Death Machine is a film which really surprised me. I was expecting a gore-fest with weak plot and even weaker acting. That was until I found out it had Brad Dourif starring in it, who is in my opinion one of the best actors ever. The film itself is not overly gory but is instead remarkably discomforting and surprisingly funny and thoughtful. It takes quite a while for any real action to start, the beginning instead being used for interesting plot and character development sequences.
Brad Dourif does one of the most wonderful acting performances of his life here as the child-like psychotic genius Jack Dante who develops the ultimate killing machine. Wearing a long black leather coat and having long black hair, he looks perfect for the part and gives a genuinely creepy performance - yet still makes you feel sorry for him. He's also been given most of the best lines in the pretty fantastic script, with many laugh-out-loud moments for the viewer ("It's cool here! There's tons of... stuff!").
A note about the violence and gore: the film has an 18 certificate in the UK and you would expect some pretty gruesome stuff for a film in that category, yet there is surprisingly very little. When the Death Machine of the title gets to kill someone, in most cases the death isn't seen at all and left up to the viewer's imagination. There ARE some fairly bloody moments but I don't think this film really deserves the 18 certificate, I've seen worse in 15-rated movies.
The film remains constantly engaging, has strong actors all round and is directed very well. A great script with quite a lot of comedy moments sets this film apart from other low-budget sci-fi horror movies. Great fun.
Brad Dourif does one of the most wonderful acting performances of his life here as the child-like psychotic genius Jack Dante who develops the ultimate killing machine. Wearing a long black leather coat and having long black hair, he looks perfect for the part and gives a genuinely creepy performance - yet still makes you feel sorry for him. He's also been given most of the best lines in the pretty fantastic script, with many laugh-out-loud moments for the viewer ("It's cool here! There's tons of... stuff!").
A note about the violence and gore: the film has an 18 certificate in the UK and you would expect some pretty gruesome stuff for a film in that category, yet there is surprisingly very little. When the Death Machine of the title gets to kill someone, in most cases the death isn't seen at all and left up to the viewer's imagination. There ARE some fairly bloody moments but I don't think this film really deserves the 18 certificate, I've seen worse in 15-rated movies.
The film remains constantly engaging, has strong actors all round and is directed very well. A great script with quite a lot of comedy moments sets this film apart from other low-budget sci-fi horror movies. Great fun.