The year is 1991 and humans are using robots for everyday tasks.  Because the budget is low and Michael Crichton had already done Westworld, none of the robots are humanoid or capable of original thought.  The majority of them are boxy and they look harmless until they malfunction.  All police departments now have a division of cops trained to deal with robots.  Being a part of the “runaway squad” is not prestigious but it’s perfect for Sgt. Jack Ramsey (Tom Selleck), a good cop who suffers from a crippling fear of heights.

Ramsey and his new partner, Karen Thompson (Cynthia Rhodes), investigate a murder that was apparently committed by a robot.  Their investigation leads them to Jackie Rogers (Kirstie Alley) and her boyfriend, renegade scientist Charles Luther (Gene Simmons).  Luther has not only programmed robots to kill but he’s also designed smart bullets that can lock onto a target’s unique body heat.

It’s hard to resist Runaway.  Stalwart Tom Selleck vs an overacting Gene Simmons?  Kirstie Alley as a neurotic femme fatale?  Robots spiders that inject acid into their victims?  Remote control smart bombs that chase cars down the highway?  Countless point-of-view shots of the smart bullets tracking their victims?  It’s an entertaining B-movie, no matter what you may think of the plot or some of the acting.  I don’t know what logic led to Michael Crichton casting Gene Simmons as a crazed computer scientist but I’m glad that he did.  Watching a movie like this, you can see why Tom Selleck remains a television star.  He doesn’t have the bigger-than-life persona of a movie star.  But Selleck’s mild persona works perfectly when matched up with Gene Simmons acting like the phantom of the park.  And then there’s Kirstie Alley, playing a dangerous secretary with the right mix of sexiness and humor.  Cynthia Rhodes may have been the female lead but Kristie Alley is the one who stole the movie.

When Runaway was first released in 1984, it was expected to be a hit but it was instead overshadowed by another film about killer future robots, The Terminator.   Needless to say, the simple heroics of Runaway can’t compete with intense action of The Terminator and even Gene Simmons at his most unhinged can’t beat Arnold Schwarzenegger saying, “I’ll be back,” but Michael Crichton’s vision of a future full of killer roombas still feels prescient today.