The Lawnmower Man (1992)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Brett Leonard

Writers:

Stephen King (title only) (credit removed following lawsuit)
Brett Leonard (writer) ...

Release Date:

6 March 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

God made him simple. Science made him a god.

Plot:

A simple man is turned into a genius through the application of computer science.

Plot Keywords:

Virtual Reality | Intelligence | Scientist | Computer | Bare Back

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jeff Fahey	...	Jobe Smith
Pierce Brosnan	...	Dr. Lawrence Angelo
Jenny Wright	...	Marnie Burke
Mark Bringleson	...	Sebastian Timms
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Terry McKeen
Jeremy Slate	...	Father Francis McKeen
Dean Norris	...	The Director
Colleen Coffey	...	Caroline Angelo
Jim Landis	...	Ed Walts
Troy Evans	...	Lieutenant Goodwin
Rosalee Mayeux	...	Carla Parkette
Austin O'Brien	...	Peter Parkette
Michael Gregory	...	Security Chief
Joe Hart	...	Patrolman Cooley
John Laughlin	...	Jake Simpson

Also Known As:

Stephen King's The Lawnmower Man
Virtual Wars (Japan: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sensuality and a scene of violence.

Runtime:

107 min | USA:140 min (director's cut)

Country:

UK | USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Allied Vision

Trivia:

The shot of Dr. Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) releasing Jobe with a badly damaged head from the strobe was realized using a mannequin with a plaster head.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Dr. Angelo is telling Caroline that she doesn't understand what he is going through, he rubs his eyes with his empty left hand in close-up. In the next shot, a cigarette has suddenly appeared in his hand as he pulls his hand from his eyes.

Quotes:

Dr. Lawrence Angelo: All this power isn't meant to be in the hands of one person!
Jobe Smith: You're wrong! You need to be led, just like everyone else, it's a basic need.
Dr. Lawrence Angelo: This technology was meant to expand human communication, but you're not even human any more! What you've become terrifies me. You're a freak!
Jobe Smith: Your naive idiocy makes me VERY ANGRY!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Future Fantastic: The Incredible Shrinking Planet" (????)

Soundtrack:

Man Wants

an early look at the coming power of computers

Stories about a simple person getting turned into something more seem pretty common in movies, but none are like "The Lawnmower Man". Portraying scientist Pierce Brosnan turning retarded Jeff Fahey into a super-genius (with unintended consequences), this is one movie destined to blow your mind. The visual effects were beyond impressive even for 1992, but they never dominate the movie. We might say that the movie deals with the dangers of people relying too much on technology, and also the dangers of militarism, but even aside from that, this is a movie worth seeing. Check it out.

Oh, and I think that we can all agree that the sequel needs to be avoided at all costs.