Westworld

A consequence-free environment with a disposable android population, Westworld is the theme park of the future where the most illicit and amoral of wild-west fantasies are fully indulged. But the days full of rigged shoot-outs, hard boozing, and robo-floozies abruptly come to an end when the synths hit the IT problem from hell, brutally murdering all but one of the tourists. Brynner’s malfunctioning and merciless gunslinging 'bot, who relentlessly stalks the lone survivor of the massacre, is the undisputed star of the show. He’s a strangely compelling visual and narrative juxtaposition of the sci-fi and western genres, and the intensity of his unwavering stare and seemingly unstoppable forward momentum is genuinely menacing. That it has been successfully remade, ripped-off, and parodied takes nothing away from it - it still stands up as an eye catching and taut pursuit movie with something to say, a real joy to watch that deserves its 'classic' status. [Jack McFarlane]