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The year 1990 marks the official debut of director Richard Stanley, who creates a low-budget sci-fi horror film that over time has become a cult favorite among genre enthusiasts. To make things clear right from the start, the work in question follows the post-apocalyptic and distressing line of various "Mad Max," "Terminator," drawing on the teachings of some masters of the genre like Carpenter or Raimi. The plot is simple and even predictable: in a not-too-distant future dominated by radioactive deserts (think of the ones from Ken in Warrior), dilapidated and dark suburbs (closely resembling "Brazil," or the usual "Blade Runner"), and disrupted by an undefined war, a man who makes a living scavenging objects to sell to junk dealers finds the head of a robot and gives it to his girlfriend, who wants to use it to complete a metal sculpture she is creating. Unfortunately, the head belongs to a combat machine with the ability to repair and assemble itself, and it won't take long before the robot, named M.A.R.K. 13 (from which the film's original title is derived), starts spreading death and panic in the unfortunate woman's apartment.
Trite and flat? Absolutely not, because in this case, it's the details that work in the film's favor. First of all, despite the not-so-many dollars at hand (and it shows, especially in the creation and animation of the evil robot, as well as in the sets), the cinematography is good and the visual solutions devised to circumvent the various production limitations are clever and functional. The colors are shifted to fiery red, the interiors are, of course, gloomy, dirty, and smoky, but perhaps the most noticeable feature of the film is the fact that this small work encapsulates all the clichés that have crystallized in films of this genre over time; not that "Hardware" is the first, let's remember it's already 1990 and the paths have been well-trodden, but the right mixture is achieved here. To cite some of these "sci-fi horror trademarks," one must refer first of all to the robot's name, M.A.R.K. 13, extracted from a passage of the Gospel According to Mark (the classic apocalyptic references of death and destruction), and the elements of the near-absolute power of computers, the malevolence of men, the decadent society (there's talk of birth control, radiation, sterilization, soaring crime) are not lacking.
In this climate of Déjà-vu, the (predictable) plot flows well until it reaches a climax culminating in a horrific massacre in the last twenty minutes. "Hardware" is not a film you watch to find out how it ends, but the viewing is enjoyable, especially if you catch the nods to other films, appreciate the "artisan" solutions, and without forgetting the excellent soundtrack, featuring Ministry, the amusing cameo of Lemmy from Motorhead, and the presence of Iggy Pop. Noteworthy is the psychedelic moment that foreshadows the protagonist's demise.
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