What neither of them realise is that the robot they have found is not only still alive, but a sentient weapon designed to destroy anything that gets in its way.
Can our heroes defeat the mechanical monstrosity before it massacres their entire apartment building?
NOTE: Hardware is the debut of Richard Stanley, a genre maverick whose short career has been derailed by serious accusations of domestic violence. I only learned of this after viewing so I thought I would rip off that band-aid right away. Do not read the following review as any kind of endorsement of Stanley’s behaviour.
A collage of images with vivid colour, bathed chiaroscuro and neon, Hardware is a claustrophobic dystopia.
Fueled by budget limitations, most of the action is restricted to the central character’s apartment.
This is a world of sweaty, cramped existence, where the refuse and wreckage of the outside world are pieced together for a new, hermetic form of living.
Outside, the world is oppressive skyscrapers and an endless radioactive wasteland.
Narrative momentum is not this movie’s strong point - Hardware is a movie of sensation and vibe.
The cast are fine - William Hootkins (Jek Porkins from Star Wars) stands out as a local voyeur - but this is not a movie of great acting.
Inspired by a 2000 AD story - whose publishers had to sue in order to get screen credit - Hardware might be the most accurate version of that comic book’s bleak, used-future aesthetic.
My biggest complaint is with the central menace - the robotic killer is a little underwhelming.
The design is a little too elaborate, and while I like the desire to keep it hidden, it so elaborate and unwieldy, it comes off as confusing rather than terrifying. It is not a fatal flaw, but it works against the overall effect.
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