Maximum Overdrive (1986)

Director:

Stephen King

Writers:

Stephen King (short story "Trucks")
Stephen King (written by)

Release Date:

25 July 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Who Made Who?

Plot:

A group of people try to survive when machines start to come alive and become homicidal.

Plot Keywords:

Truck | Machine | Truck Stop | Earth | Comet

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Emilio Estevez	...	Bill Robinson
Pat Hingle	...	Hendershot
Laura Harrington	...	Brett
Yeardley Smith	...	Connie
John Short	...	Curtis
Ellen McElduff	...	Wanda June
J.C. Quinn	...	Duncan Keller
Christopher Murney	...	Camp Loman
Holter Graham	...	Deke Keller
Frankie Faison	...	Handy
Pat Miller	...	Joe
Jack Canon	...	Max
Barry Bell	...	Steve Gayton
John Brasington	...	Frank
J. Don Ferguson	...	Andy

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (re-rating 2006) | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-16 | Australia:R | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Company:

De Laurentiis

Trivia:

During the scene with the ferry bridge, a van can be seen with the AC/DC band's logo. AC/DC performed the soundtrack for the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the bridge starts going up on its own, it's fairly high. Then we cut to a shot of a truck in the middle and the level of the bridge has dropped considerably - it's almost level. Then we cut back to longs shots and the bridge is at its original higher elevation.

Quotes:

Man At Cashpoint: [First lines]
[as the ATM machine is calling him an asshole]
Man At Cashpoint: Honeybun! This machine just called me an asshole!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinemania: Stephen King: O vasilias tou tromou" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Ride On

An all-time underrated comedy...

Hey, can't Big Steve have a little fun, too? I don't think this was a "so bad it's funny" movie - it's too well done to have been constructed as anything but a real comedy. Viewing this in the context of a traditional horror/slasher movie doesn't do it justice, and with deference to previous reviewers, trying to analyze the technical feasibility of the antics of the machines is a lot like making a big deal about pointing out the historical inaccuracies in Monty Python and the Holy Grail - why? It's a MOVIE, folks, and the liberties Our Most Televised Red Sox Fan takes with the things machines can do make it a damned funny one at that. The scenes, characters, and quotes are a notch below the aforementioned Grail, Spinal Tap, or Clerks, but still classic. (I've been caught by more than one co-worker standing at my desk screaming "WE MADE YOU!" at my laptop, but hey, to each his own.) Five out of five stars, as long as you come in with the right perspective!