Runaway (1984)

In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.

Director:

Michael Crichton

Writer:

Michael Crichton

Stars:

Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, Gene Simmons

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Selleck	...	Ramsay
Cynthia Rhodes	...	Thompson
Gene Simmons	...	Luther
Kirstie Alley	...	Jackie
Stan Shaw	...	Marvin
G.W. Bailey	...	Chief
Joey Cramer	...	Bobby
Chris Mulkey	...	Johnson
Anne-Marie Martin	...	Hooker at Bar
Michael Paul Chan	...	Wilson
Elizabeth Norment	...	Miss Shields
Carol Teasdale	...	Sally (as Carol Teesdale)
Jackson Davies	...	Inspector
Paul Batten	...	Harry
Babs Chula	...	Construction Foreperson (as Babs Chulla)

Storyline

In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.

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Plot Keywords:

robot | killer robot | future | police | police officer | 

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Taglines:

IT IS THE FUTURE. Machines intended to do our work are programmed to turn against us. Someone must stop the madman who started it all.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Michael Crichton: The Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fuera de control

Filming Locations:

Moses Lake, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Delphi III Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Runaway" was the first purely electronic score for composer Jerry Goldsmith. In order to give the synthesizers ambiance, several speakers were set up in a theater, and the playback recorded.

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Goofs

When Sgt. Ramsay goes in to rescue the baby, the rogue robot is heard to cock a shotgun several times before firing its weapon. The weapon, however, is a revolver and could not possibly produce the sound we hear.

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Quotes

Ramsay: Congratulations, guys, you just staked out a roll of toilet paper.

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Connections

Featured in Shooting the Police: Cops on Film (2006)

User Reviews

One of the More Bland Selleck Films of the 1980s

In the near future (which today looks like the near past), the police have a new problem to contend with: runaways! What is a runaway? A robot that no longer responds to its programming and is going rogue, like Sarah Palin with circuit boards. And now they've gone from malfunction to murder, controlled by an evil madman.

What would you say if I said there's a film that has Tom Selleck as a cop that fights robotic spiders and an evil Gene Simmons? If you're like me, you'd say that you wanted to see it as soon as possible and stream it on Netflix. Well, that might be either the best decision you've ever made or your worst nightmare. (Also, if you're like me, you heard about this film from the TV show "Community", which is incredibly awesome.) Indeed, there's much to love about Selleck and a younger Simmons, and a fleet of robots programmed to destroy. Even Kirstie Alley, who has a generally repulsive nature, is presented as a sex symbol here, with mixed results. While I have great difficulty finding her attractive, the Selleck character becomes torn between her and his female partner. It's not quite a love triangle, but when you're Selleck you can have any woman you want.

Yet, the film drags at times, and the climax seems to go on a bit longer than necessary. As much as I love Selleck and the concept of this film, I can't say it ranks up there with "Gypsy Warrior" or "Quigley Down Under". I just didn't feel it. I should not have been bored at any time, but I was... if it wasn't for beer (in this case, Coors Light) it may have been a difficult film to sit through. Not good enough to enjoy or bad enough to rip on... just sort of bland.