Cheap Death Machine (DVD) (Stephen Norrington) Price

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Customer Reviews of Death Machine

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When you see a film with the title "Death Machine," you probably won't expect to see cinema at its finest. This movie is one of those low budget schlockers you catch on the Sci-Fi Channel from time to time, sandwiched between low-grade clunkers like "Convict 762" and "Fortress 2: Re-entry." Why does it seem that bad science fiction films are worse than bad films in other genres? Don't get me wrong; I am not saying "Death Machine" is a total loss. I'm not saying it is great, either, but that's beside the point. What I am saying is that over the past year or so, a majority of the bad films I have seen are science fiction films. It isn't a recent phenomenon, either. I considered blaming the arrival of the Sci-Fi Channel--and its voracious appetite for programming--as a primary cause in the increase of bad films, but that isn't exactly the case. Several of these films were not made in the last year or two but in the early 1980s and 1990s. Obviously, atrocious films in this genre stretch back well into the 1950s, at least, so blaming a new cable network for the plethora of technology themed turkeys traipsing across my screen is unfair. Perhaps the reason has something to do with higher audience expectations and the absolute need for special effects. If the effects reek, so go the expectations of the film.

O.K., there's this big, bad corporation in the near future, see, and the jerks who run the place make lots of money developing big and better killing hardware for the military along with anyone else with enough money to deal. The latest project involves suiting up some poor dupe in a huge suit of body armor, wiping his memory and personality with a computer program download into the old noggin, and setting him loose to blow up the baddies. Sure, messing around with some guy's head probably violates a few archaic sensibilities--the Constitution comes to mind--but hey, a buck is a buck. Besides, the near future is an incredibly violent world where anything goes. Why not come up with a pseudo-Terminator like weapon to take out the trash? A few people in the country still seem to care about such prissy ideas as human dignity and rights, so the company brings in a female executive to investigate reports that the company is shamelessly using people as guinea pigs. Also, lest you think the managers are completely altruistic, higher ups at the corporation are also concerned about getting bad press over a few leaks to the media. So this gal roars into a board meeting full of vim and vigor, clad in tight clothing, and prepares to white tornado the whole stinking company. There's just one small problem with her crusade: no one wants her there, and certain troublemakers have a nasty habit of waking up in pieces or with their throats cut.

Almost immediately, our gal runs into trouble in the shape of project designer and resident psycho Jack Dante (Brad Dourif). Yeah, Dante is a little weird about his work, a little touchy when it comes to criticism or demands for access to his workshop, but aren't we all? His biggest, bestest invention is some sort of super fast robot, a heap of razor sharp metals, whirling teeth, and other assorted killing things held together with a bunch of electrical cords called a Warbeast. When this thing goes for a spin through the building after our heroine cuts off Dante's funding, no one is safe. Bodies fall like freshly mown grass under the unrelenting assault of Jack's super weapon. All of these hijinks just happen to coincide with the arrival of a trio of tattooed, punked out eco-warriors set to destroy the corporation's banks of supercomputers contained in a reinforced bunker in the basement of the high-rise. You can guess what happens next: our fearless heroine teams up with the eco-punks to survive the onslaught of Dante's death machine. The trick is to get out of the building in one piece, not an easy task when you have an automated can opener chasing you all over the place.

Fortunately, "Death Machine" manages to entertain largely due to the Warbeast and the warped antics of Brad Dourif as Jack Dante. Dourif assumes a persona so over the top that it defies normal description. Imagine if comedian Jim Carrey took the brown blotter at Woodstock and grew up to become Charles Manson, and you have some idea of what Dourif's character looks and acts like in this movie. His character is so much fun that I must give "Death Machine" four stars based on him alone. As for the look and attitude of the film, well, it is just as weird as Dante. Shrill blasts of techno/thrash music reverberate throughout the proceedings, set against a backdrop of technologically savvy set pieces lit up with lighting that is positively garish. Bloodshed abounds as well, with hardly a scene passing by without someone keeling over in a heap of busted bones and pulped flesh.

"Death Machine" has plenty of flaws--including an uneven script, some uninteresting characters, and a general sense of the ridiculous running through the whole thing--but it is still an intriguing enough movie worth spending some time on. It's certainly a memorable movie, if nothing else. The DVD edition sadly offers "Death Machine" in a badly cropped fullscreen transfer with little else. Would I like to see a disc loaded with plenty of extras and commentaries? Not really. This movie is a throw away film best watched and remembered at face value. Remember, there is plenty more bad sci-fi than good sci-fi, but "Death Machine" manages to stake out a sort of middle ground. I would definitely watch it again.

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I took a chance on this one based on the stirling reviews...
And it really did pay off. I thoroughly enjoyed this sci-fi/techno-thriller/horror romp...YES! A ROMP!

Norrington wrote a great script and the action sequences are tight. He also gets great performances from his actors. Dourif, of course, is fantastic as the mad scientist with a love-lorn crush on his boss that leans to the murderous side...

What seperates DEATH MACHINE from the majority of B-movie straight-to-video fare goes way beyond great special effects and lots of action and gore. The characters are actually ENGAGING. Usually, with low-budget horror, I'm HOPING most of the characters are done away with, but not with DEATH MACHINE. I liked these characters. I didn't want them to die. Of course, this heightens the overall tension of the film and makes it a great viewing experience.

Dourif might be a scene-stealer, but this is Norrington's film all of the way. He wrote a fantastic script. His direction was on the mark. And he got the most out of his cast.

DEATH MACHINE is definitely worth the 9.99. Without a doubt.

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There is a psycho death bot on the loose!
Wow... This movie was amoung the worst movies I've seen in a very very good way. I agree, the death machine alone makes it worth the rental. There are two characters I have seen before in any movie all together and the rest of the cast I have not. Makes for a good movie in my book. The acting was actually not that bad but the plot was laughable in a very good way. Aside from all of that, my favorite part was the terminology and the quotes that they used. Any movie that can actually get away with say "a quad-matrix googaplactic of memory coprocessors" deserves some special recognition in my book. This movie is amazing. There is no way around it.