`strange days' chronicles the last two days of 1999 in los angeles . 
as the locals gear up for the new millenium , lenny nero ( ralph fiennes ) goes about his business of peddling erotic memory clips . 
he pines for his ex-girlfriend , faith ( juliette lewis ) , not noticing that another friend , mace ( angela bassett ) really cares for him . 
this film features good performances , impressive film-making technique and breath-taking crowd scenes . 
director kathryn bigelow knows her stuff and does not hesitate to use it . 
but as a whole , this is an unsatisfying movie . 
the problem is that the writers , james cameron and jay cocks , were too ambitious , aiming for a film with social relevance , thrills , and drama . 
not that ambitious film-making should be discouraged ; just that when it fails to achieve its goals , it fails badly and obviously . 
the film just ends up preachy , unexciting and uninvolving .