Many years ago I saw this movie on late-night television. Finally, after all this time I stumbled across it on a compilation. It was a pleasure to see this low-budget yet atmospheric film again.The lighting is well executed, editing is solid, acting is descent, and the robot designs are very cool. Shot selection is great, with lots of up-angle shots to add to the scale of the prison. This film has a great hard sci-fi short story feel to it. It's as if it was ripped from the pages of a science fiction serial from the 50s or from a plot by Harlan Ellison. It's nice to see something that hasn't been watered down by committee.Based on the credits it looks like this is a Canadian production. An interesting side-note is that there are very few Canadian productions that even come close to approaching USA Hollywood productions. Besides the relatively small budgets and general lack of infrastructure in Canada for film-production, there's a bit of a story behind the disparity between the two country's movie industries. The way it was relayed to me is something like this: Believe it or not, Canada's film industry started out as a pioneering force in film production and filming techniques. For example, there were some hot-shot crews working with the National Film Board of Canada figuring out advanced techniques for doing night shots and a variety of difficult weather shots and lighting setups. At some point, pressure was put on the NFB to move away from shooting movies and focus pretty much exclusively on documentaries and short films. Some suggest that it was a sort of non-competition clause between Canadian film productions and USA film productions. Hence the NFB is generally associated with very low production-value documentaries and short 'student' films. This gave the impression that Canadian film makers were somewhat inept.The reality of situation is that most of the talented Canadian film makers ended up being assimilated by Hollywood. Hence the vast number of Canadians living in L.A. Pull up a list of Canadian directors and cinematographers and prepare to be blown away. The conclusion is that if you actually supply these people with suitable equipment and a descent budget, they'll actually deliver the goods.

this made for t.v. or pilot episode was well made and enjoyable.Stephen Markle I was impressed he was solid and enjoyable. it follows the rules of show don't tell as well it reminds me of some other sci-fi shocker films I've seen. the reason i rate this so high is the acting is fantastic one or two spots of hammy but other then that,the sound of the film (at least My copy) was very quiet at times.The visual slightly in sepia around the left side of the screen. But with patience and an open mind you can see the enjoyment in a lot of films if you like decent writing and decent acting with a well proposed end i hope you enjoy as i have.

Successful executive Tom Weston (Stephen Markle) is taken to a high security detention centre, accused of being in cahoots with a group of rich businessmen dedicated to toppling current ruling regime The Movement, whose leader Dr. Fontaine (Andrew Foot) seeks to punish the rich and powerful for past indiscretions and recondition them for life in his 'new world'. Weston continually denies his involvement, even after undergoing torture, but although the warden (Don Francks) secretly believes that his prisoner is innocent, he has his own reason for continuing with his sadistic game.Directed by Tibor Takacs, the man who gave us entertaining 80s popcorn horrors The Gate (1987) and I, Madman (1989), this dystopian made-for-TV sci-fi has a cool central idea that might have been extremely effective as a half hour episode of a Twilight Zone-style series, but doesn't work as well stretched out over 76 minutes. Alternating between flashbacks and confrontations between prisoner and warden, the story becomes frustratingly repetitive, and the final revelation—which proves to be such a shock for Weston—is far too easy to guess for anyone paying the slightest bit of attention.4 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for the hilarious roller-skating robot guards.

I had never heard of this obscure title until picking it up at a run-down video rental store, but I'm glad that I didn't pass up this rare opportunity. Other than the laughably bad effects (particularly the "enforcer robots"), this film has quite a lot of entertainment value, and tells a gripping (albeit incredibly confusing) story of one man's descent into madness in a post-apocalyptic future. For the incredibly limited budget it looks to have had as a TV movie, the film is definitely effective beyond its presupposed boundaries.Stephen Markle plays Tom Weston, an affluent businessman/politician (it is never really clear), content with the current government and his way of life. When "The Movement" (a quasi-fascistic socialist political organization that promises a future of peace) arises behind media mogul Dr. Fontayne, Weston is approached by his representatives, whom he refuses to cooperate with. Upon their rise to power, he soon finds himself thrown into a brutal futuristic prison along with several associates, where he is constantly interrogated by a sadistic warden (Don Francks) that does everything imaginable to psychologically torture him into admitting to crimes he is innocent of. The warden is terrifyingly persistent – Weston is tortured day in, day out for over ten years, with no human contact, until he finally can no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy. Over the years, Weston is tantalized by the sounds of chirping birds and children playing just outside his prison cell, which he hears through a small window high up the cement wall. The only thing that keeps him going is this and the thought of rejoining his wife on the outside world.Much of the film is revealed through flashbacks during interrogation sequences – we see how Weston was implicated in a plot to overthrow "The New Order" by force due to his association with Michael Roland (David Clement), his friend and politician. It is never made clear whether or not Weston is guilty, forcing the audience to come to their own conclusions. Are we to believe that he is innocent? How do we know that his flashbacks are not simply hallucinations brought forth through suggestion? This could either be the result of inferior film-making, or an intentional construct to force the viewer to experience the same confusion that Weston experiences. I would like to think it's the latter.Spoiler ahead: Throughout the film there are cryptic implications that the great "New World" outside the prison walls may not be everything the warden has made it out to be, and prison aides make unsettling comments about "the end." When prison guard Jeffries (Stan Wilson) enters Weston's cell, leaving the door open, he encourages him to escape, claiming that "it's over… for all of us." Weston attempts to outrun the security drones and escape this futuristic labyrinth. Finding escape to be impossible, he returns to his cell, climbing up the wall in desperation to peer out the window… to see only a barren desert, and a small speaker mounted on the outside wall, continually piping in the sounds of a once-thriving world.Apparently this was a pilot for a Canadian television series. It's not hard to see why it failed: the plot is simply too convoluted for all but the most die-hard science fiction fans, and it's dystopian vision too bleak for the audience to be left wanting more.Other than the aforementioned flaws, 984 (or The Tomorrow Man) is an entertaining film, and should be appreciated by fans of low budget science fiction, the post-apocalyptic, or those with a taste for unhappy endings.