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:

Featured in Stephen King's World of Horror (1986) (TV)

It's the Velveeta of B movies

This low, low budget sci-fier is somewhat derivative, but it's kind of a take-off on Bladerunner-type movies, rather than a ripoff of them. Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is a detective in the future who's sent back to 1985 to stop a madman who's decided to kill the ancestors of the city council of Deth's time. With the help of Lena (a young Helen Hunt), Deth fights Trancers (who have fallen under the control of the madman) and his own culture shock.

It's a short movie (76 minutes), and things move pretty quickly; plot isn't so much of a focus as a annoying gnat that appears from time to time. But for being so short, the characters are pretty well developed - and one huge bonus is that Deth isn't an no necked, shoot-first idiot, as renegade cops are often portrayed.

Trancers is original, often-funny sci-fi cheese. It's great to see Thomerson and Hunt - especially Hunt, who looks great.