Runaway
                                                                                                                          
Director: Michael Crichton
Year: 1984
Rating: 6.0
Michael Crichton, the director and writer of this film, often wrote about the potential danger of technology and biotechnology that he saw coming in the future. Of course, Crichton also refused to believe in Climate Change and would testify against it. Thanks asshole. The Andromeda Strain was about an extraterrestrial micro-organism on earth that was deadly; Jurassic Park about genetically reproducing dinosaurs; Westworld about robots malfunctioning and Timeline about time travel. All somewhat ludicrous, but Runaway is very much on the horizon. The advances in robotics has been stunning. In the film, the date of the setting is never disclosed, but most of it felt very much in the present. Except for one thing. Robots have become very commonplace; both in the home and at work.




Sometimes they went haywire like all machines and people. Those were termed Runaways. When that happened, the call went to a special division in the police force headed by Magnum aka Sgt. Ramsay (Tom Selleck) and his new partner Karen Thompson (Cynthia Rhodes). Most cases were dealt with simply. Turn the machine off. But then sometimes they turned on their human owners and killed them. I see people negatively comparing this to Blade Runner, but other than being futuristic, there really is no comparison. The robots are not human like, but appliance like. And there is no Terminator like twist where the robots try and take over. I like that lack of ambition. It is basically a police procedure film, but with machines as the perpetrators.




It gets more dramatic than that though. Someone has replaced computer chips with newly designed ones that kill. He has also developed a heat seeking bullet that can chase you around corners. Ramsay is after him but Luther (a make-up less Gene Simmons) is one of those cinematic villains who is always a step ahead. And in truth Ramsay fucks up a lot. That he didn't bring a second gun with him for the big showdown was kind of stupid. There are three very solid action set pieces - taking out the killer machine in the house; the car chase with small speedy explosive devices after them and the small mechanical spider like robots with various killing implements chasing him on an elevator. Solid film. Kirstie Alley has a role as well.