Among other achievements, he was the one who convinced author Philip K. Dick to option the novel in the first place.

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Central to the film (and Philip K. Dick's original story) is the idea of Precrime -- the ability to foresee a crime and prevent it from happening.

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This sort of thing is much better accomplished in novels (alternative histories such as Philip K. Dick's "The Man in the High Castle") or movies ("mockumentaries" like "This Is Spinal Tap").

WSJ: Too Clever by Half | More Real? | Minneapolis Institute of Arts | By Peter Plagens