Automatic

Olvier Gruner stars as J269 a robot who becomes the target of a group of mercenaries sent to destroy him after he kills a man trying to rape Nora Rochester (Daphne Ashbrook), fearing bad press Goddard Marx orders the machine dead in this well made yet very routine rip off of Robocop and The Terminator. Automatic however does have good actionscenes.

Mixing elements of sci-fi with your standard blend of run 'n gun action, Olivier Gruner enters the world of cyborgs again in 'Automatic'. The title is also the name of the line of cyborgs who double as personal servants & home protection. There's some light themes explored like if they can feel, their rights and discrimination, but really it's about action.

Robgen Industries and it's founder Marx (John Glover) are about to launch the newest addition much to the chagrin of financial money man Hammer (Dennis Lipscomb) who's lost faith in Marx. When a corporate exec tries to rape his secretary Nora Rochester (Daphne Ashbrook) after hours, J269 (Gruner) comes to her rescue and accidentally kills him. Not wanting a PR disaster on the eve of his big reveal, Marx turns to mercs lead by Major West (Jeff Kober) to take them both out.

I loved the opening harking back to Glover's role as a commercial salesman in 'Robocop 2'. I liked the concept and the first bit of setting the stage as the creators in these sorts of flicks are usually sympathetic and help so the opposite was fresh. Then it gets a little stagnant - lots of guns going off, some martial arts from Gruner, chase sequences ad nauseam in low lighting - but they never leave the building.

'Automatic' came awfully close to boring me as both the settings & action wear thin. Gruner holds his own as does Ashbrook though and there's a final surprise on the way to a standard ending, but seeing Gruner in a checkered button up vest made me laugh and was worth the price of admission alone.

Hey, the movie wasn't great. But for an evening in the easy chair and not much mind action..it was perfect. Oliver Gruner is my idea of a strong silent man...Not much talk but man, can he move. And Daphne Ashbrooke was not the wimpy female lead most often associated with "he-man" movies.

This film is one of those that has you reaching for the brightness button on the remote. I'm sure that in some circumstances the Director must have been told to save on the electricity bill. Lots of sympathy for the decommisioned "'Tics" which occur during the film, but not much else worthy of note. As stated, the predictability of the film is noteworthy in itself - the fight scences, the heroine's dress, the crawl through the air vent, the finale - don't go out of your way to watch this one. See it once perhaps, and then log it away in the deep recesses.......

Although it is obviously "low-budget," this film combines "standard" action sequences with surprisingly well-done reflections on the plight of sentient "artificial life forms." I recommend it for its "science fiction" themes, and for those strictly seeking an "action-thriller" it's not lacking in explosions, shootings, and other mayhem either.:)