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Runaway (1984 film)
Encyclopedia
Runaway is a 1984
science fiction
action film
starring Tom Selleck
, Gene Simmons
and Cynthia Rhodes
. This film also features Kirstie Alley
in one of her early appearances. The film was written
and directed
by Michael Crichton
. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith
, and was the composer's first all-electronic soundtrack. The film was marketed with the tagline "It is the future. Machines intended to do our work are programmed to turn against us. Someone must stop the madman who started it all." Gene Simmons was recording the album Animalize
with KISS
during the time he filmed for Runaway, but he chose to take a short break from the music to shoot the movie.
With a multi-million dollar budget, big-name actors and a world-famous author as both writer and director, Runaway was planned as 1984's major science fiction draw. However, it was overshadowed by a low-budget feature, starring B-list actors, and written and directed by an unknown – James Cameron
's unprecedented blockbuster, The Terminator
.
Tom Selleck
starred in the film during interseason of Magnum, P.I.
for granted. Runaway is set in the near future, where robot
s are commonplace – as much a part of everyday life as any other electrical appliance. Like said appliances, they are prone to malfunctions, especially since such devices rarely receive regular maintenance
. Unlike said appliances, a robot may malfunction in a manner that poses some form of threat to people and/or property, an occurrence about as common as burglaries. Such robots are known as "runaways".
As runaways are somewhat more dangerous than the average damaged machine, they are not handled by the manufacturers' support personnel but by local divisions of the police
force trained in robotics. Though the job is necessary – runaways can be relatively destructive to both people and property – this seemingly low-key form of police work rarely involves real risks to either officers or civilians and thus rarely draws public attention – and therefore has few opportunities for promotion
. Most officers consider the runaway squad to be worse than desk work. At least behind a desk one does not have to chase broken machines while people laugh at you.
Sgt. Jack R. Ramsay (Selleck) is a veteran police officer who left street patrol in favor of handling runaway robots after discovering his previously unknown acrophobia
, and after years on the job has found himself one of the profession's few real experts. His new partner, Karen Thompson (Rhodes), is bright and enthusiastic about the job, but he assures her there is little excitement involved – "Usually all you have to do is flip a switch." This assurance turns out to be in error when they find themselves the only people capable of handling an unforeseen social problem – the first robot facilitated homicide
s.
In the aftermath of dealing with a particularly disturbing runaway – a household robot murdering a family with a kitchen knife – he stumbles upon integrated circuit
s which not only override a robot's safety features, but direct it to attack humans. Worse, these devices are not gerry-rigged hacks, but created from a series of master template
s, enabling them to be mass-produced.
Further investigations into the circuits are hindered by their true use: the control systems of the first robotic weapons
. Spider-like robots no larger than loaves of bread which climb walls and ceilings to reach their targets, murder them by injecting acid into their veins, then explosively self-destruct, leaving no evidence. On top of that, other potential sources of information die in an equally bizarre manner – shot in the back from what seems to be impossible ranges.
However, Ramsay refuses to be deterred, and soon discovers the perpetrator, megalomaniacal and sociopathic genius Dr. Charles Luther (Simmons). Luther, while working for a robotics defense contractor, developed a program that allows a robot to thermographically
identify a human form amidst significant cover, and even differentiate between individual humans. Seeing the obvious profit potential in this program, he decided to kill his fellow researchers and sell the technology on the black market.
However, the attempted arrest fails miserably as Luther reveals another of his uses of the program: smart bullet
s. Miniature heat seeking missiles that lock onto an individual human target's unique heat signature, pursuing them wherever they run – even around corners.
An unexpected break is made in the case – one of Luther's fellow employees, Jackie Rogers (Alley), is found to have once been his lover – and partner in crime. However, she double-crossed him and stole the circuit templates, intending to sell them herself. But Luther knows she has them, and is willing to go to extremes to get them back.
A transfer to protected custody is just another opportunity for the robotics genius to demonstrate his incredible capabilities. Luther attacks the police convoy with freeway-running robotic smart bomb
s. At the transfer of the chips, Luther captures Thompson and want her exchanged for Jackie, once Luther has Jackie and the chips, he kills Jackie and flees.
Even Ramsay's home is not safe from Luther – his personal robot is compromised, enabling the maniac to kidnap his son, Bobby (Cramer).
Ramsay then makes a deal with Luther to exchange the templates for his son at an unfinished skyscraper. Though the acrophobic Ramsay seems completely outgunned and outmaneuvered by Luther, he has one advantage – Luther is completely assured of the power of his robotic weapons, but Ramsay deals with runaways: he knows any system can fail. Ramsay turns on many of the automatic construction equipment, creating multiple heat sources to confuse the smart bullets. As Luther sends Ramsay's son down to street level in an elevator, where a legion of assassin robots wait, his partner Thompson slips past the robots and helps his son stay above the reach of the robots. Luther turns on Ramsay with fury, firing smart bullets, but the multiple heat sources cause the bullets to miss the mark, and Ramsay uses this to get close to fight with Luther hand-to-hand. After a pitched fight, Ramsay pushes Luther over the side, and the inventor lands on his back...in the midst of his robot assassins. Programmed to kill whoever came down from above, the robots cannot differentiate between targets and rush Luther, injecting acid into his body in a dozen places. After completing their mission, the robots shut down.
Ramsay and his partner help his son down from above, and Ramsay cautiously approaches the body of Luther. Whether by convulsion or a last-ditch attempt to get vengeance, Luther reaches up to grab Ramsay, but falls back. Ramsay retreats as fire flares around Luther as the assassins self-destruct, immolating Luther and his creations.
As they leave, Ramsay pauses, and Thompson kisses him.
1984 in film
-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
starring Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
, Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
and Cynthia Rhodes
Cynthia Rhodes
Cynthia Rhodes is an American actress, singer and dancer most noted for her roles in Dirty Dancing, Flashdance and Staying Alive.- Career :...
. This film also features Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
in one of her early appearances. The film was written
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
, and was the composer's first all-electronic soundtrack. The film was marketed with the tagline "It is the future. Machines intended to do our work are programmed to turn against us. Someone must stop the madman who started it all." Gene Simmons was recording the album Animalize
Animalize
Animalize is the 12th studio album by the American band Kiss. In a continuation of the commercial resurgence begun with Lick It Up, Animalize was certified platinum by the RIAA on December 12, 1984. It was the biggest-selling Kiss album since 1977's Alive II.The album marked the only appearance by...
with KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
during the time he filmed for Runaway, but he chose to take a short break from the music to shoot the movie.
With a multi-million dollar budget, big-name actors and a world-famous author as both writer and director, Runaway was planned as 1984's major science fiction draw. However, it was overshadowed by a low-budget feature, starring B-list actors, and written and directed by an unknown – James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
's unprecedented blockbuster, The Terminator
The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
.
Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
starred in the film during interseason of Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
Description
Typical for a Crichton work, this movie deals with the devastating and sinister consequences of taking complex technologyTechnology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
for granted. Runaway is set in the near future, where robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s are commonplace – as much a part of everyday life as any other electrical appliance. Like said appliances, they are prone to malfunctions, especially since such devices rarely receive regular maintenance
Preventive maintenance
Preventive maintenance has the following meanings:#The care and servicing by personnel for the purpose of maintaining equipment and facilities in satisfactory operating condition by providing for systematic inspection, detection, and correction of incipient failures either before they occur or...
. Unlike said appliances, a robot may malfunction in a manner that poses some form of threat to people and/or property, an occurrence about as common as burglaries. Such robots are known as "runaways".
As runaways are somewhat more dangerous than the average damaged machine, they are not handled by the manufacturers' support personnel but by local divisions of the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force trained in robotics. Though the job is necessary – runaways can be relatively destructive to both people and property – this seemingly low-key form of police work rarely involves real risks to either officers or civilians and thus rarely draws public attention – and therefore has few opportunities for promotion
Promotion (rank)
A promotion is the advancement of an employee's rank or position in an organizational hierarchy system. Promotion may be an employee's reward for good performance i.e. positive appraisal...
. Most officers consider the runaway squad to be worse than desk work. At least behind a desk one does not have to chase broken machines while people laugh at you.
Sgt. Jack R. Ramsay (Selleck) is a veteran police officer who left street patrol in favor of handling runaway robots after discovering his previously unknown acrophobia
Acrophobia
Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...
, and after years on the job has found himself one of the profession's few real experts. His new partner, Karen Thompson (Rhodes), is bright and enthusiastic about the job, but he assures her there is little excitement involved – "Usually all you have to do is flip a switch." This assurance turns out to be in error when they find themselves the only people capable of handling an unforeseen social problem – the first robot facilitated homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
s.
In the aftermath of dealing with a particularly disturbing runaway – a household robot murdering a family with a kitchen knife – he stumbles upon integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s which not only override a robot's safety features, but direct it to attack humans. Worse, these devices are not gerry-rigged hacks, but created from a series of master template
Template
Template may mean:*a stencil, pattern or overlay used in graphic arts and sewing to replicate letters, shapes or designs...
s, enabling them to be mass-produced.
Further investigations into the circuits are hindered by their true use: the control systems of the first robotic weapons
Military robot
Military robots are autonomous robots or remote-controlled devices designed for military applications.Such systems are currently being researched by a number of militaries.-History:...
. Spider-like robots no larger than loaves of bread which climb walls and ceilings to reach their targets, murder them by injecting acid into their veins, then explosively self-destruct, leaving no evidence. On top of that, other potential sources of information die in an equally bizarre manner – shot in the back from what seems to be impossible ranges.
However, Ramsay refuses to be deterred, and soon discovers the perpetrator, megalomaniacal and sociopathic genius Dr. Charles Luther (Simmons). Luther, while working for a robotics defense contractor, developed a program that allows a robot to thermographically
Thermography
Infrared thermography, thermal imaging, and thermal video are examples of infrared imaging science. Thermal imaging cameras detect radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum and produce images of that radiation, called thermograms...
identify a human form amidst significant cover, and even differentiate between individual humans. Seeing the obvious profit potential in this program, he decided to kill his fellow researchers and sell the technology on the black market.
However, the attempted arrest fails miserably as Luther reveals another of his uses of the program: smart bullet
Smart bullet
Smart bullet is a term that has been used to describe several theoretical and prototype bullets. The "smart" part comes from the bullet doing something other than simply following its given trajectory, e.g. turning, speeding up, slowing down, sending data, etc....
s. Miniature heat seeking missiles that lock onto an individual human target's unique heat signature, pursuing them wherever they run – even around corners.
An unexpected break is made in the case – one of Luther's fellow employees, Jackie Rogers (Alley), is found to have once been his lover – and partner in crime. However, she double-crossed him and stole the circuit templates, intending to sell them herself. But Luther knows she has them, and is willing to go to extremes to get them back.
A transfer to protected custody is just another opportunity for the robotics genius to demonstrate his incredible capabilities. Luther attacks the police convoy with freeway-running robotic smart bomb
Smart bomb
Smart bomb has several meanings:* In weapons, a smart bomb is a precision-guided munition* Smart Bomb Interactive, a video game development studio based in Salt Lake City, Utah...
s. At the transfer of the chips, Luther captures Thompson and want her exchanged for Jackie, once Luther has Jackie and the chips, he kills Jackie and flees.
Even Ramsay's home is not safe from Luther – his personal robot is compromised, enabling the maniac to kidnap his son, Bobby (Cramer).
Ramsay then makes a deal with Luther to exchange the templates for his son at an unfinished skyscraper. Though the acrophobic Ramsay seems completely outgunned and outmaneuvered by Luther, he has one advantage – Luther is completely assured of the power of his robotic weapons, but Ramsay deals with runaways: he knows any system can fail. Ramsay turns on many of the automatic construction equipment, creating multiple heat sources to confuse the smart bullets. As Luther sends Ramsay's son down to street level in an elevator, where a legion of assassin robots wait, his partner Thompson slips past the robots and helps his son stay above the reach of the robots. Luther turns on Ramsay with fury, firing smart bullets, but the multiple heat sources cause the bullets to miss the mark, and Ramsay uses this to get close to fight with Luther hand-to-hand. After a pitched fight, Ramsay pushes Luther over the side, and the inventor lands on his back...in the midst of his robot assassins. Programmed to kill whoever came down from above, the robots cannot differentiate between targets and rush Luther, injecting acid into his body in a dozen places. After completing their mission, the robots shut down.
Ramsay and his partner help his son down from above, and Ramsay cautiously approaches the body of Luther. Whether by convulsion or a last-ditch attempt to get vengeance, Luther reaches up to grab Ramsay, but falls back. Ramsay retreats as fire flares around Luther as the assassins self-destruct, immolating Luther and his creations.
As they leave, Ramsay pauses, and Thompson kisses him.
Main cast
- Tom SelleckTom SelleckThomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
- Sgt. Jack R. Ramsay - Cynthia RhodesCynthia RhodesCynthia Rhodes is an American actress, singer and dancer most noted for her roles in Dirty Dancing, Flashdance and Staying Alive.- Career :...
- Karen Thompson - Gene SimmonsGene SimmonsGene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
- Dr. Charles Luther - Kirstie AlleyKirstie AlleyKirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
- Jackie Rogers - Stan ShawStan ShawStan Shaw is an American actor.Born in Chicago, Illinois, he is the son of Bertha Shaw and saxophonist Eddie Shaw, and cousin of the late soul singers Sam Cooke and Tyrone Davis Brother of Vaan Shaw...
- Sgt. Marvin James - G. W. BaileyG. W. BaileyGeorge William "G.W." Bailey is an American stage, television and film actor. Although he appeared in many dramatic roles, he may be best remembered for his "crusty" comedic characters such as Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in M*A*S*H ; Lieutenant—and later, Captain—Thaddeus Harris in Police Academy...
- Chief of Police - Joey CramerJoey CramerJoey Cramer was a child actor in the United States and Canada during the mid 1980s, most notable for his role in Flight of the Navigator. He appeared in the television movie Stone Fox with Buddy Ebsen and Gordon Tootoosis in 1987. Today, Cramer lives in his hometown of Sechelt, and he is...
- Bobby Ramsay - Chris MulkeyChris MulkeyChris Mulkey is an American actor who most recently appeared in Against the Wall, Cloverfield, the NBC TV movie Knight Rider, and as a corporate executive in season 7 of 24...
- David Johnson - Anne-Marie MartinAnne-Marie MartinAnne-Marie Martin is a Canadian actress and writer who is perhaps best known for playing Sgt. Dori Doreau in the American television comedy series Sledge Hammer! from 1986 to 1988....
- Hooker at Bar - Michael Paul ChanMichael Paul ChanMichael Paul Chan is an American television and film actor. Some of his recent television work includes Judge Lionel Ping on Arrested Development, Robbery Homicide Division, Dr. Lee in the Joel Schumacher directed "Batman & Robin," the voice of Jimmy Ho on The PJ's, and Lieutenant Michael Tao on...
- Vectrocon Security Guard - Marilyn SchrefflerMarilyn SchrefflerMarilyn Schreffler was an American actress, who provided voice-overs for several animated TV programs, mostly for Hanna-Barbera Productions.-Life:Born in Concordia, Kansas, and had an affinity for cartoons since age 6...
- Voice of Lois