A robotics division of the police force was created to deal with "runaways." Those would be robots that have gone haywire and need to be fixed or shutdown. Why that would fall under the police's jurisdiction is beyond me. I would think that the Geek Squad would be more suited for that job.

At any rate, when a mysterious computer chip is found in a runaway and a man is killed by a bullet that acted more like a guided missile, Jack Ramsay (Tom Selleck) uncovers a sinister plot.

This movie is not too far from reality. I don't ever see the police force getting a robotics division but check out what was in the movie that is now normal: floater cameras (known as drones today),robots doing all kinds of jobs, smart devices, and chipped bullets (OK, that's not normal but I could see that happening).

Like so many movies about technology and computers, this was about such things getting into the wrong hands.

Rugged sergeant Jack Ramsay (a fine and engaging performance by Tom Selleck) takes care of defective robots whenever they go dangerously awry. Ramsay and his eager new partner Thompson (an appealingly perky portrayal by Cynthia Rhodes) under a nefarious plot by evil genius Charles Luther (deliciously played with lip-smacking wicked relish by Gene Simmons) to use a bunch of microchips that can make robots go lethally haywire.

Writer/director Michael Crichton offers a fairly accurate prediction of a future where everything is heavily automated, keeps the enjoyable and engrossing story moving along at a snappy pace, takes a few barbed satiric potshots at the pesky sensational scoop hungry media, and stages the exciting action set pieces with skill and flair. Moreover, Crichton presents Ramsay as a flawed, yet still sympathetic character. Selleck and Rhodes display a really nice and likable chemistry in the lead roles; they receive sturdy support from Kirstie Alley as Luther's snippy and sultry girlfriend Jackie, Stan Shaw as seasoned forensics expert Marvin, G.W. Bailey as a gruff police chief, Joey Cramer as Ramsay's adorable son Bobby, and Chris Mulkey as paranoid engineer Johnson. The robot spiders Luther uses to bump off his opponents are pretty damn cool. Both John A. Alonzo's slick widescreen cinematography and Jerry Goldsmith's stirring electronic score further enhance the overall sound quality of this nifty little film.

It's fair to say that Michael Crichton's RUNAWAY is not one of the best of his sci-fi efforts. Although the presence of then-futuristic technology is heavy throughout the movie, this turns out to be an incredibly dated piece of film-making that gets completely blown away in comparison to the same year's THE TERMINATOR.

The story isn't up to much either. The plot sees cop Tom Selleck on the track of some malfunctioning robots that have been killing people, although people hoping for some WESTWORLD-style android action will be disappointed; the robots are seldom seen, and either look like VHS players or little spiders. Instead, bad guy duties are handed to the creepy Gene Simmons (KISS singer) who seems to have some grudge against humanity.

The main problem with RUNAWAY isn't that it's dated - lots of the older sci-fi films I watch are dated - but that it's dull. The characters are one-dimensional and even the big players, like Selleck, give performances lacking in passion. Kirstie Alley seems to be around purely for the purpose of stripping down to her smalls which must have been humiliating for the actress, while Cynthia Rhodes barely registers. It's left to reliable stars like G. W. Bailey and particularly Stan Shaw to shine in much smaller parts.

I love Crichton as both a writer and director, but RUNAWAY remains one of his forgotten films and when you watch it you quickly realise why. It's no WESTWORLD, nor does it come close to the calibre of COMA or even Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK. An interesting misfire, then, with occasional hints of greatness bubbling beneath the surface.