created a Gibson clone before they realized their mistake. Drucker's security had been trying to kill Gibson to keep Drucker's illegal cloning operation a secret; if it was discovered that Drucker was just a clone, he would automatically lose his vast company, since clones cannot own anything.
Weir also reveals that Drucker's human clones are embedded with a fatal disease that would kill the clone after five years, thus giving Drucker leverage to ensure the clones' obedience. Weir only discovered the disease protocol when he found out that his wife - whom he had cloned after her death five years ago - was dying of a traditionally childhood disease. Weir confronts Drucker and tells him he wants to quit, stating that he has promised his wife that he would not clone her again. In response, Drucker kills Weir, intending to later clone Weir and his wife, but with their recent memories erased.
Drucker orders his agents to take Gibson's family to make sure he cooperates with the cover-up. Gibson devises a plan with his doppelgänger to destroy Drucker's facility, rescuing his family in the process. Drucker forces Gibson to surrender and informs him that Gibson (the film's protagonist up to this moment) was the clone all along, who could not be retracted and eliminated before the blunder surrounding the real Gibson could be cleared. Drucker tries to convince Gibson's clone to reveal where the real Gibson is hiding, since he has all of Drucker's cloning memory hard drives. Drucker tries to stop Gibson II, which causes the deaths of Marshall, Elsworth, Barnsworth and Wiley. Gibson and his clone trick Drucker into a trap, which leads to Drucker being mortally wounded. In a last ditch effort to survive, Drucker clones himself before dying, but the malfunctioning machinery causes the new Drucker to have a disfigured, fetus-like appearance. Drucker pursues the Gibsons onto the roof and opens fire as they try to summon their helicopter. Returned gunfire causes Drucker to jump onto a glass roof, which cracks and sends him falling to his death. Bombs planted earlier by the real Gibson explode and the cloning facility is destroyed, while both Gibsons escape the complex with the inflammatory information.
In the end, the original Gibson arranges for his clone to move to Patagonia, Argentina, to start a satellite office of their charter business, and to keep the clone's existence a secret, while he reunites with his family and has gained a more moderate view of cloning from his experiences. As the Gibson clone flies to Argentina, the film rewinds.
in its opening weekend. It made only $96 million worldwide against its $82 million budget, making it only a moderate success.
The film received mixed reviews and has a 40% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes
. The 6th Day earned three Razzie Award nominations for Schwarzenegger: Worst Actor (as the real Adam), Worst Supporting Actor (as the clone of Adam) and Worst Screen Couple (Schwarzenegger as Adam and Schwarzenegger as the clone).
A Blu-ray version was released in the United States and Canada on April 8, 2008.
football game. The XFL franchise folded after its first season in 2001.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
thriller film directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Roger Spottiswoode
Roger Spottiswoode is a Canadian-born film director and writer, who began his career as an editor in the 1970s. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario. He has directed a number of notable films and television productions, including Under Fire and the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies starring...
, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
as family man Adam Gibson, who is cloned
Human cloning
Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue...
against his will in the future of 2015. Schwarzenegger received a salary of $25 million for his role in the film.
Plot
In 2015, cloning technology was sophisticated enough to allow the copying of human organs and animals. Reproducing a complete human is explicitly forbidden by the "6th Day" laws, named for the day when God created man. Adam Gibson (Schwarzenegger) is a pilot who runs a charter helicopter business with his friend Hank Morgan (Michael RapaportMichael Rapaport
Michael David Rapaport is an American, actor, director and a comedian. He has acted in more than forty films since the early 1990s...
). Michael Drucker (Tony Goldwyn
Tony Goldwyn
Anthony Howard "Tony" Goldwyn is an American actor and director. He portrayed the villain Carl Bruner in Ghost, Colonel Bagley in The Last Samurai, and the voice of the title character of the Disney animated Tarzan.-Early life:...
), the owner of Replacement Technologies, a conglomerate that specializes in cloning, charters them for a skiing trip. Due to Drucker's financial and political influence, both Gibson and Morgan undergo blood and eye tests prior to his arrival to verify their identities and aptitude. On the day of Drucker's arrival, the same as Gibson's birthday, Gibson finds that his family dog Oliver (which belongs to his daughter Clara (Taylor Anne Reid) has died, and Morgan offers to take his place as Drucker's pilot to allow Gibson a chance to run out and get his pet cloned. Gibson disagrees with the idea of cloning the dog, but takes a look in Re-Pet anyway. After hearing the sales pitch about cloned pets, he decides to think further about getting Oliver cloned and instead gets a Sim-Pal (a responsive 'living doll') for Clara.
Gibson later returns home and discovers Oliver had already been cloned, suspecting it was his wife Natalie (Wendy Crewson
Wendy Crewson
-Life and career:Crewson was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the daughter of June Doreen and Robert Binnie Crewson. She attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where she won the prestigious Lorne Greene Award for outstanding work in the theater. She then studied at the Webber Douglas Academy...
) who went ahead with the Re-Pet. He almost enters the house when he sees what could only be a clone of himself already celebrating with his family. While sneaking around outside his own home, Gibson is confronted and chased by Replacement Technologies security agents Robert Marshall (Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
), Talia Elsworth (Sarah Wynter
Sarah Wynter
Sarah Wynter is an Australian actress, most widely known for her roles on American television – such as Kate Warner on the television drama 24 and as Beth on Windfall.-Personal life:...
), P. Wiley (Rodney Rowland
Rodney Rowland
Rodney G. Rowland is an American actor. He is credited as Rod Rowland in more recent productions, given his predilection to being called Rod. Rowland's most noted appearances to date were as 1st Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes in 1995's Space: Above and Beyond and P...
) and Vincent Bansworth (Terry Crews
Terry Crews
Terrence Alan "Terry" Crews is an American actor, comedian, voice artist and a former player in the National Football League....
), who are all trying to kill him. He is able to escape and seeks refuge at Morgan's apartment. He speaks with Morgan for a few minutes when Morgan is suddenly shot by Tripp, a religious anti-cloning fundamentalist. Tripp reveals that the Morgan he shot was actually an illegal clone. Tripp tells Gibson he had killed both Morgan and Drucker on the mountaintop earlier that day. Tripp then commits suicide to avoid being captured by Drucker's security team, shooting himself in the head so they could not scan his memory in search of other anti-cloning activists.
Gibson sneaks into Drucker's company and finds Dr. Griffin Weir (Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
), the scientist behind Drucker's human cloning technology. Weir explains to Gibson that Drucker and Morgan were both killed earlier that day, and were cloned to cover up the incident using a memory scan captured during the medical and eye exams the pilots took. However, they believed that Gibson was flying the helicopter, and they accidentally created a Gibson clone before they realized their mistake. Drucker's security had been trying to kill Gibson to keep Drucker's illegal cloning operation a secret; if it was discovered that Drucker was just a clone, he would automatically lose his vast company, since clones cannot own anything.
Weir also reveals that Drucker's human clones are embedded with a fatal disease that would kill the clone after five years, thus giving Drucker leverage to ensure the clones' obedience. Weir only discovered the disease protocol when he found out that his wife - whom he had cloned after her death five years ago - was dying of a traditionally childhood disease. Weir confronts Drucker and tells him he wants to quit, stating that he has promised his wife that he would not clone her again. In response, Drucker kills Weir, intending to later clone Weir and his wife, but with their recent memories erased.
Drucker orders his agents to take Gibson's family to make sure he cooperates with the cover-up. Gibson devises a plan with his doppelgänger to destroy Drucker's facility, rescuing his family in the process. Drucker forces Gibson to surrender and informs him that Gibson (the film's protagonist up to this moment) was the clone all along, who could not be retracted and eliminated before the blunder surrounding the real Gibson could be cleared. Drucker tries to convince Gibson's clone to reveal where the real Gibson is hiding, since he has all of Drucker's cloning memory hard drives. Drucker tries to stop Gibson II, which causes the deaths of Marshall, Elsworth, Barnsworth and Wiley. Gibson and his clone trick Drucker into a trap, which leads to Drucker being mortally wounded. In a last ditch effort to survive, Drucker clones himself before dying, but the malfunctioning machinery causes the new Drucker to have a disfigured, fetus-like appearance. Drucker pursues the Gibsons onto the roof and opens fire as they try to summon their helicopter. Returned gunfire causes Drucker to jump onto a glass roof, which cracks and sends him falling to his death. Bombs planted earlier by the real Gibson explode and the cloning facility is destroyed, while both Gibsons escape the complex with the inflammatory information.
In the end, the original Gibson arranges for his clone to move to Patagonia, Argentina, to start a satellite office of their charter business, and to keep the clone's existence a secret, while he reunites with his family and has gained a more moderate view of cloning from his experiences. As the Gibson clone flies to Argentina, the film rewinds.
Cast
- Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
as Adam Gibson and his clone - Michael RapaportMichael RapaportMichael David Rapaport is an American, actor, director and a comedian. He has acted in more than forty films since the early 1990s...
as Hank Morgan
Adam's best friend - Tony GoldwynTony GoldwynAnthony Howard "Tony" Goldwyn is an American actor and director. He portrayed the villain Carl Bruner in Ghost, Colonel Bagley in The Last Samurai, and the voice of the title character of the Disney animated Tarzan.-Early life:...
as Michael Drucker
The main antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend... - Michael RookerMichael RookerMichael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
as Robert Marshall
A Millennium Security agent - Sarah WynterSarah WynterSarah Wynter is an Australian actress, most widely known for her roles on American television – such as Kate Warner on the television drama 24 and as Beth on Windfall.-Personal life:...
as Talia Elsworth
An assassin working for Drucker - Wendy CrewsonWendy Crewson-Life and career:Crewson was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the daughter of June Doreen and Robert Binnie Crewson. She attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where she won the prestigious Lorne Greene Award for outstanding work in the theater. She then studied at the Webber Douglas Academy...
as Natalie Gibson
Adam's wife. - Rodney RowlandRodney RowlandRodney G. Rowland is an American actor. He is credited as Rod Rowland in more recent productions, given his predilection to being called Rod. Rowland's most noted appearances to date were as 1st Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes in 1995's Space: Above and Beyond and P...
as P. Wiley
An assassin working for Drucker - Terry CrewsTerry CrewsTerrence Alan "Terry" Crews is an American actor, comedian, voice artist and a former player in the National Football League....
as Vincent Bansworth
An assassin working for Drucker - Ken PogueKen PogueKen Pogue is a Canadian actor.He is married to the actress Diana Barrington. His first motion picture role in 1973 was in The Neptune Factor. He almost drowned in SCUBA gear. He worked at the Stratford Festival and St. Lawrence Centre in the 1960s through 1980s before moving to television and film...
as Speaker Day - Colin CunninghamColin CunninghamColin Alexander Cunningham is an American television and film actor, now living in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Television:...
as Tripp
A religious fundamentalist strongly against cloning. - Robert DuvallRobert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
as Doctor Griffin Weir
Drucker's scientist in charge of the cloning - Wanda Cannon as Katherine Weir
Griffin's wife - Taylor Anne Reid as Clara Gibson
Adam's daughter - Jennifer GareisJennifer GareisJennifer Lynne Gareis is an American actress and former beauty queen.-Private life:She is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, where she majored in accounting and was an All-American Swimmer, and J.P...
as Virtual Girlfriend - Don McManus as RePet Salesman
Box office and reception
The film opened at #4 at the North American box office, making 13 million USDUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
in its opening weekend. It made only $96 million worldwide against its $82 million budget, making it only a moderate success.
The film received mixed reviews and has a 40% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. The 6th Day earned three Razzie Award nominations for Schwarzenegger: Worst Actor (as the real Adam), Worst Supporting Actor (as the clone of Adam) and Worst Screen Couple (Schwarzenegger as Adam and Schwarzenegger as the clone).
Locations
- VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - Vancouver Library Square, VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - Richmond, British ColumbiaRichmond, British ColumbiaRichmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - The Darkness House, United States
- McMath Secondary SchoolMcMath Secondary SchoolÉcole Secondaire Robert A. McMath Secondary School is a high school located on Garry Street in the Steveston neighbourhood of Richmond, British Columbia. The school opened in 1998 and serves grades 8 to 12...
- Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
- Toronto Eaton CentreToronto Eaton CentreThe Toronto Eaton Centre is a large shopping mall and office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, named after the now-defunct Eaton's department store chain that once anchored it. In terms of the number of visitors, the shopping mall is Toronto's top tourist attraction, with around one...
, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - Ladner, British ColumbiaLadner, British ColumbiaLadner was created as a fishing village on the banks of the Fraser River. It is a part of the Municipality of Delta, British Columbia, Canada, and a suburb of Vancouver....
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Home video releases
The 6th Day was released on video on the following dates:| Release Date | Territory !! Format !! Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| March 27, 2001 | U.S. and Canada | DVD | Discontinued |
| May 27, 2001 | U.S. and Canada | VHS | Discontinued |
| June 3, 2003 | U.S. and Canada | DVD | Special Edition |
| December 15, 2003 | U.S. and Canada | DVD | Schwarzenegger Action Pack: The 6th Day and Last Action Hero Last Action Hero Last Action Hero is a 1993 American action-comedy-fantasy film directed and produced by John McTiernan. It is a satire of the action genre and its clichés, containing several parodies of action films in the form of films within the film.... |
A Blu-ray version was released in the United States and Canada on April 8, 2008.
Anachronistic product placement
The film set in 2015 opens with scenes of an XFLXFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
football game. The XFL franchise folded after its first season in 2001.