Death Machine (1994)

Before I start, I will preface that I had never seen this before. When it came out, I was 12, and renting my VHS was tough.

When it comes to dystopian cyberpunk, B-movie doesn’t always have to be negative. These “B-movies” often offer some of the best “what if” scenarios—things that no one in big-budget land would even consider.

Death Machine opens in the not-so-distant future with a massacre at a gas station and diner due to a human with computer programming chips in his brain going haywire. This has a very Robocop meets Demolition Man meets Johnny Mnemonic feel but with a budget closer to Robocop 2, maybe even 3.

A large corporate company named Chaank makes computer-programmed weapons of tomorrow. When their weapons and programs start killing the innocent populace, the HR department starts asking questions to the board. One member is continuously absent, though, Dante. Dante is played by Brad Dourif. Best known as the voice of Chucky in the Child’s play series, Dourif is easily the most recognizable but forgotten character actor on the planet. People know his voice more than his face, but an entire generation wouldn’t be afraid or love Good Guy Dolls without him. The man gave a franchise a voice. He is a voice that has made a lot of money without people knowing who he is.

Dante is a recluse. That is putting it lightly. He is an eccentric shut-in. He is surrounded by his hardware and computers littered with 80s action figures. The word incel applies here, but that term wasn’t the buzzword of the day. As a child of the 80s, I loved seeing the Thundercats and Masters of The Universe ( Movie and Cartoon) toys scattered around the room. I digress, though; this isn’t a movie about toys.

Dante’s mad genius comes to a head when he releases killer robots onto the other board members. His ultimate creation, though, is coming for all of them—the Death Machine. This film has its tongue placed firmly in its cheek, and because of this, it works extremely well. Dourif’s character acting and the film’s tone make it a fun sci-fi monster instead of a wasted potential. Ordo Ab Chao, indeed.

One of the reasons it works so well is also the machine. Dourif’s deranged lunacy comes across as comical, but his machine is very much not. The Death Machine resembles a combination of a Xenomorph and the Incredible Hulk. It goes on a violent tear, which is terrifying and builds good tension as the corporate heads run for their lives from the machine. The bloodshed and gore are solid as the machine rips people apart like a wild animal is attacking them. An animal, of course, made of steel with razor-sharp teeth and claws.

The team of disgruntled employees and tech nerds who try to infiltrate and take out the corporation from the inside just picked the wrong day to show up. You can’t have a monster movie without a vigilante team to be hamburger fodder. They try to take the board members hostage, but the rampaging computer creature is already loose, and now he has more people to kill.

All the characters in this are named after famous horror directors and it pays homage to some elements from Alien and hints of Blade Runner. Also, don’t miss Rachel Weisz in her film debut as a super cyberpunk hottie.

Kino Lorbers’ Blu-ray was delayed months upon pre-order and finally released in June 2024. The delay was worth it, considering it features three different film cuts. The run times for each one are very different; from my understanding, the sequencing is different in all three versions. This is what Jason X wanted to be. Norrington would later go on to direct Blade because he impressed producers with this film.