6th Day, The

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"I might be back," Arnold Schwarzenegger's character says, in a self-conscious spoof of the Governator's most famous movie line. But when you hear it, you almost wish that a lighter tone had prevailed throughout this more preachy than provocative sci-fi thriller about human cloning.

Two Ahhnolds? I have to confess, I can barely take one of them. With just the right film, though, Schwarzenegger's limited acting chops can be put to great use, as we saw in the first two "Terminator" films, "Total Recall," and even comedies like "Twins" and "Kindergarten Cop." Unfortunately, "The 6th Day" demands more of the starring role than Schwarzenegger can deliver--I mean, when a guy sees a clone of himself kissing his wife and knowing he's going to spend the night with her, there's no great emotion conveyed. But that's Arnold. He's a great tongue-in-cheek action hero and he turned out to be a great governor, but he's never had much of an emotional range. "The 6th Day" also squanders its potential with thematic heavy-handedness and a plot that leaves too much to the imagination. I found it confusing, and since I'm not often confused by films, I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that it's the somewhat murky script from Cormac and Marianne Wibberly ("I Spy," "National Treasure") that's to blame.

Then again, Schwarzenegger films have always been hit or miss, as have director Roger Spottiswoode's. It hardly seems possible that the same fellow who gave us "Tomorrow Never Dies" was also responsible for "Turner and Hooch" . . . and now this.

"The Sixth Day," we're told in an opening montage, refers to the day of creation in which God made man, hence the 6th Day Laws some 20 years in the future banning the further creation of man--which is to say, human cloning. Pet cloning is commonplace, but researchers botched an early attempt at human cloning and now it's illegal. We see, though, in one of the early sequences that you just can't keep people from using a banned technology any more than you could keep boozers in the Twenties from their bootleg gin. A $300-million quarterback gets upended and lands so hard on his head and neck that you know his career's over, if not his life. Behind the scenes, we see him on life support as a sinister fellow says, "Sorry, Johnny, you have to take one for the team." Next thing you know, days later Johnny is back on the practice field and sports fans are told it wasn't as serious as everyone first thought.

So cloning has come a long way since "The Boys from Brazil" chilled moviegoers with all those juvenile, genetic copies of Der Fuhrer 30 years ago. Now, it's instant regeneration, due to an advanced technology that scans a person's eyes and grabs not just the genetic code, but apparently all the mind's recollections, perceptions, and individualities as well.

But what could have been an interesting moral debate is instantly undercut by the nonchalant acceptance of "RePets" in this future world. Fido gets run over by a truck? No problem. Just scan his eyes and a day later he's wagging his tail and playing with the kiddies again. No loss. No grief. RePets are all over the place, and everybody but helicopter pilot Adam (Schwarzenegger) seems to have accepted it as a fact of life. His co-pilot and best guy friend, Hank (Michael Rapaport), thinks they're just fine, but as they debate pet cloning you know it's really an obvious discussion of human cloning. And we get talks like that more than once before the action really kicks in.

We're shown a corporation that's behind illegal cloning (it's always a corporation), and the head of that corporation, a guy named Drucker (Tony Goldwyn) hires the guys' helicopter to take him to a remote skiing location high in the mountains. And that's when an avalanche of confusion breaks loose. Suddenly there are two Adams, and it might take more than a single viewing for you to figure out how all that apparently happened. Or why. Or why there are a couple of corporate henchman on Adam's tail. Or whether the Adam they're after is the clone or the real guy. You get the feeling that even Arnold doesn't know. Or maybe especially Arnold.

Then there's the clichéd doctor behind the corporate cloning, played here by Robert Duvall. Ironically, here you have someone quite capable to infusing a role with all sorts of nuance, but the part of Dr. Weir is pretty cardboard. Same, really, with the other minor roles. Everything in this film is concept-dependent and driven by action. If it weren't for the confusion, I think I would have enjoyed the action more, too. As it is, the car chase down stairs, the fantastic human and vehicle falls, and the helicopter drama add vitality, but don't feel terribly meaningful if you're not sure who to root for. Certainly not SimPal Cindy, a robotic creation that's as creepy as Chuckie or any other doll that comes to life in a sub-human way. Intended to add yet another layer to the cloning debate and another future feature like the holographic Virtual Woman that pampers Hank, this animatronic doll will seem like the final annoyance for film lovers who hoped for a more lucid sci-fi thriller.

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