Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Programmed to Kill Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 5, 2023

Allan Holzman's "Programmed to Kill" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with screenwriter Robert Short; exclusive new audio commentary recorded by Allan Holzman and moderated by filmmaker Douglas Hosdale; remastered original trailer for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subiltes for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Take James Cameron’s The Terminator, Albert Pyun’s Cyborg, and Fred Olen Ray’s Alienator and place them in a giant blender. Turn on the blender and go make yourself a cup of coffee. When the blender finishes what it is supposed to do, you would have approximately fifty percent of Allan Holzman’s Programmed to Kill. How do you get the other fifty percent? You tweak the cast and get creative with the action. Voila. Now you have the complete Programmed to Kill.

Obviously, the process I described above is not how Holzman conceived Programmed to Kill. Given that Alienator was made a few years after Programmed to Kill, whose alternative title is The Retaliator, it is easier to speculate that Ray might have studied Holzman’s blueprint and lifted a few things from it. In fact, this seems like a legit scenario because the alien killer in Ray’s film is also played by a female actor and behaves a lot like the mechanized killer in Holzman’s film. Ray’s film takes the ‘80s silliness from Holzman’s film and supersizes it, too.

But why does it matter how Programmed to Kill was conceived? And what is the significance of a possible relationship between Programmed to Kill and Alienator?

Even though the craftsmanship in these films varies rather dramatically, they are all trying their best to entertain in the exact same manner. They predict that in the future a consequential human error will produce a highly sophisticated mechanized killer that will be virtually impossible to stop by the people that have created it. Also, all four films predict that the error would be committed by very intelligent people. In other words, these films entertain but educate as well. Plenty of other films have done the same too, so what is special about these films and their stories?

Just a few days ago I was reading an article published by Forbes that acknowledges AI’s increasing role in military warfare, which is essentially the starting point of the story that is told in Programmed to Kill. (Elements of this story are present in the stories that are being told in the other three films as well). This is not a shocking development, but it gives the entertaining material in Programmed to Kill a completely different resonance. Also, keep in mind that the information that is allowed to be channeled through outlets like Forbes is at least a decade old now, so in reality what the U.S. military is already doing with AI is very, very advanced. If it was not, the article would not highlight that changes have been made to establish new “guidelines designed to minimize the probability and consequences of failures in autonomous and semi-autonomous weapon systems that could lead to unintended engagements.”

In Programmed to Kill, an entirely predictable failure transforms international terrorist Samira (Sandahl Bergman) into a highly sophisticated killer that operates like an AI soldier. The transformation occurs after veteran commando Eric Matthews (Robert Ginty) and his men destroy the group Samira is associated with and bring her back to America badly wounded. Soon after, in a secret facility, CIA engineers plant a chip that resets Samira’s brain and allows them to control her behavior from a remote location. Samira is then sent back to the Middle East to neutralize former associates and other high-profile targets who are completely unaware that she is no longer human. However, when the chip goes bad Samira begins hunting and killing the CIA engineers and their bosses, forcing Matthews to intervene again but without a clue how to stop her.

Despite often looking quite rough, Programmed to Kill is not an instantly forgettable second-grade action film. Why? Because a lot of the secret military tactics and behavior that are discussed in it no longer sound ridiculous. They are real, making perfect sense, and, for obvious reasons, very concerning.

The quality of the action is inconsistent, but most of it is easy to describe as good. In the second half, the influence of Terminator is especially easy to detect, and, perhaps surprisingly, a few sequences manage to leave a lasting impression.

Programmed to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Programmed to Kill arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an exclusive, very beautiful new 2K master that was struck from an interpositive. I am going to mention first the two areas where I think there is still some room for improvement because the rest looked great on my system. I think that density levels could be slightly better. They are already good, but from time to time a few areas reveal small fluctuations that would be minimized with a higher-quality master. Also, there is room for minor encoding optimizations, though many of the grain fluctuations -- and specifically the less-than-optimal grain exposure -- are inherited. (Interpositives would produce precisely such an appearance, with minor unevenness in some areas and grain looking a tad looser). The rest I liked a lot. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to excellent. This new 2K master is very nicely graded, too. The primaries are lush, stable, and healthy. The supporting nuances are wonderfully balanced as well. I would like to specifically point out how well darker areas are handled because there is no black crush and finer nuances typically look great. Image stability is excellent. I did not encounter any large cuts, debris, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Programmed to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I found the lossless track to be quite uneven. I tried to adjust the volume on my system, but often times the audio just sounded oddly compressed. I do not know why. I am unsure if the original audio was recorded this way or more recently someone used digital tools to clean up minor imperfections and altered its fidelity. The dialog is still pretty easy to follow, but the overall dynamic range of the lossless track is far from impressive. I did not encounter any dropouts, pops, or distortions to report in our review.

Programmed to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer for Programmed to Kill. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Alternate Opening Title - presented here is footage with the alternate title for the film, The Retaliator. Music only. (1 min).

• Kill or be Killed - in this exclusive new program, screenwriter Robert Short recalls his involvement with Programmed to Kill. There are some particularly interesting comments about the exact characterizations that were pursued. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by director Allan Holzman and is moderated by filmmaker Douglas Hosdale. It is a very honest commentary in which Mr. Holzman discusses in great detail his career in the film industry (with some quite interesting comments about the impact his stuttering had on his work) and the difficult production history of Programmed to Kill. Also, there are some particularly interesting comments about the killer's eyes and the footage that was shot to visualize what she sees and how. Wonderful commentary.

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for Programmed to Kill.

Programmed to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you discard some of the period visuals in Programmed to Kill, you will be left with material that no longer looks and sounds ridiculous. I think that this is quite odd because when Programmed to Kill was conceived in the '80s its main objective was clearly to imitate James Cameron's The Terminator. While viewing Programmed to Kill the other night, I never thought that it was a shameless copycat and, to be honest, enjoyed it quite a lot. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from a very beautiful new 2K master. RECOMMENDED.