The Terminal Man (1974)

[Winston T. Boogie]

Title: The Terminal Man (1974)

Tagline: Harry Benson is a brilliant computer scientist. For three minutes a day, he is violently homicidal.

Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

Director: Mike Hodges

Cast: George Segal, Joan Hackett, Richard Dysart, Donald Moffat, Michael C. Gwynne, William Hansen, Jill Clayburgh, Norman Burton, James B. Sikking, Matt Clark, Jim Antonio, Steve Kanaly, Al Checco, Gene Borkan, Burke Byrnes, Fred Sadoff, Robert Ito, Jason Wingreen, Jack Colvin, Jordan Rhodes, Ian Wolfe, Dee Carroll, Rutanya Alda, Lee de Broux, George Holmes, Michael Jeffers, Joe Pine, Bob Harks, Victor Argo, Clark Ross, Michael Santiago, Nicholas Worth

Release: 1974-06-19

Runtime: 107

Plot: As the result of a head injury, brilliant computer scientist Harry Benson begins to experience violent seizures. In an attempt to control the seizures, Benson undergoes a new surgical procedure in which a microcomputer is inserted into his brain. The procedure is not entirely successful.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, posting about this one because I just watched the newly released Blu-ray of it. I won't go into all sorts of plot details because not sure how many people have seen this. It is an old film, 1974, but I don't think one that many people know. One thing I can tell you about it is that Stanley Kubrick was a fan of this film. As I recall he thought it was excellent. This is actually one of the things that got me interested in seeing it, that Kubrick loved it. The other thing is just that I love weird 1970s sci-fi.

In truth, this is kind of timely because it is about implanting a small computer in a human being that directly connects to the human brain, in this case to help cure various types of mental illness. Segal plays the patient here, given to blackouts where he becomes extremely violent but has no recollection of the event when it is over. The computer they implant is meant to cut these violent events off when it senses one coming on.

It's easy to imagine Kubrick enjoying this, it is a bit dry and atmospheric, and essentially like A Clockwork Orange, it is about an experiment designed to make a violent man much more tame. I think Kubrick saw this type of science becoming a part of our lives. This plus the classical piano music that provides the soundtrack and this feels a bit Kubrickian, but not actually shot like a Kubrick film.

It is not action packed and takes its time getting where it is going. In fact you are over 41 minutes in to the 107 minute film before the operation that installs the computer into Segal is over. And then there is a fairly lengthy sequence where they test how the computer is interacting with his brain after that. So, it is pretty clinical for the first hour of the picture, which again, I can see Kubrick enjoying.

When I read reviews of this film, one of the primary complaints about it seems to be Segal's performance. Through most of the first hour of the film he is fairly sedate. Then he does not really go crazy as much as he just seems to be malfunctioning. It is an interesting performance but I can see where some would feel a more naturally emotive actor may have been better for this role. In the 1970s, I can imagine a guy like Jack Nicholson making this character very interesting to watch. I don't think Segal is bad in the role but his performance may be a bit actorly at times. It is kind of a challenging part but I don't think he ruins the film in any way. Segal's performance may rely on too many little ticks he uses to show him getting into his violent states and how he acts them out.

The rest of the cast is great though, a nice selection of excellent 1970s character actors, most playing the doctors and scientists that have come up with this technology and how to utilize it. I really enjoyed the film. It is an intelligent sci-fi feature that takes the topic it is addressing seriously. Jill Clayburgh even shows up in a small part as a girlfriend of Segal's and this was obviously an early film role for her because she only has a couple scenes, but her presence makes them interesting.

I recommend the film for fans of 1970s sci-fi, people who want to see a film about meshing technology with the human body, and people that enjoy pictures about ideas that don't so much focus on being action packed.

 

[Richard Kaufman]

I remember reading the novel before seeing the film, and admiring the former while yawning during the latter.

 

[Wayne Klein]

I also read the novel and enjoyed the film as well. It’s very much procedural early om which is what appealed to Kubrick. 9n the contrary, I think an actor like Nicholson would have been a poor choice. Segal’s performance is better. He comes across as a rather harmless if paranoid man and his brain was malfunctioning so it fit the role. Nicholson would have chewed scenery and it would not have worked as well.