The Terminal Man (film)

Plot

Harry Benson, an extremely intelligent (IQ 144) computer programmer in his 30s, suffers from epilepsy. He often has seizures which induce a blackout, after which he awakens to unfamiliar surroundings with indications of unpredictably violent behavior on his part. He also suffers from delusions that computers will rise up against humans.

Benson suffers from Acute Disinhibitory Lesion (ADL) syndrome, and is a prime candidate for a psychosurgical procedure known as "Stage Three". Stage Three requires surgeons to implant electrodes in his brain, which will detect the onset of a seizure and then use an electrical impulse to stop it. The surgery initially appears to be a success.

Benson's psychiatrist, Janet Ross, is concerned that once the operation is complete, Benson will suffer further psychosis as a result of his person merging with that of a computer, something he has come to distrust and disdain. Two days after the operation, it becomes apparent that his brain is now addicted to the electrical impulses. The seizures are initiating at increasingly short intervals. When they become continuous, Benson will be in a permanent blackout, with the violent behavior that goes with it.

Just before Ross realizes what is happening, Benson escapes from the hospital. He does become unpredictably violent, but his intact intelligence allows him to evade the police for a considerable time, at one point confronting Ross in her home.

Cast

Production

Crichton was originally hired to adapt the novel himself, but Warner Bros. felt he had departed from the source material too much and had another writer adapt it. "I don't think they [Warner Bros] gave it a chance," said Crichton later.

Terrence Malick, the director of Badlands, wrote to Hodges expressing how much he loved watching The Terminal Man, saying "Your images make me understand what an image is."