Classic sci-fi thriller, written and directed by Michael Crichton, about a futuristic amusement park called Delos where people can role play in fantasy "worlds" based on the Old West, the Roman Empire, and Medieval Europe. Each of these worlds is inhabited by androids who look, talk, and act like real people. You want to have a sword fight with a knight, you can. You want to shoot it out with a gunslinger, you can. You want to bang an attractive prostitute or wench, have right at it. But this fantasy world turns into a nightmare when the robots malfunction and start killing the tourists!

Richard Benjamin does a great job as the unlikely hero, a newly-divorced and somewhat nerdy man brought to the park by his macho friend James Brolin. Dick Van Patten and Alan Oppenehimer are good in supporting roles. But it's Yul Brynner, as the black-clad gunfighter out to kill Benjamin, that steals the show with his commanding screen presence. The movie takes its time setting things up and building the suspense, showing one small malfunction at a time. It's an hour in before the killing starts. From that point on the pace never slows down and it becomes an exciting cat-and-mouse chase with Brynner hunting Benjamin. The sets and special effects are terrific, particularly when you consider this was made for $1.25 million (with half of that going to pay the cast and crew). I can't say enough good things about Fred Karlin's effective score. This was Crichton's first theatrical directorial effort (he directed a TV movie prior to this). I think it's his best work as a director, although I hold a special place in my heart for Runaway. His script is smart with nice bits of humor throughout. It's a great film that should appeal to a wide variety of people, so long as they are able to enjoy movies made before CGI. Sadly, there are many who can't.

In a near future, the Delos Company offers the vacation of the future in the present days in the amusement parks Medievalworld, Romanworld and Westworld for U$ 1,000.00 per day. The vacationers can feel in the Middle Age or in the Roman Empire or in the Wild West and have joust, sex, duel against gunslinger and whatever he or she wants interacting with robots.

Peter Martin (Richard Benjamin) and John Blane (James Brolin) travel in the hovercraft to Westworld and sooner Peter duels against a Gunslinger (Yul Brynner). However, when there is a malfunctioning of the machinery, the robots get out of control jeopardizing the guests.

"Westworld" is a very successful sci-fi of my generation and a sort of grandfather of other robots films, such as "The Stepford Wives", "Blade Runner" and mainly "The Terminator". There is a scene in this last franchise that is an updated rip-off of Yul Brynner's character chasing Peter.

The story has flaws, but is engaging and suspenseful, holding the attention until the very last scene. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Westworld - Onde Ninguém Tem Alma" ("Westworld - Where No One Has Soul")

Note: On 20 January 2018, I saw this film again.

Note: On 05 March 2021, I saw this film again.

I saw "Westworld" long ago...back in the 1970s soon after it debuted. Tonight, I saw it again and was surprised that the film holds up so well...particularly the technology. It's well worth seeing and still remains a potent tale of technology run amok.

When the story begins, you learn that the Delos Amusement Park has opened and is considered the ultimate in adult entertainment. Folks can go to one of three parks within Delos....Western World, Roman World and Medieval World. In each, it's as if you are back in time....and you can do almost anything you'd like because the residents are all robots...robots that look 100% real and alive. This is great...but when some sort of computer virus strikes, soon all the safety protocols are gone...and guests are at the mercy of murderous technology.

The film cost a paltry $1,000,000 to make and writer/director Michael Crichton seemed to make the most of it. The film looks great and the story is fascinating. Even with a host of B-list actors (Richard Benjamin, James Brolin and Dick Van Patten) and Yul Brynner, it's an efffective and entertaining yarn.

By the way, Brynner gets top billing even though he barely speaks at all in the film. he must have had a really, really good agent.