For Jerome Morrow, cleanliness is next to godliness.Every morning, Jerome begins his day with a vigorous scrub, sloughing off as many dead skin cells as he can. He practices the same painstaking technique to eliminate loose hairs, dust – anything that could reveal his true identity.Hence the premise for “Gattaca,” writer/director Andrew Niccol’s feature directorial debut.In this skewed view of the near future, it seems that humans have found yet another way to discriminate. Instead of race, gender or economic class, people are now judged based on their genetic makeup. In the world of “Gattaca,” those possessing top-notch genetic profiles are labeled “Valid” – they can achieve anything. Everyone else is considered “In-Valid,” and their future is presumed to be limited. Of course, real life is not so cut-and-dry.Enter Ethan Hawke as the ambitious Vincent Freeman, an In-Valid determined to become a space navigator at the elite Gattaca Corp. despite his proscribed future.With the help of a DNA broker, Vincent quickly rises through the ranks of the Gattaca Corp. under the guise of Jerome Morrow.The real Jerome (who adapts his middle name Eugene after selling his identity) is smartly portrayed by British actor Jude Law. Once a world-class swimmer, Eugene was paralyzed in an accident. Although he agrees to sell his superior genetic material, he is doubtful that Vincent will pass for a Valid. In order to succeed, Vincent must hide all of his imperfections ‹ a difficult task considering that he lives in a society that can read a person’s identity with a single drop of blood, a flake of skin or a speck of saliva. To keep up the ruse, Vincent, a.k.a. Jerome, carries around pouches of Jerome’s urine for impromptu urine tests and glues sachets of Eugene’s blood to his fingertips for daily blood tests. Definitely not a slacker when it comes to details, he even sprinkles Eugene’s skin and hair samples everywhere he goes.At first, Vincent’s hard work seems to pay off. Posing as Jerome, he is eventually selected to navigate Gattaca’s mission to the planet Titan. He also wins the adoration of the lovely Irene (Uma Thurman), a co-worker who knows all too well about being less than perfect.One week before the mission is scheduled to blast off, a murder at Gattaca has the place crawling with cops. As a suspenseful cat-and-mouse chase unfolds, Vincent must put his will to the ultimate test to keep the cops at bay, his secret identity intact and his dreams within reach.Although the ending sort of cuts off leaving a few minor questions unanswered, “Gattaca” is still an exciting film to see.Niccol pays special attention to detail, placing his movie in a believable setting. You won’t see any space cars buzzing through this film; indeed, the setting for “Gattaca” actually looks like a possible future.Law, in his American debut, puts on a grand show as the snooty, self-righteous cripple Jerome/Eugene. Law steals the scene every chance he gets with his dry British humor and clean-cut elegance. Kudos go to Hawke for a dynamic performance. Although Hawke seems to have a knack for playing the underdog (see “Reality Bites”), he is obviously capable of much more. Hawke displays a wide range of talent as he slips effortlessly from Vincent to Jerome and vice versa. “There is no gene for the human spirit,” Vincent said, recalling the events that led to his success at Gattaca.Then again, some things just weren’t meant to be tampered with.