Hardware Movie Review

Post-apocalyptic ragpicker gives artist Stacy Travis some robot remains he collected (ours is not to ask why). The skeletal ‘droid she reassembles turns out to be a government-spawned population controller programmed to destroy warm bodies – though from it looks more like a rock band drummer, thanks to Boswell's MTV-delirium camerawork. With more attitude than originality (and some carnage excised to avoid an X rating), this holds one's attention only briefly. Due to a plagiarism lawsuit, the tape now carries a tacked-on end credit attributing the story to SHOK!, a piece in the cult comic book 2000 A.D. Iggy Pop is heard in voiceover only, while former Sex Pistol John Lydon performs the punk theme song.

1990 (R) 94m/C GB Dylan McDermott, Stacy Travis, John Lynch, William Hootkins; D: Richard Stanley; W: Richard Stanley; C: Steven Chivers; M: Simon Boswell; V: Iggy Pop. VHS, Beta, LV HBO, WAR