Death Machine

Death Machine is a 1994 science fiction horror film that marked the directorial debut of Stephen Norrington, who previously worked as a special effects artist on movies like *Lifeforce*, *Alien 3*, *Hardware*, *The Witches*, and *Split Second*. The cast includes Brad Dourif, Ely Pouget, William Hootkins, John Sharian, and Richard Brake, with Rachel Weisz appearing briefly as a junior executive early in her career.

The story is set in 2003, where the megacorporation Chaank Armaments dominates the global weapons market. A cybernetically-enhanced supersoldier called "Hard Man" goes haywire, killing patrons in a diner before being stopped by security consultant John Carpenter. The public outcry targets the company's new CEO, Hayden Cale. Chairman Scott Ridley, worried about losing contracts, tries to cover up the incident and the flaws in Project: Hard Man. Cale, who has leaked secret documents to the press, demands full disclosure and the firing of weapon designer Jack Dante, the project's lead developer. Despite Carpenter agreeing the project is flawed, the board ignores Cale. A junior executive warns her about Dante's unstable behavior and the mysterious death of her predecessor, Nicholson. Cale confronts Dante about his secret project in Vault 10, but he blackmails her with personal information. When Cale asks Ridley for help, he refuses, noting that Nicholson also took an interest in Dante's work before being killed in what was thought to be an animal attack. Cale steals Ridley's access card to investigate. Dante learns of this, kills Ridley with a strange weapon, and later three eco-warriors—Raimi, Weyland, and Yutani—infiltrate Chaank to destroy its digital assets and bankrupt the company. Carpenter finds Ridley's body and alerts Cale, who discovers the killer came from Vault 10. She fires Dante and seals the vault, but the eco-warriors take everyone hostage. They demand access to the secure area, but Cale refuses. Raimi plans to cut through a bulkhead, but Dante suggests cutting through Vault 10 instead. Once opened, Dante activates his invention, the Frontline Morale Destroyer (or "Warbeast"), which kills Weyland. Raimi flees and meets Yutani, Cale, and Carpenter. Dante broadcasts demands for his job back and regular meetings with Cale. The eco-warriors abort their mission, but Carpenter is killed by the Warbeast in an elevator. Raimi, Yutani, an