‘Looker’: Michael Crichton’s Most Underrated Effort [Video]
Tyler Doupe'
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This week’s selection is one that I have a great affinity for, but it rarely seems to get the attention it deserves. Looker is a thrilling and suspenseful sci-fi film steeped in ‘80s excess (including but not limited to a mustachioed antagonist). Additionally, the flick proves to have been years ahead of its time, predicting the long-term implications of AI years before such technology became readily available.
Looker follows Dr. Larry Roberts (Albert Finney), a well-respected plastic surgeon in the LA area. Dr. Roberts caters to the rich and famous, working regularly with fashion models, politicians, and the like. When three models he previously performed surgery on turn up dead, the police begin to suspect that Dr. Roberts must be involved in their deaths. In an attempt to prove his innocence, the doctor teams up with one of his patients to investigate the comings and goings of a shifty advertising company.
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Looker is perhaps Michael Crichton’s most underrated directorial effort. In addition to serving as a thrilling exercise in escapist entertainment, the film also delivers thoughtful commentary on the fashion and advertising industries. The picture’s subtext serves as an indictment of our society’s fixation with unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by fashion magazines. It additionally functions as a condemnation of shady and deceptive advertising practices designed to separate consumers from their hard-earned dollars.
One may be tempted to argue that Looker hasn’t aged quite as well as some of Crichton’s other directorial ventures. But that line of thinking fails to take into account the reasons why it’s such an obvious product of its time. The picture’s narrative is tied to both the advertising and fashion industries. Accordingly, it should feel dated after more than 40 years. Both fashion and advertising serve as a reflection of what’s current at any given moment in time. Taking a more classic approach to the wardrobe, hairstyles, and set design would have felt out of sync with the film’s narrative. Moreover, retrospective viewings now serve as a nostalgic stroll down memory lane for anyone fond of the look and feel of the 1980s.
In addition to dazzling us with an eyeful of the fashions of the of the era, Crichton also delivers an intense viewing experience with Looker. He builds suspense throughout the first two acts, culminating in a crescendo of a third act designed to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. The final 30 minutes of Looker serve up a collection of chase sequences and near misses that are sure to get your blood pumping.
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Some of the picture’s most intense scenes revolve around a portable device that can put a person in a hypnotic trance without the subject even realizing it’s happening. And that proves to be quite an unnerving prospect for the core cast. There’s a really effective scene where we see Dr. Roberts walking around his home for what feels like mere seconds but cutaways to a clock (and changes to his surroundings) clue us in that more than an hour has passed. The way that scene is edited gives it an eerie and surreal quality. Moreover, the idea of being lured into a trance where hours feel like seconds is a nightmarish prospect.
Though the film is filled to the brim with suspense, Looker never fully veers into horror territory. However, this sci-fi thriller does have a certain amount of giallo energy. I’m not entirely sure it’s intentional, but I appreciate the giallo vibes regardless. For starters, the setup sees a man under suspicion of murder taking on the role of amateur detective in an attempt to clear his name. Some of the best gialli start under those very circumstances. Moreover, the picture often takes a style-over-substance approach, veering into a number of outlandish plot points (another staple of giallo filmmaking).
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Giallo vibes aside, the film has proven to be quite prescient. Its depiction of AI-generated advertising crafted with the aid of a body scan almost feels like it was pulled from today’s headlines. The film imagines a time when computers will all but replace people, which has become a central focus in the ongoing SAG and WGA strikes.
On the whole, Looker is an entertaining escapist effort from the late, great Michael Crichton. It didn’t perform particularly well at the box office upon release and has faded into relative obscurity in the years since. However, this is one that’s worth digging up and dusting off. If you’re keen to give it a go, you can find the film available on physical media, or as a digital rental.
That’s all for this installment of The Overlooked Motel. If you want to chat more about under-seen and underrated films, feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter, Threads, or Instagram @FunWithHorror.
Categorized:Editorials The Overlook Motel
