Trancers 4: Jack of Swords (1994)

Lost somewhere in the future, lawman Jack learns he's lost his wife to another and lands in a new, dangerous dimension, where evil Lord Caliban rules.

Director:

David Nutter

Writers:

Danny Bilson (characters), Peter David

Stars:

Tim Thomerson, Stacie Randall, Ty Miller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Thomerson	...	Jack Deth
Stacie Randall	...	Lyra
Ty Miller	...	Prospero
Terri Ivens	...	Shaleen
Mark Arnold	...	Lucius
Clabe Hartley	...	Caliban
Alan Oppenheimer	...	Farr
Lochlyn Munro	...	Sebastian
Jeff Moldovan	...	Harson
Stephen Macht	...	Harris
Ruxandra Enescu	...	Titania
Adrian Pintea	...	Borgia
Rona Hartner	...	Tessa
Costel Constantin	...	Torturer
Ion Haiduc	...	Angelo

Storyline

Jack is now back in the future. He had since lost Lena, and finds out that he's lost his other wife Alice to none other than Harris. While heading out for another assignment, something goes awry with the TCL chamber. Jack finds himself in a whole new dimension. He also runs across a different version of trancers. These guys seem to be in control of this planet. Jack manages to assist a rebel group known as the "Tunnel Rats" crush the rule of the evil Lord Calaban.

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Plot Keywords:

karate | low budget sci fi movie | fourth part | parallel universe | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

Time waits for no man... Deth Lives...

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tim Thomerson is embarrassed by his involvement with this film and part 5.

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Goofs

When Jack is fighting Borgia in the first 20 minutes of the movie, he has his gun knocked out of his hand. Moments later, he is knocked to the ground, and as his jacket lapel falls away, you can clearly see his gun, still holstered.

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Quotes

Caliban: [to Prospero] I though I'd find you here. It's time to come home, my son.
Prospero: No.
Caliban: You've changed...yes, you've been reborn. Just as I anticipated, you were amongst the meat you could not resist, and now, we'll be together.
Prospero: Together in Hell!
[he tries to attack Caliban, but Caliban easily grabs and disarms him, tossing his sword aside then shoving him away.]
Caliban: Your heart's not in this, boy.
[unknown to him, Jack Deth sneaks up, and takes Prospero's sword.]
Jack Deth: Mine is.
[he waves his sword in challenge]
Jack Deth: Engarde, ...

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Alternate Versions

The UK video was cut by 8 secs and removes all footage of butterfly knives being twirled.

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Connections

Follows The Dungeonmaster (1984)

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Soundtracks

Give Me a World
Written and Performed by Matt Wegner

User Reviews

ah, the dubious pleasures of Full Moon

I've watched too many movies in my time. I mean, here I am, commenting on Trancers 4 - TRANCERS 4! - and I bet this review will be read by a grand total of about six people, the same six people who rented this silly little movie when it came out.

For the uninitiated, Trancers started life as a futuristic film noir series. Well, to be brutally honest, it started life as tacky B-movie trash with noir ambitions. The lead character, Jack Deth (like Death, geddit?) was played by lovable genre grump Tim Thomerson, who has achieved a semi-legendary status on the order of Bruce Campbell's. Are either of these men really titans of the entertainment industry? Nah. They're weirdos and underdogs. And that's why we love them.

Trancers 4 departs from the series' usual detective theme and plants Jack Deth in a medieval fantasy world populated by energy-draining vampires. Purists have cried foul over this, but what the hell - Full Moon had a sweet deal, filming on the cheap in Romania, and they wanted to re-use their forest and castle locations from "Subspecies." So, comic book writer Peter David was called upon to plunk Deth right into the middle of an old "Doctor Who" plot involving tyrants, rebels, swordplay, and lots of running around in the woods. The connection to "Who" is strengthened by the endearingly absurd special effects (or, better put, special defects).

The rebel characters are woodenly acted, the bad guys ham it up like loons, the fight scenes are listless, the plot makes no sense - oh, I could go on and on - and yet this movie is still boss, precisely because it's cheap and crass and ballsy and not in the least bit mainstream. This is the kind of movie you could make in a weekend with your friends, and it's all the better for its crudity. It's just so much fun - I mean, c'mon, Deth dunks some guy's head into a bowl of popcorn! He turns an android's head into a bedside lamp! He talks and acts tough, but he's clearly WAY TOO OLD to threaten anybody!

It rules. It just rules.

Details

Country:

USA Romania

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Trancers 4: Journeys Through the Darkzone

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castel Film Romania, Full Moon Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color