As derivative as Death Machine is, it’s still a lot of fun.
When I watch an old movie I’ve never seen before, I frequently look up the video box cover art online and try to remember if I saw it on the shelves at the local video rental place. I mention this because I know I remember seeing the box for 1994’s Death Machine at the rental shop. I also remember it being something I thought I wouldn’t like. The cover, like many movies at the time, contained imagery that wasn’t even in the film. In this case, a robotic hand with knives for fingers reached up out of a pool of water, with a single drop of blood on one blade. I passed on to the next flick. That’s too bad because I missed a fun movie.
Taking place in the “near future” (as seen from 1994), Death Machine opens as Hayden Cale (Ely Pouget) arrives at the offices of armaments company CHAANK for her first day as the new CEO. The previous CEO died under unusual circumstances. The office is surrounded by protesters claiming that CHAANK’s weapons — specifically one called Project: Hardman — are being used for nefarious purposes.
Cale is determined to get to the bottom of these allegations and sets her sights on Jack Dante (Brad Dourif,) who seemingly has free reign to do as he pleases within CHAANK’s labyrinthine walls. Cale’s first act as CEO is to fire Dante. Dante decides to unleash his latest creation, the “WarBeast,” a gargantuan dog-like robot with blades for claws and shark like teeth. The robot begins prowling the building and only Dante can control it. Meanwhile, a group of environmental terrorists are planning to infiltrate CHAANK’s office building to steal evidence that will destroy the company’s future. Cale and the terrorists team up to take down Dante and his creation.
Death Machine was directed by Stephen Norrington, who later directed 1998’s Blade. When I reviewed that film, I called attention to the unique visual style and hyperkinetic camera movement. Looking at this film, it’s pretty easy to see why Norrington was chosen to direct that later movie. Although obviously made for little money, it’s visually captivating and possesses an impressive attention to detail in the set and prop design.
Norrington, who also wrote the script, decided to parade his influences around in full view of the audience. Characters share the names of famous directors (i.e. John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, Ridley Scott) and movie quotes are scattered liberally throughout the film. The Project: Hardman suit is clearly (ahem) influenced by RoboCop. (In fact, the first half hour of Death Machine is loaded with visual callbacks to Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 classic.)
As derivative as Death Machine is, it’s still a lot of fun. Brad Dourif, who specializes in delivering maniacal dialogue, has a field day with his role as the twisted Dante. Ely Pouget kicks a fair amount of ass in the latter half of the movie. Martin McDougall and John Sharian, as two of the terrorists, provide some humorous moments and have good chemistry with Pouget’s Cale. While the special effects aren’t Hollywood quality, they’re never horrible. In fact, some of the action sequences are inventively staged to hide their shortcomings.
Where Death Machine falters is an unnecessarily slow start and the inclusion of some positively cringe-worthy “tech” dialogue. Once it gets going, the second half, which feels like Die Hard meets RoboCop vs. The Terminator, is quite entertaining.
If you’re a fan of science fiction and horror, you could do a lot worse than Death Machine.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
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