Sgt. Jack R. Ramsay (Tom Selleck) works for the police department in the “Runaway” division. It is his job to disable robots that have malfunctioned and are destroying property or endangering people. Ramsay transferred to the division after suffering a bout off vertigo while trying to apprehend a criminal. His disability caused the suspect to escape. The suspect then murdered a family. Ramsay’s new partner is Officer Karen Thompson (Cynthia Rhodes).
Normally, a job in the Runaway division is mundane and nonthreatening. Things change when Ramsay and Karen are called to a home where a service robot has gone rogue and kills two people. With a baby still in the house, Ramsay goes in and is confronted by the robot wielding a handgun. Ramsay manages to disarm the robot but the husband, David Johnson (Chris Mulkey) disappears. The robot is examined and found to have an unusual chip added to its electronics that was not factory installed. Johnson is tracked down to a seedy hotel room in the city. When trying to bring Johnson in for questioning, he is killed by a man with an unusual gun. A gun whose bullets have the ability to go around corners.
Ramsay finds out that researchers have developed a technology using the thermal signature of individuals. With this technology they can program weapons that will go after a specific person. Dr. Charles Luther (Gene Simmons) wants the existing chips and the templates to make more chips. He plans on selling everything on the black market to the highest bidder. He will stop at nothing to get them.
Ramsay finds out that Luther’s former lover, Jackie Rogers (Kirstie Alley) has some of the chips and templates. Ramsay tries to use her to get Luther out in the open. Things don’t go as planned and Luther ups the stakes to try to force Ramsay into giving him the templates.
“Runaway” was released in 1984 and was written and directed by Michael Crichton. It is an American science fiction film. Crichton is better known for his writing rather than for his directing. Although the movie didn’t do well at the box office, it has since become a much beloved cult film.
Gene Simmons, as the evil Luther, is wonderfully cast. His only expression during the entire film is psychopathic murderer.
Although the movie is based ‘sometime in the future’ many of the gadgets have actually been invented. Advancements like social media, drones, wireless headsets, and tablets are widely available today. We have yet to have bullets that can go around corners, effective self-driving cars and acid spiders. We also don’t have a police robotics division. Apparently in the future if your robot malfunctions, unplugging it doesn’t work, you need to call a cop.
Despite the unusual premise of the movie, it is a fun and interesting futuristic police procedural. You have good guys, bad guys, technobabble, lots of action and some really cool and deadly toys.