Before an Austrian-accented robot assassin stalked its target in The Terminator, life found a way to go berserk in Jurassic Park, or Itchy and Scratchy Land turned into a robot apocalypse (The Simpsons), we had Westworld 1973.
I’ve long been intrigued to give this cult classic a watch thanks to its kickass movie poster and the popularity of the HBO series based on it.
Despite its too-short runtime, annoying soundtrack, and a few scenes that look hokey today, Yul Brynner’s performance as The Gunslinger and the production values made it worthwhile.
What is Westworld About?
Written and directed by Michael Crichton, in Westworld adults travel to the Davos company’s theme park that simulates past worlds, meticulously recreating the environment and using androids like non-player characters in a video game. Theme park guests may choose to vacation in ancient Rome, the medieval period, or the old west, with costumes and real weapons provided.
The park visitors can manipulate the world to their desires. And manipulate they do, whether it’s killing gunfighters in a duel or attempting to seduce medieval queens, all with the knowledge that Davos has ensured every detail of their safety.
The film mainly follows the western adventure of buddies John Blane (James Brolin, whose likeness between him and his son Josh is uncanny) and Peter Martin (Richard Benjamin, whose mustache is worth the price of admission).
John and Peter are enjoying their buddy romp through Westworld until – unsurprising spoiler alert — the robots begin to malfunction. John and Peter soon find themselves in a deadly cat-and-mouse chase with an advanced android called The Gunslinger (Yul Brynner).
The Gunslinger that Influenced The Terminator
Casting Yul Brynner in this movie was a masterstroke that feels like a no-brainer. With his well-known role as Chris in The Magnificent Seven, he immediately looks familiar to the audience as a western gunslinger (he even wears the same costume in both movies!).
But Brynner completely nails this role, and his quietly chilling performance is the number one reason to watch.
Brynner plays his part with a subtle jerkiness and understated stiffness to his overall movement, perfect for an android. He goes soft robot, which makes the audience believe he’s full robot.
When the chase scene begins, his unwavering, menacing stare and rigid, poised posture bristle with intent and quiet malice. The contacts that he wears add to the effect, and I find him believable and terrifying as he squares off against John and Peter.
Brynner’s acting has influenced other sci-fi movies. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger admits he modeled some of his performance as the Terminator after Brynner’s Gunslinger. Crichton has described the Gunslinger as “the predecessor to Darth Vader,” amongst other things.
First Use of CGI
In a few scenes, the camera switched to The Gunslinger’s perspective during the final sequence, allowing us to see the world through his eyes. It’s an effective way of heightening the tension and letting the audience get to know the villain just that little bit better.
A similar effect can be seen in Predator, where the audience learns the alien stalks its prey with infrared vision, and in The Terminator franchise, such as with the T-800’s HUD display. But the idea started in Westworld.
A bit of trivia – according to Wikipedia, this was the first computer-generated image in a film, which until now I thought was James Cameron’s The Abyss.
Fright and Action but More Themes, Please
Westworld falls short, literally. Its runtime is just 1 hour and 28 minutes. Crichton seemingly wanted the movie to be more of a thriller, not necessarily a heady sci-fi exploration of human nature. But The Terminator and Terminator 2 could incorporate those explorations without sacrificing their pacing. More could have been done in Westworld.
For its part, Westworld does depict that, in a fantasy world, humans are drawn to sex, violence, and heroism, but it could have been fun to further explore the themes of humankind’s descent into evil.
Everything is about having a good time for the first hour, gently building a little suspense. With more time in the movie for a character to realize their intentions are darker than they realize and are haunted by their own desires could have been interesting, with the world Davos created acting more as a mirror than an escape.
It is an interesting commentary, intentional or unintentional, that people would spend their money on a vacation from reality. They travel to a world in which they will always be seen by others as the hero of their narrative. We mostly think of relaxation as a time to wind down and relax. Still, a Davos vacation is away from reality, where we have so little control, to a world entirely within our control. That raises an interesting question about us as people: perhaps what we want most is admiration and freedom, even from morals.
Peeking Behind the Curtain
Westworld builds its world well by showing the audience the behind-the-scenes work of the Davos employees, who diligently repair any robot that’s been shot to death, stabbed, or just malfunctioning. For 1973, the practical effects are sound enough to make it believable and have a 1970s practical effects aesthetic charm (think props in Star Wars).
These sequences also work to clue the audience into the havoc that is about to begin as the employees notice strange anomalies and have internal discussions about the virus that appears to be circulating in the park’s androids.
Naturally, management is assured that, despite the apparent danger, things are still safe for the guests, as always happens in attractions-gone-wild movies like Westworld.
The only thing I wondered was, with sex with robots featured in the movie, what exactly were the staff doing to, uhm, sanitize them between uses?
Give Westworld a Watch
If you have yet to see Westworld and are a sci-fi fan, go check it out!
Brynner’s standout performance alone makes the film worthwhile, but it’s a museum or hall-of-fame type of movie, one respectable sci-fi fans should familiarize themselves with: a brick of ideas sci-fi franchises built on for decades to come.
Thanks for highlighting this movie! I had no idea it exists. It sounds like this is worth watching for Brynner alone. Added to my queue.