“Push” turns out to be a supernatural action thriller, jarring and violent about expatriates with paranormal powers. Its cast, writer and director are undistinguished which makes the movie even more disconcerting for viewers who get to see the sweet-faced Dakota Fanning swear, get drunk and pack heat.

 

The movie seems to have a little bit of everything from everybody: Scorsese’s idea of a mob movie, Clancy-style espionage, and some Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and the Wachowski brothers too. It has got clever plot twists, a hip soundtrack and the unlikely-but-effective teaming of 27-year-old Chris Evans and 14-year-old Dakota Fanning.

 

The young actress manages to get rid of her porcelain-doll image which she earned in movies like "War of the Worlds" or "Charlotte's Web," by playing a 13-year-old clairvoyant named Cassie, who is part of a special class of paranormals whose origins go back to government experiments from 1945. She is a grungy-haired, boot-wearing Watcher who has the ability to guess and sketch images from the future.

 

The idea was for this kind of skills to be used as surveillance weapons, but the so-called owners of these original human weapons do not seem to be so willing to comply. According to the narration, they live among us and look like us, these creatures have special powers like telekinesis and telepathy. There are some more dangerous categories, like those whose skills are truly creepy, like the family that can shatter glass and pop blood vessels by screeching at the top of their lungs.

 

In the movie, Fanning’s character is travelling alone across the globe and at some point goes in search of a Mover named Nick, played by Chris Evans, who is hiding from a U.S. government agency called the Division. Together they go in search of a mysterious suitcase that The Division, represented by a malevolent Djimon Hounsou, also wants. In case they fail, Cassie “saw” they will face certain death. Along the way, they meet Kira, embodied by Camilla Belle, who has the ability of planting thoughts in people's brains.

 

In the end, the content of the briefcase is of absolutely no interest. All that seems to matter is the fact that everyone wants it and also has the special powers to get it, even if that means getting down to double crosses or any other plot acrobatics.

 

The categories of the paranormal characters have specific names suggesting each and every one’s ability. For instance "watchers" is the denomination of those who see the future and "shadows" are those who use their minds to hide things from "sniffs," who can track their quarry like human bloodhounds. The "movers" are those responsible with transporting objects.

 

Directed by Paul McGuigan, whose “Lucky Number Seven” was cleverer and fun, unlike “Push” which turns out to be quite silly of a movie that is partially engrossing and plenty disorienting. The pleasure comes from the film’s glamorized grit, its no-nonsense pacing and the committed performances of the actors playing between heroism and villainy.