Runaway *** (1984, Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, Kirstie Alley, Stan Shaw, G W Bailey, Joey Cramer, Chris Mulkey) – Classic Movie Review 12,964

Michael Crichton’s likeable and visually stylish 1984 sci-fi action film Runaway stars Tom Selleck as a futuristic cop hunting killer robots controlled by scientist Dr Luther (rock star Gene Simmons).

Writer-director Michael Crichton’s likeable 1984 sci-fi action adventure film Runaway gets a lot of mileage out of playing the comic-strip fantasy for real. It is set in the then near future of 1991,

Tom Selleck stars as Sergeant Jack R Ramsay, a futuristic cop hunting killer robots controlled by a scientist called Dr Charles Luther (Gene Simmons from the rock band Kiss in his first feature acting role) out to profit by manipulating robots.

The set-up is good, while Selleck and Simmons are useful presences and the playing of the stock characters is generally adequate, and the trick work is attractively flashy so the film has some real visual style. So fans of the genre will be satisfied, but it’s not exactly a runaway success because of the underpowered script that too often follows an ordinary path.

Crichton turned again to Jerry Goldsmith to compose the original musical score, which is notably his first all-electronic soundtrack.

The film was a box office disappointment, taking only $6,770,587 (US) on a lowish budget of $8 million for a major sci-fi film.

Also in the cast are Cynthia Rhodes, Kirstie Alley, Stan Shaw, G W Bailey, Joey Cramer, Chris Mulkey, Anna-Marie Martin, Michael Paul Chan, Elizabeth Norment, and Carol Teasdale.

It was shot from 29 May 1984 to August 1984 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, while Selleck was on a break from his hit TV show Magnum, P.I.

Michael Crichton (October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008). He wrote and directed Westworld, the first film to use 2D CGI. He also directed Pursuit (1972), Coma (1978), The First Great Train Robbery (1978), Looker (1981), and Runaway (1984). Several of his 26 novels were filmed, most famously Jurassic Park.

Selleck, a star on TV in Magnum, P.I., had a small role in Crichton’s film Coma.

The cast are Tom Selleck as Sergeant Jack R Ramsay, Cynthia Rhodes as Officer Karen Thompson, Gene Simmons as Dr Charles Luther, Kirstie Alley as Jackie Rogers, Stan Shaw as Sergeant Marvin James, G W Bailey as Chief of Police, Joey Cramer as Bobby Ramsay, Chris Mulkey as David Johnson, Sullivan Walker as K C, Anne-Marie Martin as Hooker at Bar, Michael Paul Chan as Vectrocon Security Guard Wilson, Babz Chula as Construction Foreperson, Marilyn Schreffler as Voice of Lois, Elizabeth Norment as Miss Shields, Carol Teesdale as Sally, Paul Batten as Harry, Betty Phillips as Linda, Stephen Thorne as Tommy, Stephen E. Miller as Rudy, Cec Verrell as Hooker, and Amber Borycki as Baby.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,964

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