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Trancers
300 years (?) in the future, with old Los Angeles under water, The Council does its best to rule benevolently over the human race. But a violent cop, Jack Deth (!) continues to hunt down the remaining disciples of a psychotic cult-leader who murdered his wife. Forced into retirement, he is called back when it turns out the cult-leader is alive... in the year 1985. A new technology has allowed him to move back through his own bloodline to live in the body of an ancestor and hunt down the ancestors of The Council. And Jack Deth is sent back the same way to hunt him down.
This movie is fun in like the first 3 minutes. It knows what it is and has a clear vision in terms of its style and tone and jumps right in starts having a good time and it just does its thing and that's that. It’s narrative is coherent, it makes sense, it isn’t just a mad rush from action sequence to action sequence nor does it really drag at any point and honestly, I like the simple story a lot. The concept of the future, the idea of “time traveling” through your own bloodline, and the first instance I can think of of “bullet-time” in the clever “Long Second” watch, are all nice ideas that are realized on the screen.
And its low-budget-Blade-Runner look actually kinda works.
Not to mention a little fun 80s L.A. vibes.
Academy Award-winner Helen Hunt, of course, is charming and it made me think about how many good actors there are out there who only make it this far. This was her first big role in a feature film and it might have been her last if you look at her filmography but she hung in there and manages to take a turn later because she has what it takes. I think about somebody like Jenny Wright who also isn’t bad but doesn’t have what Helen Hunt has. She brings a lot to this movie.
Tim Thomerson is just a really under-appreciated guy. I’ve enjoyed him in everything I’ve ever seen him in from Jekyll and Hyde, Together Again to this film to Volunteers (“I’m gonna kill ya. I’m gonna skin ya. I’m gonna use your shin-bone for a pencil-box”) to his hilarious and charismatic turn in Cherry 2000.
Honestly, there’s nothing really bad about this movie. It may not be great but it’s pretty fun and really in its weird way is better than a lot of action movies these days. Frankly, this is how you make a low-budget movie. I honestly think this is a perfectly worthwhile, low-budget 80s film. It has my respect.
Trancers
300 years (?) in the future, with old Los Angeles under water, The Council does its best to rule benevolently over the human race. But a violent cop, Jack Deth (!) continues to hunt down the remaining disciples of a psychotic cult-leader who murdered his wife. Forced into retirement, he is called back when it turns out the cult-leader is alive... in the year 1985. A new technology has allowed him to move back through his own bloodline to live in the body of an ancestor and hunt down the ancestors of The Council. And Jack Deth is sent back the same way to hunt him down.
This movie is fun in like the first 3 minutes. It knows what it is and has a clear vision in terms of its style and tone and jumps right in starts having a good time and it just does its thing and that's that. It’s narrative is coherent, it makes sense, it isn’t just a mad rush from action sequence to action sequence nor does it really drag at any point and honestly, I like the simple story a lot. The concept of the future, the idea of “time traveling” through your own bloodline, and the first instance I can think of of “bullet-time” in the clever “Long Second” watch, are all nice ideas that are realized on the screen.
And its low-budget-Blade-Runner look actually kinda works.
Not to mention a little fun 80s L.A. vibes.
Academy Award-winner Helen Hunt, of course, is charming and it made me think about how many good actors there are out there who only make it this far. This was her first big role in a feature film and it might have been her last if you look at her filmography but she hung in there and manages to take a turn later because she has what it takes. I think about somebody like Jenny Wright who also isn’t bad but doesn’t have what Helen Hunt has. She brings a lot to this movie.
Tim Thomerson is just a really under-appreciated guy. I’ve enjoyed him in everything I’ve ever seen him in from Jekyll and Hyde, Together Again to this film to Volunteers (“I’m gonna kill ya. I’m gonna skin ya. I’m gonna use your shin-bone for a pencil-box”) to his hilarious and charismatic turn in Cherry 2000.
Honestly, there’s nothing really bad about this movie. It may not be great but it’s pretty fun and really in its weird way is better than a lot of action movies these days. Frankly, this is how you make a low-budget movie. I honestly think this is a perfectly worthwhile, low-budget 80s film. It has my respect.