Circuitry Man is a 1990 American post apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Steven Lovy and starring Jim Metzler, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson and Vernon Wells. It was followed by a sequel, Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II, in 1994.
Synopsis
In a post-apocalyptic future, pollution has killed off the natural world and the population is forced to live underground. A woman attempts to smuggle a suitcase of contraband drug/chips from Los Angeles to the underground remnants of New York City, while eluding both police and gangsters. Along the way, she is aided by a romantic bio-mechanical pony-tailed android and pursued by Plughead, a villain with the ability to tap into people's minds.
Cast
Jim Metzler as Danner
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Lori
Lu Leonard as Juice
Vernon Wells as Plughead
Barbara Alyn Woods as Yoyo
Dennis Christopher as Leech
Steven Bottomley as Bartender
Barney Burman as Cheater
Andy Goldberg as Squid
Garry Goodrow as Jugs
Darren Lott as Jackie
Production
Circuitry Man was adapted from a student film Steven Lovy made while attending UCLA. Shooting began in July 1989 and took place in Los Angeles and Antelope Valley, California.
Reception
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "nothing if not derivative" but "consistently distinctive and funny". In The Psychotronic Video Guide, Michael Weldon described it as "a clever, sometimes funny, well-made science fiction adventure" that is more fun than Hardware or Total Recall, two science fiction films that were also released in 1990. Tech Noir author Paul Meehan, discussing film noir in science fiction, wrote that the film attempts to overcome its low budget with gratuitous violence but called Wells "memorably nasty".