Movie Review: 984: Prisoner of the Future (1982) directed by Tibor Takacs
It is the indefinite near future, and 984 is a prisoner…somewhere. Previously, he’d been Tom Weston (Stephen Markle), a slightly smarmy corporate executive. It’s not clear what his corporation did, as the flashbacks are maddeningly vague, but they were somehow either involved with or opposed to the rise of the Movement. 984 is accused of actions against the Movement, or perhaps merely hanging out with people who took actions against the Movement. The Warden (Don Francks) has been interrogating him off and on for years, but 984 claims he’s innocent or at least unaware of what his crime may have been.
This 1982 TV movie takes inspiration from 1984 (the cell block #984 is imprisoned in is #19 just in case you needed another hint) and Kafka’s The Trial. And the ending twists from perhaps another source. While you can grasp the generalities of the backstory, it’s never quite clear what Dr. Fontaine (Andrew Foot), the leader of the Movement, has as his actual plan beyond overthrowing the old order. Some of the prisoners are corporate types like Weston, but not all of them.
As the story wears on, what exactly the Warden wants remains unclear. Is he looking for the truth, as he claims? Trying to break 984’s spirit once and for all? Or is he just desperate to pass the time, as much trapped in the prison as 984 is?
This movie really does show its low budget, clearly having 90% of the scenes shot in one big building. There’s an odd computer monitor and some “futuristic” costume choices, but the main science fiction element is that the prison uses robotic hall guards, and they’re not particularly effective once confronted.
Content note: Some torture, at least one prisoner dies and we see the corpse. There’s a woman described as Weston’s “mistress” but in the flashbacks he doesn’t seem invested in the relationship, and 984 only ever mentions his wife. Weston gets a little violent during an escape attempt towards the end, but only a robot is harmed.
This is one of those painfully slow, deliberately obscure movies that might have been “arty” with a bit more care put into all its aspects, but as is, is a time-waster that’s not even good for bad movie night.
