This wasn't too bad considering the theme has been done countless times before with films like "Total Recall", "Freejack" and "Face/Off"; that last one even contributing the idea of two non-related words to assume some semblance of meaning for a movie title. Still, there were some problems with the execution that the film makers decided to gloss over relative to the plot. I didn't think Ben Kingsley conveyed the idea that Damian Hale had only six months to live since he looked pretty healthy to me aside from those coughing spasms of his. And why 'Mark' became a transfer body was never made clear. His background in the military was alluded to, and he was obviously selected by Jensen/Albright (Matthew Goode) as a subject devoid of serious imperfections. There was also the scene where Damian's friend Martin (Victor Garber) expressed his doubt about Damian occupying a new identity until it was verified by describing their first business deal together. But Martin already knew such a procedure was possible because he had a replacement son via the same 'shedding' method. He could have been playing dumb but it didn't come across that way. What was gratifying was Damian's decision to cease taking the red pill in order for Mark to resume life with his reunited family. That selfless (ahh, there it is!) act reminded me of yet another story harking all the way back to my childhood days watching Rod Serling's 'Twilight Zone'. In 'The Trade-Ins' an elderly gentleman gave up his chance for a younger body when his finances didn't allow the same procedure for his wife, thereby accepting the inevitability of death at some point in the future. When faced with a tough choice, it's commendable to see a noble decision being made.

Tarsem Singh came to prominence as the director of REM's music video for Losing my religion.

His debut film The Cell was strong on visuals but weak on narrative and a lead actress.

In Self/less Ben Kingsley is a wealthy mogul Damian. He has terminal cancer but wealthy enough to go through a cutting edge procedure where his consciousness is moved to a healthier body. A process known as shredding.

Damian is led to believe that the new body has been grown in a lab. Part of the process is that he must give up his old life and start with a new identity. New Damian (Ryan Reynolds) moves to New Orleans and pretty soon he is living live with his younger self to the full.

However he has flashbacks which makes him have doubts to the origin of his new body. He has to take pills to suppress this and to complete the transference of the mind which can take several months.

New Damian tries to uncover the origin of these flashbacks, he discovers that the host body had a previous life and not grown in a lab.

Pretty soon the people behind this medical procedure are out to get him. It is a good job that the original host was in the army.

The film starts slow with the Ben Kingsley segment. It is as Singh wants to infuse the film with visual tricks and has aspiration to make an art house action thriller.

The plot has been done before, Anthony Hopkins in Freejack who wanted a younger man's body and had Mick Jagger as his chief henchman to Face/Off and Total Recall.

Just as you are about to nod off, Kingsley makes way for Ryan and the film shifts gears. Now Reynolds reminds you nothing of Kingsley's character but at least once Reynolds discover that the host body had a past life, this becomes very much a generic action film albeit an entertaining one and Reynolds is just the right man to mix action with some pathos and even some tenderness here and there.

It is all so predictable but good fun when the action scenes start. Singh pulls of some visual trickery in a restraint manner but this is a movie that looks like the producers re-cut the final film. Maybe it is better for it.

I just could not get into this film. Ben Kingsley is a man who has been dealt a cruel hand. He is dying of cancer which diminishes the importance of his millions of dollars. He makes a deal with a secret group to go through a process called "shedding," i.e., having his brain transplanted into what he thinks is an artificial body. Of course, we know he will do this. When he dies, his essence is placed in a buff young guy's body. Of course, now there are endless possibilities, but what he does, mostly, is play pick-up basketball. One day, he has a hallucination, or so he thinks. He sees a former self and he comes to realize that the body he inhabits is that of an actual person. Now everything interesting falls apart. It becomes a search for a daughter and wife with the evil scientists after them. I've seen this kind of stuff a million times. The ending is also about as contrived in pathetic as one can imagine.