MovieChat Forums > Looker (1981) Discussion > Why kill 'em??

Why kill 'em??

posted 19 years ago by Coventry
17 replies | jump to latest

*** SPOILERS ****

I overall like Michael Crichton's screenplay and I do think the story features some very inventive ideas, but the film does have a countless amount of obvious flaws. The one that bothers me most is this one: if I'm not mistaken, the story never gives an apparent reason WHY exactly these fashion models have to die?!? So, Digital Matrix developed a method that produces a perfect hologram of surgically altered models... That's fine but why kill them afterwards? Why don't they just fire them and pay them enough money in order to give Digital Matrix the rights to re-use their image? I don't think Reston's company is too short on money to do that. And also, isn't it a bit too risky to involve a plastic surgeon who's basically an "outsider" to the whole Digital Matrix process? They could easily employ a plastic surgeon that works for the company itself and he then won't go on a private investigation afterwards.

Actually, killing these girls causes long-term problems for Digital Matrix. How do they plan to endlessly re-use holograms of dead models without raising suspicion? Even the police knows these girls are dead so they can't possibly pretend to still cast them in new commercials, right?

A thriller like this is of course a lot less appealing if nobody dies, but Crichton is a prominent writer, so I really don't assume that he added the element of murder without thinking it through properly.

Does anybody have any more information, maybe? Info on deleted scenes or alternate version? Or maybe I just overlooked something that is very simple and obvious, I don't know....

Meat's Meat and man's gotta eat!!

[–] jldraw 19 years ago

If you check on the "Looker" main page on imdb under "alternate versions" there is apparently a deleted scene which has only been shown once or twice during "television re-broadcasts" where Cindy and Larry have a conversation where they hit upon why Digital Matrix is killing off all the models!

I've never seen this scene personally and its not on my original vhs copy (which I got back in the 80s). Imdb also notes this "deleted scene" is also not included on the laser disc version. Perhaps someday when it gets a DVD release they will restore this scene as apparently you weren't the first to be asking this question as several critics at the time were left scratching their heads on this point too.

I got a good question to add though: Isn't it usually the other way around? - I mean when a film is rebroadcast on television isn't it usually missing a scene or two to allow for commercials? - Isn't the movie as found on vhs supposed to contain the entire flick?

Weird.

[–] Mr_Jiggy_Fly_PT2 19 years ago

Sometimes when a film is broadcast they insert deleted scenes to make up for cutting other scenes. Looker has some nudity in it so maybe they added the scenes to "Flesh it out" so to speak. Trading places had an added scene on TV as well as Breakfast Club, and of cource Superman I and II.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Mr_Jiggy_Fly_PT2 18 years ago

Theres a scene where Alley Sheedy is on looking at Paul Gleason hitting a coke machene, something like that. When they're sneaking out to get Bender's pot. It's not in the original movie

[–] dioro 16 years ago

Also a 90 minute film will run 2 hours on television to take into account of commercials. Then like was said, they may cut out scenes for content or cut out the end credits, and then replace them with something else (extra scenes).

[–] thx4703 19 years ago

Digital Matrix besides digitizing actors has this new technology, a signal that is transmitted over TV that brainwashes anyone who views it. The models somehow found out what was going on, so they had to be killed. Plus we find out later in the movie that not only is this technology going to be used to sell products, but politicians and political agendas as well. Sure hope this movie is put on DVD soon, it's one of my favorite flicks from the 80's.

[–] stefanbain 18 years ago

I had the same question for the last 20 years. I re-watched it via NetFlix today and the same question remains. Why kill the models? Or try to kill Albert and Susan? What EXACTLY did they discover that was such a secret? Acccording to another posting here, the models found out about a new technology that could brainwash folks, and this same technology would be used for political agendas, as well. I re-watched the movie and could not find any scenes where those arguments were presented. Is it the actual 'looker machine' that was going to be the weapon? I have decided that my original feelings toward the film remain; it is a pointless and makes no sense.

[–] bgrubb 18 years ago

The question regarding killing the models has puzzled me for a long time and my first encounter with the film was on TV and I don't remember any explaination. Given the amount of effort it took Roberts (Albert) and Fairmont (Susan) to get into the Looker lab the idea that the models in the course of being imaged could have 'discovered' something becomes very unlikely.

Another issue is that one of the models wants to have her enhancements removed which is also not explained. This ties to another logic hole - computer images can be manipulated so why do the models need surgery in the first place? Just improve their computerized images.

[–] genaro_m 18 years ago

If you think about the time period, it would have been easier, faster, and more cost-effective for the models to get perfect via surgery.

Basically, this is how I interpreted the plot after just seeing it via Netflix...

The models were killed because Digital Matrix no longer needed them and did not want to pay them 200 k for the rights to their likeness. So what they do is kill the models and place it on the same surgeon who worked on all of them, that way there's no suspicion on the part of the company.

The models were only one part and an easy way to perfect the overall system, brainwashing the public as well as creating computer models. They could have the models on sets for hours and they wouldn't think anything of it, thus easy access to perfecting the system. So the company wanted to do make a "Manchurian Candidate" and it used the models to do it.

A very awesome film that would have benefited from the extra scene. Apparently, Warner did NOT even know about the extra scene and said that if they had known it existed, they would have placed it IN the film, not just as a deleted scene. That really sucks; perhaps when they do transfer it to a new format, it'd be easier to jump than film to digital.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bgrubb 18 years ago

I don't think it was ever said that Looker took place in the present (1981) so the comparison with the real world doesn't work here anymore than it would with Westworld (1973) Also remember than any explination would have to deal with the model who wanted her improvements removed (as opposed to her features totally changed)

Given the resources DM had the idea it was cheaper to kill the models is insane as is the way they handled the frame up; having their hit man run around the doctor's house zapping him with the Looker gun when he was *most* likely to notice it was mononic.

Then you have the problem now that you have killed the models you can't use them form any new products-a totally bone headed move.

[–] genaro_m 18 years ago

It was mentioned as an 80's time period as the decade was mention two times, at least.

The model wanted her measurements removed so that she wouldn't be perfect and thus not able to be used by a competitor. And I said that it was the fact that they were no longer needed as well as the money issue. Just because a corporation is huge doesn't mean that they don't want to eliminate items that hurt the profit margins.

As far as the hitman running around in the house, that has nothing to do with the coverup, they were looking for the security card key so that if they did eliminate him, there wouldn't be a connection.

Again, the models weren't used for their likeness, they were used to perfect a system. The real goal was to be able to make the general public fall into the hands of the government by means of hypnotic images as well as create needed fake people.

Note, this was all pretty clear to me without watching the deleted scenes. Even after watching the deleted scenes, it was confirmed.

[–] bgrubb 18 years ago

The problem is even in the 80s it was known that doing objects in a computer was far easier than doing living beings (given that CAD goes all the way back to the 60's with DAC-1). We are asked to accept that Digital Matrix can create lifelike computer images and matte them into a real set (why not make the sets computer generated?) all live but cannot tweek the images to perfection. Little hard to swallow even in 1981 and totally impossible now.

Furthermore many of these changes are so minor as to be invisable to the naked eye and given the resolution of many a TV of the period useless. Then you have the issue of all the OTHER actors we see (like the Warrior in the Warrior all purpose cleaner commercial or the family of the commercial that runs with a dead body on the set)-if they also had to be perfect who did *their* surgeries and why were they not elimianted? If they were totally computer generated then why did Digital Matrix need live actors as the tweeking needed to create them is far more extensive then would have been need to bring the quality of the four models up.

Finally given the blue light hypnonotic effect why did any of the actors need to be perfect if just glacing in the direction of the 'actor' was enough? Also as pointed out in film one the models started moving they lost their high rating so anybody to actually compete with Digital Matrix they would have had to have gone into computer generated actors as well.

The explination of what the models are killed even with the deleated scenes made little sense in 1981 and makes even less sense today with the problems computer generated images have with people.

[–] buckaroobanzai50 16 years ago

"The question regarding killing the models has puzzled me for a long time and my first encounter with the film was on TV and I don't remember any explaination. Given the amount of effort it took Roberts (Albert) and Fairmont (Susan) to get into the Looker lab the idea that the models in the course of being imaged could have 'discovered' something becomes very unlikely."
It didn't take that much effort for them to get into the RI building, as Albert Finney's character had stolen the ID card. When Leigh Taylor Young told James Coburn the card was missing, he said angrily, "Cards are always going missing!" And when she said Finney took it he didn't seem to care. This was obviously careless on his part, and a bit arrogant, as he seemed to think Finney wouldn't discover what was really going on. The film does seem disjointed in places, and as discussed here there were obvious cuts to the movie which have screwed up important plot points. I bet there was a scene where one of the models finds an ID card, which was cut.

Another issue is that one of the models wants to have her enhancements removed which is also not explained. This ties to another logic hole - computer images can be manipulated so why do the models need surgery in the first place? Just improve their computerized images.
Tina may have wanted surgery to make her look different, as she's trying to evade the company's hitman. Her scenes may also have been cut to ribbons, causing confusion. And, she was pretty scared and not making much sense anyway.

These films don't have to hold our hands and explain every little nuance. It's good when a director leaves things up to us to figure out for ourselfs.

[–] bignosebob1 17 years ago

Genaro_m...where were you able to see the deleted scenes? I rented the new DVD from Netflix and didn't see them on it.

Has anybody listened to Michael Crichton's commentary...? Does he have anything to say on the matter? I would listen myself but I am probably gonna save that for when I buy a cheap copy of the film, or perhaps some future special edition. I did like it...not completely, but enough to spend 9 bucks.

Anyway, this is the biggest question that was on my mind immediately after the film finished and though I was left perplexed, after rethinking it and reading what y'all posted I think I got this in the bag.

SO:

I think the reason the models were killed all had to do with Tina. She was the hyperactive scared one who ranted to Larry in his office (and she was wearing SHADES, too).

Digital Matrix's original plan, as I see it, was not to waste money, manpower, energy, and time on what in 1981 would be a huge endeavour to create and manipulate photorealistic human digital doubles. If there's one thing about multibillionaire corporations, if you can do it cheaper then that's the way to do it. So to that end, they picked 4 girls to go see Dr. Roberts, the best plastic surgeon in town, who wasn't on DMI's payroll (that way he wouldn't treat DMI like his boss, he'd do an unbiased job, as well as be a loophole for DMI to deny any involvement). The girls were scanned, not into the system but by the system, just to get their measurements and imperfection data. The point of this was to make their bodies as numerically perfect as possible, so that the human eye would always be looking at them during the commercial (remember the scene with the pupil dilation machine?). The "looker" hypno-device is guaranteed to work if the viewer is totally focused (100.0 percent) on the model. If the score is lower, the possibility of success is lower. They want you to look where they say, right at those evil hypno eyes. And people are guaranteed to look more at impeccable physical specimens then ordinary, plumpy anybodys (sorry, Dove ad campaign).
But, due to the wonderment that is the human epidermis, whenever the girls moved their skin moved, meaning the data changed meaning they were no longer "perfect", meaning the viewer's focus could shift. So, as the head of DMI says to Doc Roberts, the project was abandoned and they decided to do something new. That being the more expensive option: scan people into the computer and digitally manipulate them. The point was not necessarily to create the perfect body/human being, but the perfect commercial (the scene about the beach volleyball commercial shows this: they wanted Cindy to be flying through the air at just the right angle). Therefore, every type of commercial requires different numbers of "perfection"...a commercial for shampoo, with models who look stunning so you in turn believe that YOU will look stunning if you use the product, needs perfect looking women. By contrast, a commercial for all purpose cleaner would require a perfect looking impeccable kitchen so that you think YOUR kitchen will look like that. A commercial for a presidental candidate should look reassuring and have the person be saying all the absolute correct things. And so on.
Soo...(sorry this is so damn long) obviously at some point Tina stumbled into the Looker Lab (maybe when the robot janitors went in?) and discovered most of the evil plan. When DMI discovered this, they of course had to eliminate her. But, she was really really good friends with the 3 other girls, and they assumed that given their involvement and their friendship they should take care of all the girls. EXCEPT Cindy, who was in Tahiti when Tina found out and said herself she "hadn't talked to her for ages". None of the girls had been scanned into the computer at that point...so no digital doubles. If they continued to run the commercials featuring the dead girls after their deaths leaked, they could truthfully say those commercials were filmed before the tragedy. If you notice, no one tries to kill Cindy until after she starts snooping around with Roberts...hell, no one tried to kill Roberts until he started snooping ("I don't want him upset" said the bad guy). They still planned to use Cindy as a digital double...until everything went wrong.

Sorted! Now let's discuss a real plot hole: why the hell could Mr. Ron Burgandy not find the keycard after searching the house for 3 AND A HALF HOURS? C'mon! It was right there!

[–] genaro_m 17 years ago

Here's the link for the deleted scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu91AQaLGiI

And I agree with you bignosebob!

[–] bgrubb 16 years ago

The problem with the deleted scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu91AQaLGiI) is as the CEO himself states they killed the girls simple because they were the database. No discovery of what was going on or any of the other theories. The idea that perhaps the police were playing the company (as it turned out) never entered into his mind either.

There are major plot holes here.