Runaway (1984) TriStar/Sci-Fi-Action RT: 99 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, violence, brief nudity) Director: Michael Crichton Screenplay: Michael Crichton Music: Jerry Goldsmith Cinematography: John A. Alonzo Release date: December 14, 1984 (US) Cast: Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, Gene Simmons, Kirstie Alley, Stan Shaw, G.W. Bailey, Joey Cramer, Chris Mulkey, Anne-Marie Martin, Michael Paul Chan. Box Office: $6.7M (US)
Rating: ***
In his 1981 techno-thriller Looker, writer-director Michael Crichton predicted (correctly, as it turns out) a future where models could be digitally inserted into commercials by way of computers. A few years later, in the sci-fi-actioner Runaway, he showed audiences a future in which robots are commonplace. That has also come to pass, more or less. Is he trying to make a statement about humanity? Is he saying that someday people will be obsolete? Seeing as how computers have become so dominant, this is a distinct possibility. But that’s just pure speculation, I really don’t know.
What I do know is that Runaway is a highly entertaining film. I didn’t do well during its theatrical release (Christmas ’84) and that could simply be because competition is so fierce at the box office during the holiday movie season. It could also be that audiences simply had their fill of sci-fi with movies like Star Trek III, 2010 and The Terminator. Either way you look at it, the movie bombed and it didn’t deserve to. I caught it at a Sunday afternoon matinee and thought it was really cool. Runaway has plenty of action, awesome ideas and a memorable villain played by KISS lead singer Gene Simmons making his acting debut (unless you count the TV movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park). Okay, let’s say it’s his makeup-free acting debut, we can all agree on that.
Set in the near future, Sgt. Jack Ramsay (Selleck, Magnum PI) belongs to a division of the police trained to handle malfunctioning robots (also known as “runaways”) as they could be dangerous, even fatally so, to people. He and his new partner, Karen Thompson (Rhodes, Staying Alive), are called to the scene of a multiple homicide committed by a household robot. It turns out somebody outfitted it with a computer chip that makes machines turn against humans. That somebody is sociopathic genius Charles Luther (Simmons) who has created a few gadgets that are dangerous to people. Like a smart bullet that acts as a miniature heat-seeking missile in the way it targets its intended victim by honing in on his unique body heat signature. This bullet is wicked awesome! It can even go around corners. Luther plans to sell his hardware on the black market, but he can’t do too much without the templates for the chips. They’re in the possession of Jackie Rogers (Alley, Star Trek II), his former lover. It’s not going to be easy catching Luther as he’s always one step ahead of the police, even killing those who helped him develop his weaponry.
Runaway has a truly unique car chase scene (that is, unique in ’84) in which small robotic smart bombs chase Ramsay and his partner on the freeway as they attempt to get Jackie to safety. They speed underneath the other cars in pursuit of Luther’s intended targets. He’s also invented these “robot spiders” that attack their victims by injecting acid into them. WOW! It may not seem like a big deal now given what machines are capable of (e.g. drones), but all of this was pretty mind-blowing thirty years ago.
Runaway still works as an entertaining B-movie with a bigger budget. Audiences didn’t seem to care for Selleck as a movie star, but I thought he was a decent enough actor. His character in this movie suffers from acrophobia (fear of heights) and you just know that it will factor into the climactic final battle between him and the villain. Sure enough, Luther lures him to the site of a building under construction by kidnapping his young son (Cramer, Flight of the Navigator). I have to admit that the kid got on my nerves. Some child actors are just plain obnoxious.
Simmons is just awesome as the villain. Between this and 1987’s Wanted Dead or Alive, I thought that Simmons had a brilliant acting career ahead of him playing psychos and malignant bad guys, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. Rhodes is pretty good as the new partner/potential love interest. Come on, you knew that was coming! Ramsay is a widow, she’s more vulnerable than she appears, you do the math. There’s a really tense scene where Ramsay has to remove a bullet from her arm before it explodes. Yep, they’ll be kissing passionately by the time the end credits roll.
Okay, so Runaway is fairly predictable and there are a few errors including one gaping plot hole. Why would the cops need to create an image of Luther when they already have one from a victim’s door monitor? It’s no matter; Runaway is a lot of fun. You have to love the ideas that Crichton comes up with. The late writer was something of a genius when it came to technology-related matters. It isn’t a perfect movie, but it serves nicely as a Saturday night action flick.
