MR MURDER (DEAN KOONTZ'S MR MURDER)

US, 1998, 140 minutes, Colour.
Stephen Baldwin, Julie Warner, James Coburn.
Directed by Dick Lowry.

Mr Murder is an adaptation of a Dean Koontz novel (with Koontz acting as executive co producer). It was adapted by Stephen Tolkin, who also adapted Koontz's Intensity for the screen. As with Intensity, Mr Murder follows the novel fairly closely.

The film focuses on genetic engineering and biogenetics. A rich American decides to make a robotic human weapon for the Pentagon by blending the blood of a swimming champion with a robotic culture. However, two nurses fooling with the samples mix them and so the blood of a novelist is mixed with the culture. The robotic weapon grows up resembling, exactly a clone, of the novelist. They share consciousness and gradually meet, especially as the clone wants to have human feelings and wants a family.

Stephen Baldwin is quite effective as the two men. James Coburn is the wealthy businessman whose son is a renegade and conducts the experiments. Stephen Spielberg treated a similar theme in AI. It was also the theme (benevolently) for the Robin Williams vehicle, Bicentennial Man.

1. The popularity of Dean Koontz's novels? Science fiction, science fantasy, murder and conspiracy?

2. The adaptation of the novel to the screen, keeping to the plot, characters, spirit of the novel? A satisfying screen thriller?

3. The settings, the laboratories, homes, forests and woods, Washington? The musical score?

4. The title and the focus on the clone, American wealth behind it, a conspiracy of highly placed executives and politicians? The clone as a weapon for the Pentagon? The clone as human but lacking emotions? The dependency on Drew and calling him "Father"? Mr Murder?

5. Matt and his family, Paige and the daughters? The daughter's accident, Matt giving his blood? The nurses and their fooling with the samples, the wrong decision?

6. The passing of time, the family growing up, Matt and his successful work as a novelist? Family relationships? His parents? The psychological difficulties, seeing visions while driving, the shared consciousness with the clone, Alfie?

7. Alfie growing up, his being asked to kill his pet dog, demonstrating that he had no emotions? The General and his changing his mind about the experiment and Alfie killing him in the car? Alfie's age, recuperation from wounds?

8. Time passing and Alfie growing, committing the assassinations? His relationships with women and his violence and threatening? His sharing the consciousness of Matt? Discovering his double, the novelist and his photo, the information about the family?

9. Alfie and his decision to meet Matt, their confrontations, in the house? The family and their bewilderment? The audience knowing which was Alfie and which was Matt? The wedding ring? The manoeuvres of each to save the family? The stop at the service station, Alfie taking over and taking the family to the cabin? Alfie and his confrontation with the parents and killing them? Matt and his pursuit, having the computer, meeting Drew, deceiving him? Being able to break into the computer with the code, "Father"? The final confrontation between the two men with Paige and the girls present? The destruction of the clone?

10. Drew, unscrupulous, his henchmen? The conspiracy? Washington, his father, the denunciations? Going to Washington, the death of his father, the Attorney General? The aftermath of the fiasco? The arrests and the suicides? The
world made safe from the Mr Murder clones?

11. Comment on the possibility of cloning, of using clones for weapons? Human needs, emotions? These elements combined into a conspiracy thriller?