Minority Report is a 2002 American science fiction action film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Scott Frank and Jon Cohen. It stars Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton and Max von Sydow. Loosely based on Philip K. Dick's 1956 novella "The Minority Report", the film takes place in 2054 in the Washington metropolitan area, where a specialized "precrime" police department apprehends would-be criminals with the use of foreknowledge provided by psychics called "precogs". Minority Report combines elements of the action, science fiction, tech noir, thriller, and whodunit genres. It is also a traditional chase film, in which the protagonist becomes a fugitive after being accused of a crime he did not commit.