The 6th Day

In the near future cloning has moved from labs into everyday life, with animals and even family pets routinely cloned. Human cloning remains illegal, a rule that suddenly curdles when Adam Gibson comes home to find a perfect double living his life. The replacement slips into his home, colleagues, and routine, making Adam question what is real and who he can trust. When his family falls under suspicion and his name becomes a target, he must survive a relentless chase by agents determined to cover up a powerful secret. As he fights to reclaim his life, Adam digs into a shadowy conspiracy that connects his family to a high stakes technology he never chose. A hidden net closes around him.

Directed by Roger Spottiswoode and written by Marianne Wibberley and Cormac Wibberley, The 6th Day arrived in 2000 as a high budget action thriller built around a provocative bioethics premise and a chase fueled by corporate secrecy from a strong cast on screen.

It grossed $96,085,477 worldwide, against an $82 million budget, representing a modest financial return for a big budget sci-fi thriller. It drew audiences in North America and overseas markets, reflecting broad appeal for action and sci-fi hybrid fare globally.

The film's premise about illegal cloning and personal identity entered mainstream sci-fi chatter at the turn of the century. It contributed to ongoing debates about bioethics and the consequences of corporate control over human life, echoing in later thrillers and conversations about cloning technologies, surveillance, and autonomy, echoing into later sci-fi.

Critics offered mixed responses, praising the tense chase sequences and Schwarzenegger's performance while noting a familiar setup and routine action beats. The movie probes identity, free will, and the costs of unregulated technology and corporate power, while hinting at the burden borne by those who resist and questions of humanity.