Cyborg 2

Plot

In the year 2074, the cybernetics market is dominated by two rival companies: USA's Pinwheel Robotics and Japan's Kobayashi Electronics. Androids, inaccurately called "cyborgs", are commonplace, used for anything from soldiers to prostitutes. Casella "Cash" Reese (Angelina Jolie) is a Pinwheel prototype cyborg developed for corporate espionage and assassination. She is filled with a liquid explosive called "Glass Shadow". Pinwheel's CEO, Martin Dunn (Allan Garfield), plans to eliminate the entire Kobayashi board of directors using Cash as a suicide bomber to precipitate a hostile takeover of the company and obtain a monopoly over the cyborg market.

Cash is programmed to mimic human senses and emotions such as fear, love, pain, and hate. Guided by Mercy (Jack Palance), a renegade prototype cyborg who can communicate through any electronic device, Cash and her combat trainer Colton "Colt" Ricks (Elias Koteas) escape the Pinwheel facility so Cash can avoid self-destruction, something that most corporate espionage cyborgs face. They're relentlessly pursued by Pinwheel's hired killer or "wiretapper", Daniel Bench (Billy Drago).

Bench must also deal with a rival bounty hunter named Chen (Karen Shepard), who plans on killing Ricks and reprogramming Cash to have her blow up Pinwheel instead as a means to get even with her boss, Dunn. However, Chen and Ricks get into a fight, which results in Chen getting electrocuted by a fuse box.

Mercy is later revealed to be a human/android hybrid (an actual cyborg) who was created by Pinwheel as an attempt to create the next stage in human evolution. Mercy escaped before they had a chance to erase his memories. Ricks and Bench get into a boxing match to find out who lives and who dies, namely going to the African coast, which results in Bench getting mutilated by a rotating fan, killing him. Cash and Ricks escape to a new life in Africa after winning the tournament, while Mercy confronts Dunn, blaming him for ruining his life.

Dunn tells Mercy he was just doing his job for the benefit of mankind. Unmoved, Mercy then activates his own Glass Shadow bomb, which kills Dunn and destroys Pinwheel headquarters. The final shot of the movie shows Cash remaining young and beautiful while Ricks continues to age. When Cash realizes that Ricks has finally died of old age, she decides to shut herself down, remaining in a dream state forever.

Cast

Reception

Alan Jones of the Radio Times rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and called it a "Blade Runner-inspired violent fantasy". Entertainment Weekly selected Cyborg 2 as Jolie's worst film.

Jolie has said that after she saw the film, she "went home and got sick".