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:

Police | Punk | Time Travel | Futuristic | Spoof

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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:

Revealing mistakes: As Jack is driving his car and telling Leena his story, he jerks the steering wheel back and forth several times, yet the car is shown to drive in a perfectly straight line the entire time.

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)

Entertaining b-grade SF.

'Trancers' (known under the dull title 'Future Cop' here in Australia, don't ask me why) still holds up all these years later as a lot of fun. It's cheap, sure, and suspiciously second hand (time travel schtick ripped off 'The Terminator', hard boiled Bogartish main character probably via 'Blade Runner', neither idea original anyway), but it knows its limitations, and is entertaining in a trashy way. The main reason it succeeds is because of the always reliable Tim Thomerson ('Near Dark', 'Cherry 2000') who was made to play Jack Deth. He's always enjoyable to watch. And as much as Helen Hunt irritates me now that she is a "serious artiste", she is fine as Deth's feisty side-kick. Also keep a look out for Thomerson's comedian buddies and frequent co-stars Art LaFleur and Biff Manard, and Richard Herd, a familiar face to 'Seinfeld' fans. I was also impressed by Michael Stefani as Deth's nemesis Whistler, king of the trancers. He seems to have disappeared from our screens since this movie, which is a pity.

'Trancers', a favourite guilty pleasure.