Synopsis
In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.
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Cast
- Tom SelleckJack R. Ramsay
- Cynthia RhodesOfficer Karen Thompson
- Gene SimmonsDr. Charles Luther
- Kirstie AlleyJackie Rogers
- Stan ShawMarvin
- G.W. BaileyChief
- Joey CramerBobby Ramsay
- Chris MulkeyDavid Johnson
- Anne-Marie MartinHooker at Bar
- Michael Paul ChanWilson
Recommendations
- 70
The New York Times
Runaway doesn't stint on the gizmos, and its inventiveness in that respect is its best feature; it comes up with, among other things, foot-long metallic spiders with a deadly sting and heat-seeking bullets that can be programmed to track specific human targets. - 70
Washington Post
An entertaining, light-hearted cops and robots action adventure decked out in high-tech finery. [14 Dec 1984, p.31] - 63
Miami Herald
This might well have been a more exciting movie if it had been made as a flat-out potboiler with a tough guy in Selleck's role. But Selleck's very weakness -- he is so relaxed and easy- going that we never quite believe he could be in trouble -- makes the movie hard to hate, too. [14 Dec 1984, p.E18] - 50
Time Out London
This near-future tale, in which Selleck heads a police division tracking murderous machines, is technically quite as accomplished as Crichton's previous work, carrying a strong atmosphere of menace and some virtuoso effects (including a tracking shot behind a bullet that makes the Bond movies seem old-fashioned). But once it turns from the hardware and the action to people, you can hardly believe your eyes or your ears. - 50
TV Guide Magazine
The problem with RUNAWAY is that it never reaches deeper than a playful level, amounting to nothing more than great but shallow entertainment. Selleck provides a thoughtful performance, coming across as a real, feeling person instead of the expected Rambo-esque tough-guy stereotype. - 50
Newsweek
Away from the television screen, Selleck is as stiff as his bulletproof vest. The only fun performers here are sexy, Kinskilipped Kirstie Alley as a scapegoat and a swarm of robot spiders that clatter-crawl all over their victims. [17 Dec 1984, p.84] - 40
Variety
This Michael Crichton robotic nightmare is so trite that the story seems lifted from Marvel Comics, with heat-seeking bullets and a villain so bad he would be fun if the film wasn’t telling us to take this near-futuristic adventure with a straight face. - 38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Runaway is a Dinky Toy of a film: tiny, shiny, and about half as well-made. [15 Dec 1984]
