I'm happy that you pointed this out. This very subtle point is what makes the plot one of the most intelligent I've ever seen.
I think the movie is intentionally, though not overtly, surreal. (If you're in doubt about it being intentional, take a look at the shopping cart sequence. Also notice the soundtrack's dreamy effect). If you see the (on reflection, to me very apparent) link between this movie and dream content, will of course depend on if you've actually dreamt stuff like this - such as being in a hurry and not getting anywhere. Though it's difficult to justify why, it *feels* like a dream. What's nice about this, is that it explains the lead character's (if seen as a standard action movie, rather illogical and silly) idling when he should be dashing towards the chopper. It seems that many people find the plot bad and inconsistent and the movie to be a bad b-movie because of this. The nightmare theory, however, actually makes the plot flawless, and makes this already incredibly excellent movie even better.
Ironically, the movie *at the same time* feels very sincere, realistic and important (as dreams often do).
The effective "You've probably just gone crazy, everything is fine anyway" twist that occurs in the department store is also found in Twelve Monkeys. One may wonder if Terry Gilliam got that idea from this movie.
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