Runaway (1984)

1984 • 100 minutes

About this movie

From the creator of Jurassic Park and Sphere comes another spine-tingling sci-fi action thriller. It is the future. A sinister plot is turning helpful robots into assassins, and a cop is caught in a deadly showdown with the madman controlling the killer machines. They were crafted for the purpose of serving man. But now, guided by an evil force, they're committing murder in this fast-paced, futuristic action-adventure. Tom Selleck stars as Jack Ramsay, a sergeant in the Runaway Squad - a security force dedicated to the termination of defective or runaway robots. Ramsay and his assistant Thompson (Cynthia Rhodes) are called in when two electronic engineers meet violent deaths. They discovera link between the murders and the development of a terrifying new weapon by an evil mastermind. Ramsay and Thompson are attacked by murderous robots as they close in on the brilliant and insane electronics genius behind it all, Charles Luther (Gene Simmons). Then the deadly chase begins in this taut, high-tech thriller. MPAA Rating: PG-13 © 1984 TriStar Pictures, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ratings and reviews

You won't find any gene-spliced dinosaurs or extraterrestrial viruses here, but there is a scary Gene Simmons villain and homicidal robots. There are thrills and great on-screen moments once Gene Simmons' villain is introduced to spar against Tom Selleck's heroic main character. The futuristic world building (for 1984) and conviction still holds up today but the romantic ending feels hackneyed and awkwardly handled.