Runaway

Starring Tom Selleck, Gene Simmons, and Kirstie Alley.

Tom Selleck plays Ramsay, the lead cop of the elite (?) anti-robot unit of the LAPD of the future. Usually, he gets simple tasks like capturing a runaway agricultural bot. When someone starts reprogramming droids to be killers, Ramsay must get to the bottom of it with the help of his beautiful new partner who just transferred from the Traffic Division. Will Gene Simmons stick out his tongue at the law? Will a simple domestic robot show greater acting range than Kirstie Alley? Will the homing gyrojet gun kill everybody except its intended target? You'll have to watch to find out.

This movie strikes me as a poor man's Blade Runner. Selleck instead of Ford, Simmons replaces Rutger Hauer, and Kirstie Alley or Cynthia Rhodes versus Sean Young. The effects are worse, the robots and technology are less interesting, and Selleck looks far less cool than Ford in his plastic armor and flashlight laser. (I'll take the floor-length leather trench and shotgun-pistol any day). Crichton makes a good effort to be prophetic about the coming commercialization of robots, but doesn't raise any philosophical issues like in most of his films. A must-see only if you are a member of the KISS Army, in love with Thomas Magnum, or mistakenly taped it off the Sci-Fi Channel and had nothing else to watch (like me).

Run"a*way` (?), n.

1.

One who, or that which, flees from danger, duty, restraint, etc.; a fugitive.

Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled? Shak.

2.

The act of running away, esp. of a horse or teams; as, there was a runaway yesterday.

© Webster 1913.

Run"a*way`, a.

1.

Running away; fleeing from danger, duty, restraint, etc.; as, runaway soldiers; a runaway horse.

2.

Accomplished by running away or elopment, or during flight; as, a runaway marriage.

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3. (a)

Won by a long lead; as, a runaway victory.

Very successful; accomplishing success quickly; as, a runaway bestseller.

© Webster 1913.