Psychotronic Cinemavision: Looker

Dr. Larry Roberts (Albert Finney) is a highly regarded plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills who performs subtle cosmetic enhancements on models striving for perfection. Soon after their surgeries, several of these models are found dead under mysterious circumstances that appear as suicides. As police, led by Lieutenant Masters (Dorian Harewood), begin investigating, Robert’s finds that the medical records of his deceased patients have vanished and on a couple of occasions he has lost all sense of time after seeing a bright flash of light. Cindy Fairmont (Susan Dey), one of Dr. Robert’s patients, begins to be concerned for her own safety and Roberts begins his own investigation into Digital Matrix Inc., an outfit helmed by billionaire John Reston (James Coburn) who scans models and uses their digital likeness to get a perfect actress, who is optimally placed for consumer attention. In addition to the digital representation of the models, the company has also invented a gun that shoots a beam of light that makes the victim lose all sense of time passing for a short period essentially making the shooter appear somewhat invisible and fast. Roberts works to save Cindy from the evil corporation who values profits over life.

Looker was written and directed by Michael Crichton and produced by The Ladd Company, with Warner Bros. handling distribution. It premiered in the United States on October 30, 1981. Its budget has been estimated to be between $8 and $12 million. One of its most notable technical achievements was its pioneering use of computer-generated imagery: Looker became the first commercial film to feature a fully shaded 3D human model. These computer graphics were not used as a character in the story but appeared on CRT monitors within the film, an innovation that actually predated Tron’s more famous CGI experiments. Despite its technical firsts and a high-profile cast, Looker was a box office failure, earning only about $3.3 million in the U.S. and Canada, far below its production costs. The critical reception was largely unfavorable. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 32% approval rating, with an average score of 4.5 out of 10. Many contemporary critics found fault with its execution. Leonard Maltin dismissed it outright, writing, “Intriguing premise is illogically and boringly mishandled; even Finney cannot save this turkey.” Variety deemed it “a silly and unconvincing contempo sci-fi thriller,” while Time Out described it as “tediously convoluted.” Vincent Canby of The New York Times was equally unenthusiastic, noting, “The plot is pretty silly but Mr. Crichton’s handling of it is even sillier, though it is bold.” In retrospect, though, some reviewers have found elements worth appreciating. A review on Detroit Cineaste observed that, “While the plot of Looker is ridiculous, the movie is nonetheless entertaining because of a decent performance by Albert Finney, eye candy courtesy of Susan Dey and several captivating action sequences.”

I know this movie is corny and schlocky, but I remember watching it when it came out and I really enjoy it and I still do. Looker is right up my alley, a high tech, science fiction, murder mystery, is one of my favorite genres or sub-genre depending on how you classify this film. Like many of Chrichton’s books, films and television series, it was ahead of its time. The plot involving models who undergo very specific plastic surgery before having their bodies scanned to be used as computer generated actors in advertising and then being murdered so that they don’t need to be paid for any future work sounds like a situation present day actors could find themselves in and yet this movie was made 44 years ago. The themes of corporate greed and the right to your digital replica are themes we are battling today but I don’t think that the weaponization of light pulses to create a lapse in time is something we have to worry about yet, but with the advances in science, who knows?