What was total recall based on

Then again, sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. While Dr. Edgemar did layout the entire third act of the film, it's not crazy to assume he just happened to be right or made an educated guess while trying to manipulate Quaid. His offer for a red pill to return to reality this movie came out 9 years before The Matrix is pretty tempting The doctor also sweats, which begs the question of why a man who couldn't die would possibly be nervous in a simulated dream, prompting Quaid to shoot him.

Before Quaid gets his memory implants at Rekall, a technician takes a gander at a nearby computer and notes "That's a new one Edgemar did. At the end of the movie, when the laid out story had been completed, Quaid kisses Melina on Mars, which has a blue sky thanks to his actions While Quaid is in the chair screaming about his blown cover, a Rekall technician again, who Quaid would not be able to see tells another technician that they hadn't put in the implants yet.

It could be that the Mars dreams Quaid was previously having were memories of his life before he was sent in as a sleeper agent, and that his starting stages in the implant chair had him realize his situation. It's the one moment in the film where Quaid seems determined and adamant about something, rather than confusing, screaming "You blew my cover!

The Rekall theme is a piece of the soundtrack that plays at points when the Rekall company appears; this is not to be confused with the Rekall jingle. This is a non-diegetic score that plays when Quaid first visits Rekall, and appears a few more times in the film; when Dr. Edgemar appears, and later, at the end of the film's credits. It's very likely the film's events were a dream and that the music was a cue that it was time for Quaid to wake up.

Philip K. Top credits Director Paul Verhoeven. See more at IMDbPro. Trailer Total Recall Clip Video Photos Top cast Edit.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Quaid as Quaid. Sharon Stone Lori as Lori. Michael Ironside Richter as Richter. Rachel Ticotin Melina as Melina. Ronny Cox Cohaagen as Cohaagen. Marshall Bell George as George …. Mel Johnson Jr. Benny as Benny. Michael Champion Helm as Helm. Roy Brocksmith Dr. Edgemar as Dr. Rosemary Dunsmore Dr. Lull as Dr. David Knell Ernie as Ernie. Alexia Robinson Tiffany as Tiffany. Dean Norris Tony as Tony. Mark Carlton Bartender as Bartender.

Debbie Lee Carrington Thumbelina as Thumbelina. Lycia Naff Mary as Mary. Paul Verhoeven. More like this. Watch options. The world looks banal and grimy and Arnold's raunchy dialogue matches the aesthetic. Total Recall is more grindhouse than neo-noir, even diving into B-movie horror shlock to get its point across. This makes it a lot like Verhoeven's other movies like Showgirls and Robocop.

The viewer is genuinely not sure what they're going to see next. Shocking violence? Alien nudity? Just how gratuitous is this going to get? And yet, the violence and sex aren't just there for fun. Verhoeven deploys all of this with a deep level of paranoia and mistrust; everyone wants something, and no one is getting what they want. Unlike Harrison Ford's drunk, jaded detective, Arnold's Quaid is surprisingly upbeat and totally amoral.

For better or for worse, he represents several Philip K. Dick protagonists surprisingly well. Whether its The Unteleported Man or Dr. Furtrity , Dick's main characters tend to be indignant and chatty anti-heroes determined to get out of whatever sci-fi pickle they happen to be in. The way Total Recall improved this was to free-up its protagonist. Instead of keeping the story in Quaid's head, the movie makes Mars real.

And because Arnold's erased memories became a new kind of "character," it allows the character's motivation to come both from within and without. That's why the scene where a pre-brainwashed Arnold speaks to post-brainwashed Arnold through a recording is so fantastic. It's not a dark scene, even though the subject matter is really dark.