Total Recall

Philip K. Dick wrote the short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale." Paul Verhoeven turned it into an American science fiction action picture in 1990, from a screenplay credited to Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon, and Gary Goldman. Set in the year 2084, the story follows construction worker Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who is plagued by recurring dreams about Mars. Seeking relief, he visits Rekall, a company that implants artificial memories, to experience a simulated adventure on the Red Planet. However, the procedure leads to unexpected consequences: Quaid discovers that his current life is a fabrication, and he is actually a former agent named Hauser, involved in a Martian resistance against the dictator Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox). Pursued by his wife Lori (Sharon Stone), who is revealed to be an agent, Quaid allies with Melina (Rachel Ticotin), a woman from his past, to thwart Cohaagen's plan to deploy synthetic soldiers to suppress the Colony. The film features intense action sequences, a dystopian atmosphere, and modern visual effects, reimagining the original narrative in a contemporary setting.