Hardware

Right now you can watch Hardware in Australia on Foxtel Now — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Dylan McDermott's performance is the anchor the more ambitious scenes need. Available now on Foxtel Now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Hardware arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Hardware uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. Mark 13 is a government-built killing machine programmed with artificial intelligence, able to repair and recharge itself from any energy source. Through a series of coincidences, the cyborg's head ends up in the home of a sculptress as a bizarre Christmas present from her boyfriend. Once inside its new home, the cyborg promptly reconstructs the rest of its body using a variety of household utensils and proceeds to go on a murderous rampage. Dylan McDermott and Stacey Travis lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. It was released in 1990. What separates Hardware from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Hardware fits the bill. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Dylan McDermott grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.