1981 - LOOKER Michael Crichton film is interesting and inept

An evil corporation is killing supermodels and then digitally recreating them for TV advertisements.  It's up to a heroic plastic surgeon and one of his supermodel patients to solve the mystery and stop this evil plan. 

Looker is a Michael Crichton techno thriller which probably might have worked a little better as a novel.  The idea of digitally creating people was 29 years ahead of it's time.  Using good looking women who are models was a great idea to hang the film on.  Crichton used a similar approach in Jurassic Park with his DNA created dinosaur island which really didn't make much sense when you think about it. 

The problem for Looker is that Crichton didn't work out his story ideas very well.  The evil Digital Matrix company is killing the models off and that doesn't make any sense.  If they wanted to keep their digital imaging process a secret, this just calls attention to them. 

Crichton is also not much of a director, he seems to struggle with staging the action scenes throughout the film.  The final shootout during a digitally recreated television commercial is supposed to exciting and funny, but the staging is so inept, it ruins the action climax of the film. 

Looker certainly has an interesting cast.  The great British thespian, Albert Finney plays the plastic surgeon turned action hero and he seems really uncomfortable in the role.  Susan Dey is his hot model girlfriend and she is definitely not unattractive.   The film also has James Coburn who one critic pointed out was doing an imitation of director John Huston. Heo at least brings a little energy to a kind of lifeless film. 

94 minutes.