This was Stuart Gordon's satirical contribution to the sci-fi futuristic society-in-outer space premise. The main character is a trucker (Dennis Hopper) of the future. His vehicle actually moves through outer space but resembles a big rig truck. He's an independent contractor, not part of a conglomerate, and his ornery, rebellious attitude puts him at odds with the establishment, represented by a company manager (George Wendt) at a space station truck stop. After things go haywire at this space station, Hopper takes a mysterious shipment to Earth; along for the ride are a newbie trucker (Stephen Dorff) and a young woman (Debi Mazar) who needs to see her mother on the mother planet.
Hopper's space truck is swallowed by a huge ship of hijackers led by a half-man/half-machine ex-scientist (Charles Dance) who happens to be the developer of the secret cargo, which are very lethal, nearly unstoppable super warriors. These are meant to be used in some plot to take over Earth. The film combines wry humor with some grotesque stuff which director Gordon is well known for (
From Beyond, etc.). There's a lot of grisly death, courtesy of these super cyborgs, which can disintegrate body parts. Dance is entertaining as the sophisticated villain who has barely any human parts left; the other actors are only so-so, as if unsure on how to approach the material - Dorff, for example, is earnest but rather empty of any characterization. The plot is fairly inventive, trying to keep the audience guessing on what happens next. BoG's Score:
6.5 out of 10Trucker Trivia: small roles for Vernon Wells (
The Road Warrior) as one of the hijackers and 2nd-in-command to Dance's leader, and Barbara Crampton (
From Beyond) as the mother waiting on Earth. Shane Rimmer also pops up as a corrupt politician.
