What is is About:
MegaCorporation CHAANK ARMAMENTS is the world’s leader in weapon’s manufacturing and development. Their latest experiment in cybernetically enhanced super soldiers is a complete failure; resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians. As a result, the newly appointed CEO, Hayen Cale decides to terminate the contract of the one responsible: Jake Dante. Unfortunately, Jake doesn’t take this news lightly and unleashes his latest project – a death machine called the War Beast – into the building with the intention of slaughtering everyone involved in his termination. Cale, along with a band of coworkers and misfits, must now find a way out of the building before it’s too late.
(Non-Spoiler) Review:
I have a soft spot for these weird B-Movies that existed during the mid 80s to late 90s. Especially when they involve killer machines and practical effects. I don’t know what it is that I love about them. I just know that I do.
1984’s Chopping Mall is the best example I can think of when describing this sub-genre. It’s just a bunch of clunky robots rolling about, killing everything in their path. It’s silly, it’s absurd, and it’s a lot of fun to watch.
Death Machine falls into that same absurdity pool that birthed Chopping Mall. You’d think a movie about a giant killer machine that resembles a walking bear-trap covered in Raptor Talons would be dumb.
And you’d be right. It is dumb, but it is dumb in all the right ways. Okay. Death Machine is this weird, hyperactive work of art that somehow balances horror with insanity.
How do I mean? Well, let me give you an example.
There is a moment in the movie where our villain, Jack Dante (Played by the delightfully entertaining Brad Dourif) is threatening our protagonist Hayden Cale (Ely Pouget). He is trying to blackmail her into sleeping with him to which she responds by putting a gun to his head.
Dante then goes to his knees and continues talking dirty. It is at this point that we realize that to Dante, this is just foreplay. He’s getting off on it. Only when she pulls the hammer back on the gun does he realize that she is serious.
Now, by itself, this scene sounds rather tense. Our hero is dealing with a sick, sexual deviant who clearly gets off on violence. It’s impactful and gives us some insight to how Dante’s twisted little mind works.
But then the scene keeps going. After apologizing for not realizing that it was “Her time of the month.”, Dante raises his arms and runs out of the room while pretending to be an airplane.
I could not make this up even if I tried.
This is only the tip of the insanity ice burg. You have eco-terrorists quoting Street Fighter during combat. Then there are the characters named after famous horror icons (My favorites being a pair named Waylen and Yutani respectively). Then you got the War Beast itself. It is this obscenely gigantic practical puppet that somehow looks as badass as it does ridiculous. And finally you have Brad Dourif himself who chews the scenery as a mouse does cheese.
Seriously, what even is this movie?
I’ll tell you. The movie is Fun. It is well paced, comedically written, enthusiastically weird, and entertaining as hell.
And in the end, that is all that matters.
I give Death Machine a 5/5.