A brilliant scientist, Albert Morton(..renowned character actor Bruce Davison, providing his usual solid performance)resurrects the memory of his dead sister, Gaily(Clare Wren, cherubic when she isn't giving her victims the cold stare of doom before executing them)who committed suicide after her rapist attacker, Daniel Emerson(Michael Cerveris, perfecting the confident scoundrel)was found not-guilty by a jury due to "insuffient evidence" thanks to the scumbag's four best friends, who testified on his behalf(..and were actually the ones responsible for holding the poor girl down as Daniel molested her), by creating a cybernetic killing machine modeled after her. A sketch artist, who worked Gaily's trial, Alison(Stacy Haiduk, balancing a mousy but hot sex appeal) is coerced by her agent, Duncan(Nick Tate)into returning to her old job, a project dedicated to the ones involved in the trial of Gaily. Alison attempts to rub elbows with old flame, Detective Dunn(David Naughton)hoping he'll help her get close to those who were sketched by her during the trial of Gaily, soon discovering that the ones responsible for the rape are being hunted down and murdered in grisly, unusual ways. Driven and determined, Alison will become obsessed with the case when Duncan is killed during an encounter with Gaily..we come to understand that Albert is behind the scenes commanding her to kill and no one is allowed to interrupt the mission of destroying those responsible for that suicide from five years ago thanks to injustice. Meanwhile, bodies start to pile up with Daniel and those that remain grow more concerned and restless. Can Dunn and Alison stop the blood shed or will Albert complete this cycle of revenge in the memory of his beloved Gaily.
I'm a sucker for the "human cyborg" sub-genre, and this little movie suitably entertained me. The practical effects might seem primitive next to a film like Steven Spielberg's AI, but I admire the imaginative methods of destruction such as a spinning drill that cuts a hole all the way through one victim while another's head is removed from his body. The funniest death isn't really overly gory, but appropriately tongue-in-cheek as one victim's body is sucked dry through his pecker. Fans of Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD should enjoy one victim's skull getting split apart by a helicopter propeller. As many of these movies used to be, the villains(..Daniel and his cronies, now businessman in suits swindling good people of their property in criminal ways to plant malls where they live)are loathsome and lecherous as you root for their destruction. The pace is excellent, even if the story's formula is familiar(..five thugs, behind a heinous crime they got away with, facing violent death for their actions in bloody fashion)..director Ernest D Farino keeps the film moving, with emphasis on the revenge story wasting no time of needless filler which doesn't contribute to the motivations of the characters and the situation. It's no surprise that this is the kind of film, having a visual effects background, Farino would make, because the story involved hi-tech(..for 1991)devices used on victims. Many would watch STEEL AND LACE now and probably criticize the effects because they don't necessarily hold up to the advancements of this modern age, but if I had watched this as a kid teenager I would've been thrilled. The story is far-fetched(..could Albert really pull off such a concocted plan, and wouldn't Daniel have a security force around him as protection?), but the audience gets to see slime annihilated in very creative ways..a classic story of revenge with a robotic twist on who is conducting the series of murders, a genre movie all the way. Kind of a tragic and sad conclusion that doesn't allow Albert to get away scot-free, and interesting development showing the cybernetic version of Gaily evolving, desiring to understand emotion and feeling. My favorite visual effects sequence would probably be when Albert is opening up the skull of his cybernetic creation, with the director allowed to show off his skills regarding her robotic brain and the inner workings involved with making her function.
I'm a sucker for the "human cyborg" sub-genre, and this little movie suitably entertained me. The practical effects might seem primitive next to a film like Steven Spielberg's AI, but I admire the imaginative methods of destruction such as a spinning drill that cuts a hole all the way through one victim while another's head is removed from his body. The funniest death isn't really overly gory, but appropriately tongue-in-cheek as one victim's body is sucked dry through his pecker. Fans of Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD should enjoy one victim's skull getting split apart by a helicopter propeller. As many of these movies used to be, the villains(..Daniel and his cronies, now businessman in suits swindling good people of their property in criminal ways to plant malls where they live)are loathsome and lecherous as you root for their destruction. The pace is excellent, even if the story's formula is familiar(..five thugs, behind a heinous crime they got away with, facing violent death for their actions in bloody fashion)..director Ernest D Farino keeps the film moving, with emphasis on the revenge story wasting no time of needless filler which doesn't contribute to the motivations of the characters and the situation. It's no surprise that this is the kind of film, having a visual effects background, Farino would make, because the story involved hi-tech(..for 1991)devices used on victims. Many would watch STEEL AND LACE now and probably criticize the effects because they don't necessarily hold up to the advancements of this modern age, but if I had watched this as a kid teenager I would've been thrilled. The story is far-fetched(..could Albert really pull off such a concocted plan, and wouldn't Daniel have a security force around him as protection?), but the audience gets to see slime annihilated in very creative ways..a classic story of revenge with a robotic twist on who is conducting the series of murders, a genre movie all the way. Kind of a tragic and sad conclusion that doesn't allow Albert to get away scot-free, and interesting development showing the cybernetic version of Gaily evolving, desiring to understand emotion and feeling. My favorite visual effects sequence would probably be when Albert is opening up the skull of his cybernetic creation, with the director allowed to show off his skills regarding her robotic brain and the inner workings involved with making her function.