Classic Movie Review: 'Westworld'

Listeners to the Everyone is a CriticPodcast know that I have a strange relationship with Westerns. On more than one occasion I have spoken of not being a fan of the genre only to then end up praising movies like Open Range, Rio Bravo or, one of my all-time favorites, 3:10 to Yuma. This bizarre relationship to the Western has a lengthy and unique history.

When I was a kid, I told my dad that I didn’t like Westerns. Being a fan of the genre himself, he wanted to try to get me into it. I refused and protested and would not brook watching them quietly. His last attempt to get me into the gunfighting, horse riding genre was rather clever. He said, “What if we watch a Western that also has robots and sword fighting?" The movie was Westworld and it became the first time I willingly accepted liking something remotely part of the Western genre.

Westworld starred Richard Benjamin and James Brolin as a pair of rich guys who take a vacation at a futuristic park called Westworld. Westworld is one of three rich guy playgrounds where a company called Delos has employed robot technology to recreate the experience of the past. There is Westworld, set in the dusty saloons and whorehouses of the old west. RomanWorld where patrons indulge in the excesses of ancient Rome and finally MedievalWorld where guests play around with Arthurian legends.

The first half of the film cleverly plays on the fun of playing dress up and having it appear so real. It’s a wonderful sort of amusement park where Benjamin and Brolin can throw down in a gunfight one night, spend the night with prostitutes at a bordello in the next and have an old west style barfight in the next. All these things are wonderfully fun until they're not.

With no explanation, the robots begin thinking and acting on their own. The park scientists can’t shut them down or stop them from murdering patrons. Now, our supposed heroes have to make their way back to the regular world while battling robots who appear human but are mechanically lusting for bloody revenge.

Westworld was written and directed by well-known author Michael Crichton. Not known for his directing, Crichton acquits himself brilliantly in his esoteric and deliberate directorial style. You might think an author would instinctively want words to carry the story, but Crichton smartly shows and doesn’t tell, he holds all the cards well away from our prying eyes and only gives us necessary pieces of information with dialogue.

Much of what is happening with the robots is only briefly implied, because why this is happening isn’t as important as the visceral and enigmatic fact that it is happening. Westworld is the rare sci-fi action movie that lives in the moment and doesn’t pause to give logical explanations that, in a realistic scenario, there would not be time for. It’s all about the moment; a character is shot and killed, the park operators can’t stop the robots, and Richard Benjamin has to try to survive with little care as to why he finds himself in a life or death scenario.

Yul Brynner is my favorite part of Westworld. The Gunslinger has an awesome swagger and Brynner’s other-wordly handsomeness creates an iconic antagonist. Having apparently tired of dying for the pleasure of the rich snob Delos clientele, The Gunslinger sets out for bloody revenge and Brynner’s implacable, black-clad baddie is icy and charismatic and, when his true face is revealed, he is quite terrifying in a very fun way.

Westworld, however, isn’t just cool; it’s also a sly commentary on wealth disparity and the arrogance of the moneyed classes. When we learn that it costs $1000.00 per day for a trip to Westworld and its sister parks, we learn all we need to know about the vacationers. There is a distinct Eat the Rich vibe to Westworld and both Benjamin and Brolin, despite ostensibly being our protagonists, give off just enough of a playboy vibe that it becomes okay to side with the robots if only just a little.

Westworld is daring, clever, wildly entertaining, and just plain fun. Why, Michael Crichton is a surprisingly good director. He strikes a perfect tone and never weighs down the action with any unnecessary business. Crichton has full control over the tone and pace of his work in every aspect from the strong production design elements to the brilliant score by three time Academy Award nominees Fred Karlin. Crichton directed several more features after Westworld, each with unique ambition, but none with the skill and excitement of Westworld.

We will be discussing Westworld and several other movies we gave as gifts to each other on the next Everyone is a Critic Movie Podcast bonus Christmas episode. Westworld was my gift to co-host Josh Adams. Other movies on this special edition podcast include, The Dirty Dozen, Event Horizon, Martyrs, and A Good Year. Catch the bonus episode Christmas Night on iTunes or at EveryoneisaCriticPodcast.com.