Review of Looker (1981) by Nicholas W — 10 Aug 2008

This is quite an interesting film. Having seen three other Michael Crichton films (COMA, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, RUNAWAY) I was quite curious as to what this one would offer. While not remotely as good as the first two in the list above, it's not quite as overtly silly as RUNAWAY.

The plot is quite basic to begin with: A plastic surgeon's patients who work in the modeling industry are being killed by someone. When he's targeted by police as the prime suspect, he takes it upon himself to protect the woman he believes to be next in line.

As with all Michael Crichton films, this one has a very real sense of the technology involved. Much like RUNAWAY, he tried to predict the future of technology. Unlike RUNAWAY, much of what he predicted actually exists today. It's eerie to see, really.

But I digress. The story becomes a standard sci-fi b-movie after a certain point, even taking on the guise of one of John Carpenter's lesser films by the last fifteen minutes. However, it does have its strong points.

The whole film is a satire of the American obsession with beauty and entertainment. According to the statistics mentioned in the film, the average American watches fifty minutes of commercials in one day alone. We spend eight years in front of the television. And this was in 1981 so I have no doubt the numbers have risen.

Another plus for the film is the obligatory Michael Crichton nudity. Back in the days when PG really meant "Parental guidance suggested" you could have nudity and slightly stronger violence in films. And this one clearly demonstrates that. While the nudity is limited to breasts and buttocks, it's quite surprising to see the amount of blood shed in the final scenes. I'd have probably given it an R for that, but that's just me.

Also of note are the special effects. I love the gun. That's all I'm going to say. If you want to know more, watch the movie.

All in all, it's not as entertaining as it could be (see RUNAWAY for mindless fun) but it's much more intelligent than that later film which I've mentioned four times at least. Definitely worth checking out.