Automatic

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.

Olivier Gruner finally finds the one role he excels at, a robot who protects a woman from her boss/rapist who the corporation then decide to send an army to kill both her and the robot to avoid bad press and save face with stock holders, making Gruner the only one who can protect her and save the day. Automatic is a solid reason why one can't write off straight to video science fiction. Automatic is well directed, well made and has moments of true atmosphere. The movie also has some good ideas such as how robots are intertwined with humans and how the robot in question weren't trying to take over the world and rather provide confused responses to human nature. This is a movie where the bad guys are human and the hero is a robot who deals in black and white morals because it's the way he's been programmed. It also has that Blade Runner vibe of how the corporations are the evils of society and on its own level it succeeds rather well. This is easily the best thing you'll ever see from Olivier Gruner and aside from the bad acting from the cast (John Glover and Gruner aside...) the film works in both categories its been sold as. My only complaint was that it didn't feature more robot's responses toward issues regarding human nature but it is an Olivier Gruner movie. His best one by the way.

* * * out of 4-(Good)

AUTOMATIC is a low-rent sci-fi B-movie starring French martial artist Olivier Gruner, a guy who had all the acting ability of a hunk of cheese but who knew how to kick when it came to the fight scenes. This is an incredibly cheap-looking movie that sees Gruner playing an android who rebels against his corrupt creators and is forced to defend himself from a hit squad.

The entire film takes place in a dimly-lit building with the characters prowling the corridors and engaging in some low-rent fight scenes. The choreography is poor and the script worse, and it doesn't help that the cast is filled with actors giving laissez-faire performances which hardly fill the viewer with confidence.

Throughout AUTOMATIC, the scriptwriter rips off many other, better movies. The single-location stalking sequences are reminiscent of the basic premise of DIE HARD, while of course THE TERMINATOR hangs over everything with the presence of androids (although the movie doesn't feature much of the cool robotic effect stuff you saw generally in '90s B-movies). There are also lots of scenes inspired by ALIENS. Inevitably, this movie can't hold a candle to any of those classics and is a completely forgettable piece of popcorn fare.

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.......

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.