Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) lives in an isolated compound which strictly regulates its inhabitants' lives. The inhabitants hope to win a lottery, the reward of which is a relocation to "The Island", the only place on Earth not contaminated by a deadly pathogen. Lincoln tells Dr. Merrick (Sean Bean) of his discontent with the plain white clothes everyone is given and the strict social controls. Concerned about strange dreams Lincoln experiences that involve a speedboat and other unfamiliar items, Merrick inserts probes into Lincoln's body to monitor his cerebral activities.
While illicitly visiting a power-plant basement where his friend, the technician James McCord (Steve Buscemi), works, Lincoln discovers a live moth in a ventilation shaft, leading him to deduce that the outside world is not contaminated. Lincoln captures and releases the moth and follows it to another section, where he witnesses two recent lottery winners being killed: one immediately after childbirth (for her baby), and the other (Michael Clarke Duncan) in the process of having his liver harvested. Security discovers that Lincoln has wandered into unauthorized areas, and start searching for him. As Lincoln rescues Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson), a friend who has just won the lottery, Dr. Merrick realizes that Lincoln is beginning to learn the truth.
While eluding security and escaping from the facility, Lincoln and Jordan learn that both the contamination of the outside world and the Island are myths, and that the residents are clones of wealthy sponsors, who intend to use them for organ harvesting or surrogate motherhood. Merrick's technology allows clones to incubate directly into adulthood. He tells sponsors and the government that the clones do not gain consciousness, but when Merrick hires French mercenary Albert Laurent (Djimon Hounsou) to kill or capture the escapees, he admits that the organs of unconscious clones inevitably fail, making them useless. Thus, he needs the clones conscious in the compound.
Lincoln and Jordan escape the compound and find themselves in the Arizona desert. They find McCord, who gives them the name of Lincoln's sponsor in Los Angeles, and helps them to the Yucca railway station. After Laurent's mercenaries find and kill McCord, Lincoln and Jordan ride the train in hopes of finding help in Los Angeles. (Jordan Two's sponsor, model Sarah Jordan, cannot help as she is in a coma following a car accident.) Lincoln Six's sponsor, Tom Lincoln—the owner of the speedboat in Lincoln's dreams—agrees to help expose the truth about the organ harvesting, but secretly turns against his clone by informing Merrick about the situation. Merrick sends the mercenaries to the location, but Lincoln Six tricks Laurent into killing Tom, allowing him to assume Tom's identity.
The cerebral probes reveal that Lincoln Six Echo inherited some memories from his sponsor Tom Lincoln (which had been thought impossible). Merrick becomes afraid that the same will happen with the other clones and decides to kill them all. Lincoln and Jordan plan to liberate their fellow clones. Now posing as Tom Lincoln, Lincoln Six returns to the compound in order to destroy the holographic projectors that hide the outside world from the clones. With help from Laurent—who has moral qualms with treating the clones as if they are not human—Merrick is killed and the clones are freed. The film ends with the clones seeing the outside world for the first time.
Cast :
1. Ewan McGregor as Lincoln Six Echo, a clone of experimental designer Tom Lincoln.
a. Tom Lincoln, automotive experimental designer from Scotland, sponsored his clone for a new liver since his viral hepatitis is destroying his liver. Although both characters were played by the same actor, Echo is portrayed as kind, gentle, and generous, while Lincoln is arrogant, selfish, and greedy. Echo spoke with a Canadian accent, while Lincoln spoke with a Scottish accent, which is Ewan McGregor's actual accent.
2. Scarlett Johansson as Jordan Two Delta, clone of model Sarah Jordan. About to be harvested for organs as her sponsor was severely injured in a car accident, but escapes with Lincoln, with whom she has taken up a friendship.
a. Sarah Jordan, a supermodel for Calvin Klein (among other brands), who also has a preschool-age son. Jordan is never seen on-screen, only in adverts.
3. Sean Bean as Dr. Merrick, antagonist, owner of Merrick Biotech and creator of the cloning technology.
4. Djimon Hounsou as Albert Laurent, French private military contractor hired to bring back Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta.
5. Steve Buscemi as James McCord, employee of Merrick Biotech.
6. Michael Clarke Duncan as Starkweather Two Delta, cloned from a football player.
7. Ethan Phillips as Jones Three Echo, a short, nervous clone.
8. Brian Stepanek as Gandu Three Echo, an easily frustrated clone repeatedly disciplined.
9. Noa Tishby as Community Announcer.
10. Siobhan Flynn as Lima One Alpha.
11. Kim Coates as Charles Whitman, director of Public Relations for Merrick Biotech.
12. Tom Everett as President of the United States, appears on television.
13. J.P. Manoux as Foxtrot.
14. Shawnee Smith as the girlfriend of the Steve Buscemi character. Buscemi and Smith were also paired together in a short bar scene in "Armageddon".
