Trancers (1985)

Director:

Charles Band

Writers:

Danny Bilson (writer)
Paul De Meo (writer)

Release Date:

May 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

2247 collides with 1985 . . . when a 23rd century crime fighter heats it up in L.A., today

Plot:

Jack Deth is a kind of cop/bounty hunter in the bleak Los Angeles of the future. He's become obssessed with chasing Whistler...

Plot Keywords:

Punk | Time Travel | Police | Spoof | Christmas

Cast

Tim Thomerson	...	Trooper Jack Deth / Phil Deth
Helen Hunt	...	Leena
Michael Stefani	...	Martin Whistler / Police Dective Weisling
Art LaFleur	...	McNulty (as Art La Fleur)
Telma Hopkins	...	Engineer Ruth 'Ruthie' Raines
Richard Herd	...	Chairman Spencer
Anne Seymour	...	Chairman Ashe
Miguel Fernandes	...	Officer Lopez (as Miguel Fernandez)
Biff Manard	...	Hap Ashby
Peter Schrum	...	Santa Claus (Murray) (as Pete Schrum)
Barbara Perry	...	Mrs. Santa Claus
Brad Logan	...	Bull
Minnie Summers Lindsey	...	Mom (as Minnie Lindsay)
Richard Erdman	...	Drunken Wise Man
Wiley Harker	...	Dapper Old Man

Also Known As:

Future Cop (Philippines: English title)
Trancers I (Australia) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

76 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Australia:M | Norway:16 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Altar Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: When McNulty comes down the line into the body of his ancestor, a young girl, he claims that to reach Deth, he had to sneak around the parents. However, he fails to explain why he couldn't have jumped into one of the parents.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jack Deth: Last January, I finally singed Martin Whistler out on one of the rim planets. Since then, I've been hunting down the last of his murdering cult. We call them "Trancers:" slaves to Whistler's psychic power. Not really alive, not dead enough. It's July now, and I'm tired. Real tired.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ritana (2002)

the eternal struggle between detectives and zombies!

"Trancers" is one of the most enjoyable B-movies ever made. The time travel plot and "fish-out-of-water" aspects make it similar to the first "Terminator," but try to imagine that classic film with an infinitely lower budget and a more highly developed sense of humor. On some days, I probably prefer the wisecracking antics of "Trancers" star Tim Thomerson to the earnestness of Michal Biehn in Cameron's film; in this instance, cheaper production values and more obscure actors do not necessarily equal an inferior product.

Thomerson is, without a doubt, the glue that holds the whole silly series together. He's a performer, not an actor. He entertains without emoting. And hey, for this material, that's fine. In fact, that's the bomb. He could read his lines right off the page in a monotone, and you'd still want to stand up and cheer.

The only flaw in this film is a slightly boring villain, but everything else is cool - check out Helen Hunt as some kind of trashy '80s biker chick. Best scene? When Thomerson beats up the stupid punks in the disco.

Overall, an effective blend of the sci-fi and detective genres, and a good indicator of what imagination and a good sense of humor can accomplish in the absence of cash.