Trancers (1985)

Future Cop

Cast:

Tim Thomerson is Jack Deth
Helen "Twister wasn't that bad..." Hunt is Lena the Sexy Elfess
Michael Stefani is Martin Whistler and Lieutenant Whysling
Art La Fleur is McNulty
Telma "I was Aunt Rachel from Family Matters" Hopkins is Engineer Ruth Raines
Richard Herd is Spenser

What the box says:

L.A. has been flattened and, then submerged in the 23rd century by the "big one". It's called Angel City now and it's Detective JACK DETH's turf. He is a one man elimination squad and MARTIN WHISTLER's dehumanized cult goons, the Trancers, are his targets.

Then Whistler travels through time to 1985 to eliminate the ancestors of the 23rd century leaders, Deth decides to "take him out" and keep him from unleashing humankind's darkest powers and certain unimaginable chaos and world destruction.

Plot:

We get the credits and an out of focus neon sign for more than minute and a half.

The future is very retro-looking. Jack Deth pulls up in what looks like a 56 Chevy with vacuum cleaner hoses on the outside of it and on the trunk looks vaguely like the Delorean from Back to the Future. The car pulls up outside of a diner. The internal monologue of Jack Deth tells us that a few months ago; he managed to kill Martin Whistler, leader of a cult that he controlled and, these trancers are like zombies. Now, Jack has been hunting down the remnants of the cult.

In the diner, Jack spots the cook. While waiting for his coffee, he wants to give another customer a trancer test. Rotund man refuses until Jack shows his warrant: the futuristic ray-gun, but, the man tests clean. The cook attacks with a cleaver. Rotund man prevents Jack from blasting or “singeing” the trancer. Rotund man runs out of the place. Jack has to fight the old lady cook trancer and, she knifes him.

You call that a tip!!!
But, he manages to singe her finally. The cook dissolves into a pile of ashes in the shape of a human body. Meanwhile, Jack hobbles out of the diner and gets in his car.

McNulty gets there about when Jack leaves, and he chews Deth out about ditching assignments to hunt the leftover trancers. Jack gets so sick of everything he tosses his badge. Aw, the typical way to resign the police department in the movie and, Jack drives off. We learn that Jack is over the edge after a trancer killed his wife.

A matte shot of building rising out of the ocean, show us that Los Angeles is mainly underwater and, Jack has been diving for relics. McNulty finds him and has a summons from the Council. Jack has been reactivated into police force. Jack doesn’t care that the Council needs him and heads back into the ocean when McNulty reveals that Whistler is still alive.

Jack goes in to meet with the Council. He learns that Whistler has killed one of the Council. Jack learns that Whistler “has went down the line” also known as going back to the past. The Council plays a hologram of Whistler telling them about going back in time to kill the Council’s ancestors. Whistler, the Council, and Jack Deth all have ancestors in Los Angeles, 1985. Whistler’s ancestor, Whysling is a police lieutenant and, Jack’s ancestor is Phillip Deth, journalist.

Engineer Ruth Raines is going to administer the time drug that will allow Jack to take control of his ancestor’s body. The Council has Whistler’s body, but his mind is 300 years in the past. They want Jack to bring Whistle “back up the line” to stand trial. Well, Jack isn’t quite down with such as a plan as he kills Whistler’s body and, Whistler won’t be coming back.

Jack is shown his equipment: a .38 handgun with 2 doses of the antidote to the time drug and a long second watch which stretches a single second into ten seconds. The Council members give Jack photos of their ancestors and the time drug is administered.

Jack awakens to being in his ancestor Phillip Deth who is shaving. Lena is getting dressed after their one night stand and, she asks if he’s ok. His equipment from the future arrives. Jack gets dressed so he can drop her off at work. Gets a trench coat and slicks his hair back to look like his body 300 years in the future, the difference between Jack and Phillip is Phillip has blonde hair and Jack doesn’t.

He gets in his car and drops Lena off at the mall where she’s working as an elf at Santa’s village. Why do you think I used the phrase sexy elf? She storms out of the car. Jack follows her. Lena thinks that Jack is off his rocker.

He keeps trying to talk to her, when Santa sees Jack and tosses the kid out of his lap. Have you ever wanted to see a pseudo-zombie wearing a Santa Claus suit fight a guy from the future? I believe this is your only chance. Jack manages to use the .38 on Santa. Jack takes Lena with him.

Back off Paul Reiser, she's mine!!!

Whysling, Whistler’s ancestor, is on the scene. The body is in the body bag before is singes.

In the car, Jack explains what’s going on. Lena takes is surprisingly good. Well, a large man turning yellow and homicidal is a good way to have people see your point. Jack needs a guide in this time and, Lena reluctantly agrees. The photo of the ancestor was lost at the mall.

In the mall, a cop finds the photo handing it to Whysling. I'm trying to use Whysling as the police lieutenant, but, Whistler doing the evil...

Jack gets to the address, a tanning salon. He wants Lena to wait outside for him. While Jack is talking to tan ancestor boy, Lena drives away. Jack sticks close to the truth: about being a cop and someone is out to kill you. Tan ancestor cold cocks Jack and, the ancestor is a trancer. Just ignore the logic.

Jack awakens in a tanning room set on maximum par-broil and, Lena goes in the tanning salon in time to see ancestor boy who singes in front of her. She’s looking for Jack and gets him out of the tanning room. The cops are at the scene.

Outside of the tanning salon, Lena and Jack are caught by the police and, Whistler orders the cops to shoot. I’m supposing these cops are trancers that Whistler is controlling . Jack realizes the long second is a good idea. The slow motion action begins and, Jack grabs Lena in a dash to the car and drives off in less than 10 seconds.

They have to find the last ancestor and, the only clue is an old baseball card for pitcher Hap Ashby. Jack and Lena hide out in the apartment of a friend of Lena’s in Chinatown. Jack is watching television, when Lena comes back in from being out. Jack hears a racket. It’s the club downstairs. Lena convinces Jack he can go with her if he brings his police radio with its ear bud.

This is a punk club. Well, spiky hair and guys slaughtering “Jingle Bells”. Lena gets Jack to dance. He is pretty weirded out by dancing punks and who wouldn’t be? Lena’s old boyfriend, Jerry, is there. Lena wants Jerry to leave her alone and Jack agrees with her. And, Jerry calls him old, the ear bud looks like a hearing aid. Jerry spits on Jack. We get a 2 hit fight and, Jack hits Jerry and Jerry hits the floor.

Jack and Lena leave the club and go back to the apartment. Future lovin’ is about to ensue. Lena likes Jack better than Phil. They are interrupted by a knock on the door, when Jack opens the door.

A 10 year old in her pajamas walks in the apartment. This is McNulty’s ancestor in Los Angeles. He has orders to bring Jack “up the line”. Have you ever wanted a 10 year old girl to leer at Helen Hunt and refer to her as a skirt and tomato? This is the movie for you. Jack gets rid of McNulty. Future lovin’ is about to ensue, but, McNulty gives the antidote to Jack who wakes up in the future.

They want to replace Jack and, the last Council member is scared. Jack tells her how close he is to finding Hap. That convinces the Councilor to send Jack back to the past. He missed the future lovin’ that doth ensued and, he watches the news and sees Whysling identifying the homeless.

Jack and Lena head to Skid Row to find Hap. The new long second watch arrives. On Skid Row, some homeless guys tell them where Hap hangs out most of the time: the old paper mill. The cops are heading there, too. Jack goes in alone to find Hap.

The cops are searching for Hap and so is Jack. They find Jack who is doing a fairly decent impression of a homeless guy. They leave then realize it was Deth. Jack is caught who tosses his gun and watch. The cop is trancing and, Whistler has told them Jack is evil and trying to twist the future. Things are not looking good for our time-traveling Lena-porking hero. Until, Lena shoots the cop who singes.

Elsewhere, some homeless guys are playing baseball and, Hap is the pitcher. Jack and Lena literally fall on top of Jack when the floor gives way. Jack tries to tell what is going on to Hap. Just leave it at the people want you dead phase.

The cops hear the racket and open fire. Hap, Jack, and Lena escape. They split up heading to Chinatown. The cops are in hot pursuit just like Roscoe P. Coltrane. Have you ever wanted to see Helen Hunt’s stunt double crash through the window of a guy decorating his Christmas tree? This old guy opens the door for her to drive out of the apartment.

Jack and Hap get to the apartment in Chinatown. Lena is trying to patch her first flesh wound. This woman isn’t even saying it hurts. Jack tells her how his wife was killed by trancers and, a tender moment would ensue if Hap wasn’t around.

Jack tells Hap the future. Since, he smells so bad Jack and Lena drag Hap to the bathtub put him in it and run the shower to improve the air. Jack calls Whysling offering to let him have Hap if Jack can have Lena. Lena is pretty distraught that Jack would let Hap be killed, but, she’s fine when she learns it’s a trap to end this once and for all.

Whistler grabs Lena on a rooftop. He spots Jack on the street and tries to shoot him, but, wait, it’s Hap in trench coat. Jack is on the roof, too. In the future, Lena would marry Phillip Deth and is an ancestor of Jack. By killing her, Jack will die. Whistler throws Lena off the roof. Jack uses the long second watch to save Lena. Hap beans Whistler who falls off the roof into a nearby fountain.

Jack has a gun of Whistler, tells him his body was destroyed in the future. Whistler will be sent up the line without a body. But, one of the antidotes has been destroyed. If Jack uses it on Whistler, he’ll be trapped in 1985. Whysling has kids, Jack won’t kill him, but, Jack uses the antidote on Whistler.

Whysling is himself again. Jack is trapped in 1985. Well, Lena makes the place tolerable. McNulty is lurking in the shadows as the movie ends.

What I say:

This movie couldn’t work without Tim Thomerson. This man is Jack Deth like Bruce Campbell is Ash. I kind of would like to see Bruce Campbell as Jack Deth. Jack Deth is like a knock off of Harrison Ford from Blade Runner. Tim Thomerson gives a real hard-boiled noirish cop. Michael Stefani plays the evil cult leader who sounds like the traditional comic book villain. We don't ask for anything but him to be evil. He comes across more oily than evil.

This is a movie you ignore the logic in. Ok, how did the Santa become a trancer? Well, Whistler knew Lena would be an ancestor of Jack Deth. It could be he had a hit list to just eliminate Deth after the Council. But, how did the ancestor become a trancer? Granted, they never explained how Whistler created trancers. They implied that Whistler had to look in their eye or something like that. When did Whistler want to convert the ancestor when killing him was more important? Who killed that trancer, anyways?

Now, the time travel ideas. The idea that people have to regress into their ancestors is pretty interesting and gives a new definition to past life regression. For that matter, maybe they could send people back in their own bodies but being from the future they would be immune to diseases that could wipe out people in the past. Or, if they came back expose the future to a disease that's been wiped out. The more I think about it the more things likethat pop into my head. Inanimate objects can be sent in the past easily. Killing the ancestor eliminates their descendents but everybody remembers the descendents. If they tried to temporally explain this, Whistler killing one of the ancestors should irrevocably alter the time stream. But, all that happens is a dead Councilor. Kill one Councilor’s ancestor that Councilor wouldn’t be able to lead or do whatever they did. But, the actions they do aren’t wiped from history. Somehow, Whistler has to kill an ancestor of every Councilor to destroy the Council. I somehow can't believe that the 2 Councilors who were killed were so incompetent the surviving Councilor was the one who did all the good.

Should I sing “I’m My Own Grandpa?” Is boning your multi-great-grandmother from 300 years in the past wrong if it’s Helen Hunt? She's the exception to the rule I imagine or would've been in 1985. This has to be one of her first starring roles. This is the move that makes it so hard to accept Helen Hunt as an actress for me. She's an oh-so sexy elfess... I can accept sexy elfess...If this movie is ever rereleased in a new version, will the back of the box say "Academy-Award" winning Helen Hunt? She'd have to pay so much to keep it off the box, maybe they could get the other Trancer movies on DVD.

This is the best of the Trancer series I've seen. Trancers 2 - 5 have sort of run together in my memory. 4 and 5 were the ones set in an alternate medieval past and Trancers are vampire-like. I've heard that 6 tries to get back to the original spirit but in a word sucks.

This is a b-movie. The Angel City scenes are very retro looking. Jack Deth’s car. You can tell this was a cheap movie as movies go. But, so much of it works. There isn't a scene where an office is in a classroom for instance. We have the punk club. And they try to play all this stuff straight. The future might be a very retro-Blade Runner like but the fact it is not played as a tongue-in-cheek. There is no way that a zombie Santa fight can be played without laughing at it. It could have only been better if it were a clownfight. Every time travel seems to have the immortal scene where the traveller tells someone about being from the future. In here, they gloss that scene over. Given its flaws, this movie somehow manages to transcend them.

Quotable Dialogue
"Not really alive, not dead enough."
"You can’t ignore the summons. It’s the highest honor there is."
"Making love to me is like the ethereal union of two lost souls."
"Dry hair’s for squids."
'We’ve got trouble at the North Pole."
"She thinks he is."
"You just singed your first trancer."
Morals of the Story
Coffee is rare in the future.
Kids enjoy watching Santa fights.
1980s mainly relied on neon for wall decorations.
Chinatown contains a lot of punk clubs.
The homeless should be forcibly bathed in their clothes.