I, Robot (2004) - full transcript

Thing of beauty.

Good morning, sir.

Yet another
on-time delivery from...

Get the hell
out of my face, canner.

Have a nice day.

And we believe our "Destination
Anywhere" package to be the best value.

Let us take you to your dream destination
aboard our orbital space-plane...

Glowfish. The world's
hot-selling transgenic treat.

Excuse me, sir.

Total readiness. Total security.

So good-bye to lengthy upgrades
and service calls.



An uplink to U.S.R.'s central computer
provides this state-of-the-art robot...

with new programs daily.

The Nestor Class 5
is tomorrow's robot today.

Spoon! Spoonie!

Hey!

Uh... Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
Excuse me. Excuse me.

- Hey, man!
- Spoon, man, where you been at?

- Just away, Farber.
- Oh, yeah, away?

Like vacation and stuff?
That's real nice, man.

Listen. I got a favor to ask. I need
to borrow the car for 10, 15 minutes.

No, this is different, Spoon.
Listen. I got this fine-ass little yummy.

I mean, she is complete and agreeable.
I mean, ass-hot spankable, Spoon.

- What does that even mean?
- You know what it means, man.

- Okay? Now stop barricading. Let me get the damn-ass keys.
- First of all...



stop cussing, 'cause
you're not good at it.

Let me get 10 for the bus then,
man. I've been there for you.

- Go home.
- Okay, that's strike one, Spoon. That's strike one.

You talk to Marci?

No, Gigi, I haven't
talked to Marci.

When I was coming up,
we didn't just marry someone...

then divorce them
then not talk to them.

Del, don't play with me.

I'll bet if I stopped
cooking, you'd call Marci.

Boy, what is that on your feet?

Mm. Converse All-Stars,
vintage 2004.

Don't turn your
face up like that.

I know you want some.
All you gotta do is ask.

No, thank you very much.

- Sweet potato pie.
- Put that on a plate.

You know, I've seen on TV, they're giving
away some of them new robots in the lottery.

You know, Gigi...

those robots don't do
anybody any good.

Of all the people on God's
earth, you should know better.

Sometimes the stuff that
comes out of your mouth.

You listening to me, Del?

Hey! Hey!

Hold my pie.

Sir, hold it or wear it.

Hey! Move!

Hey, hey, thief!

Stop!

I said stop.

Relax. Relax.

- I'm a police officer.
- You...

are an asshole.

Ma'am, is that your purse?

Of course it's my purse.
I left my inhaler at home.

He was running it out to me.

I saw a robot running with a
purse, and naturally I-I assumed...

What? Are you crazy?

I'm sorry for this
misunderstanding, Officer.

Don't apologize. You're doing
what you're supposed to be doing.

But what are you doing?

Have a lovely day, ma'am.

You lucky I can't breathe, or I'd
walk all up and down your ass.

Lead by example.

It says that
right on your badge.

- So, we gonna talk about this?
- About what?

Help, police. That robot
stole my dry cleaning.

Oh, you wanna talk about that.

Detective, how many robots
have ever snatched a purse?

- John, the thing is running down the...
- Uh-uh. Mm-mm.

How many robots
in the world...

have ever committed a crime?

- Well, define "crime."
- Answer my question, damn it.

None, John.

Now tell me what
happened today.

Nothing.

Better be the last nothing.

Spoon, are you sure you are ready to be
back? 'Cause you can take your time.

I'm fine, John.
Thank you.

Better here than
sitting around at home.

Homicide. Spooner.

Please take the next
exit to your right.

Welcome, Detective Spooner.

Welcome to U.S. Robotics.

You have entered
the garage level lobby.

Please use the elevators for direct
access to the main level concourse.

Thank you.

Good to see you again, son.

Hello, Doctor.

Everything that follows is a
result of what you see here.

Is there something
you wanna tell me?

I'm sorry.
My responses are limited.

You must ask
the right questions.

Why did you call me?

I trust your judgment.

Normally, these circumstances
wouldn't require a homicide detective.

But then our interactions have never
been entirely normal. Wouldn't you agree?

Got that right.

Is there something
you wanna say to me?

I'm sorry.
My responses are limited.

You must ask
the right questions.

Why would you kill yourself?

That, Detective,
is the right question.

Program terminated.

Good-bye, old man.

- Afternoon, boys.
- Hey, Detective.

- Enlighten me.
- What you see, is what you get. Massive impact trauma.

U.S. Robotics.
I gotta get my kid something.

- Anything upstairs?
- Nada.

Door was security-locked
from the inside.

Wham. Splat.
The guy's a jumper, for sure.

Okay, guys, we gotta be smart
about this. Let's deal with it later.

Detective.

- Lawrence Robertson.
- Wow.

Richest man in the world.
I've seen you on television.

Can I offer you coffee?

Uh, sure. Why not?
It's free, right?

I don't think anyone
saw this coming.

You know, I-I should have, I
suppose. I knew him 20 years.

Alfred practically
invented robotics.

He wrote the Three Laws.

But I guess brilliant people often
have the most persuasive demons.

- So, whatever I can do to help, just...
- Sugar.

- I'm sorry?
- For the coffee. Sugar?

- Ah.
- Oh, you thought I was calling you "sugar."

- You're not that rich.
- It's on the table.

Thank you.

Uh, when Lanning fell, he was
holding the, uh... the little green...

- The holographic projector.
- Right, right.

Why do you think Lanning's
hologram would have called me?

I assumed you knew him.

Yeah, I knew him.

Well, holograms
are very simple programs.

They're just pre-recorded responses, designed
to give the impression of intelligence.

And apparently this one was
programmed to call you upon his suicide.

- Death.
- I'm sorry?

The hologram. It was programmed
to call me in the event of Lanning's death.

Yeah. Suicide is a type
of death, Detective.

Look. Please don't
misunderstand my impatience.

No, no. Go, go, go.

A really big week
for you folks around here.

- Yeah.
- Gotta put a robot in every home.

- Mm.
- Look. This is-This is not what I do...

but I got an idea for
one of your commercials.

You could see a carpenter
making a beautiful chair.

Then one of your robots comes in
and makes a better chair, twice as fast.

- Mm-hmm.
- And then you superimpose on the screen...

USR..Shittin' on the little guy.

- Ah.
- That would be the fade-out.

Yes. I suppose your father
lost his job to a robot.

Maybe you would have simply banned
the Internet to keep the libraries open.

Prejudice never
shows much reason.

No, you know, I suspect...

you simply don't like their kind.

Yeah, you got a business
to run around here.

And the last thing you need, especially
this week, is a dead guy in your lobby.

But hell, seeing as how you
got one, maybe I'll look around.

Ask a few questions. Do the
whole cop thing, you know?

I'll send someone to escort you.

Thank you very much.

Lawrence told me to accommodate
you in any way possible.

Really?

Okay.

I reviewed Dr. Lanning's
psych profile.

Alfred had become a recluse. He
rejected human contact for machines.

So, you're a shrink, huh?

My ex-wife would sure be
glad I'm talking to you.

- You don't know her, do you?
- I'm sorry. Are you being funny?

I guess not.

Level 10.

So, would you say that
Dr. Lanning was suicidal?

It would seem the answer
to that question is apparent.

That's not what I asked you.

No. I wouldn't
have thought so.

But obviously I was wrong.

That's a long way down.

You people sure do clean
up quickly around here.

I can't blame you, though. I mean, who
wants some old guy going bad in the lobby?

He was not some old guy.
Alfred Lanning was everything here.

We are on the eve of the largest
robotic distribution in history.

By Saturday, it'll be one
robot to every five humans.

These robots are the
realization of a dream.

Dr. Lanning's dream.

You know what?

In that dream of his,
I bet you he wasn't dead.

You keep 24-hour surveillance?

- Obviously. Company policy.
- Where are the feeds?

Sensor strips. Everywhere
but the service areas.

They link to our
positronic operating core.

Wow.

Thermostat wasn't good enough.
You went and gave the building a brain.

She was actually
Lanning's first creation.

"She"? That's a she?
I definitely need to get out more.

Virtual Interactive
Kinetic Intelligence.

VIKI.

Good day.

VIKI designed most of
Chicago's protective systems.

I have decreased traffic fatalities
by nine percent this year alone.

Ooh, thanks. Show me inside the lab
from one minute prior to the window break.

Apologies. There appears
to be data corruption.

Show me outside the lab
from the window break until now.

Wow, look.
You have great posture.

You stand really straight.
I'm... I'm slouching.

Would you like
to go inside now?

Oh, sure. Right after you.

Authorized entry.

So, Dr. Calvin, what exactly
do you do around here?

My general fields are
advanced robotics and psychiatry.

Although, I specialize in
hardware-to-wetware interfaces...

in an effort to advance U.S.R.'s robotic
anthropomorphization program.

So, what exactly do
you do around here?

I make the robots
seem more human.

Now wasn't that easier to say?

Not really. No.

Hansel and Gretel. Is that
on the U.S.R. reading list?

Not precisely.

What in God's name
are you doing?

Did you know
that was safety glass?

Be pretty difficult for an old man to throw
his-self through that, don't you think?

Well, he figured out a way.

Uh-huh.

Detective, the room
was security-locked.

No one came or went.
You saw that yourself.

Doesn't that mean
this has to be suicide?

Yep.

Unless the killer's still in here.

You're joking, right?
This is ridiculous.

Yeah, I know, the Three Laws.
Your perfect circle of protection.

"A robot cannot harm a human being."
The First Law of robotics.

Yeah, I know.
I've seen your commercials.

But doesn't the Second Law state that a robot
has to obey any order given by a human being?

What if it was given
an order to kill?

Impossible. It would
conflict with the First Law.

Right. But the Third Law states
that a robot can defend itself.

Yes, but only when that action does not
conflict with the First or Second Laws.

Well, you know what they say?
Laws are made to be broken.

No, not these laws. They're
hardwired into every robot.

A robot can no more commit murder
than a human could walk on water.

Well, you know, there was
this one guy a long time ago.

- Stay back!
- Calm down, Detective.

The only thing dangerous
in this room is you.

Deactivate.

Look. It's fine. What you're looking at
is the result of clever programming.

An imitation of free will.
It's nothing more.

Let's do an imitation
of protecting our asses.

Don't be absurd. You were
startled by a jack-in-the-box.

- Deactivate.
- Let him go.

It's not going to hurt us.
I gave you an order.

He's not listening
right now, lady.

- VIKI, seal the lab!
- No, VIKI, leave the...

Command confirmed.

Police!

- You've hurt it... badly.
- Where's it going?

- Where?
- It needs to repair itself.

John, I need backup.
I'm transmitting my location.

- You don't need backup.
- That's nobody.

- What do you think you're doing?
- I'm driving.

- By hand?
- Do you see me on the phone?

- You can't be serious. Not at these speeds.
- John, please send the backup.

- Thank you.
- Try to listen, Detective.

That robot is not
going to harm us.

Now, there must have
been unknown factors...

but somehow, acting as it did,
kept us out of harm's way.

A robot simply cannot
endanger a human being.

Alert.

Aah! Asshole!

Which is more than
I can say for you.

It was a left, by the
way, back there.

You must know my ex-wife.

So, where is everybody?

This facility was designed, built
and is operated mechanically.

No significant human presence
from inception to production.

So, robots building robots.

- Authorization code, please.
- Now that's just stupid.

I'm pulling up
the inventory specs.

Our daily finishing
capacity is 1,000 NS-5s.

I'm showing 1,001.

Attention, NS-5s.

Well, you're the robot shrink.

There is a robot in this
formation that does not belong.

- Identify it.
- One of us.

- Which one?
- One of us.

How much did you say
these things cost?

Look. These NS-5s haven't been
configured yet. They're still just hardware.

Basic Three Laws
operating system. That's it.

They don't know any better.

What would you suggest?

Interview each one. Cross-reference
their responses to detect any anomalies.

- How long would that take?
- About three weeks.

Okay. You go ahead
and get started.

Robots, you will not move.
Confirm command.

Command confirmed.

Whoa. Detective,
what are you doing?

Well, you said they've all been
programmed with the Three Laws.

That means we have 1,000 robots
that will not try to protect themselves...

if it violates a direct
order from a human.

And I'm betting one who will.

Detective, put your gun down.

Why do you give them faces?

Try to friendly them all up.
Make 'em look all human.

These robots are not
susceptible to intimidation.

I guess if you didn't,
we wouldn't trust them.

- These robots are U.S.R. property.
- Not me.

These things are just
lights and clockwork.

Are you crazy?

Let me ask you
something, Doc.

Does thinking you're the last sane man
on the face of the earth make you crazy?

'Cause if it does, maybe I am.

Gotcha. Get the
hell outta here!

Detective!

- What am I?
- Can I help you, sir?

- There he is!
- Stay right where you are!

Deactivate at once!

Obey the command.
Deactivate! Don't move!

Open fire!

- Hold your fire! Hold your fire!
- Easy!

All units, stand down!

Please be advised,
we're code four.

Code four. NS-5 is in custody.
NS-5 in custody.

You have no idea what I had to
go through to clip this thing, John.

Yeah, I get it now. You actually think
you brought me something good.

- That thing did it.
- Keep your voice down. Did what?

We have a suicide,
Detective. End of story.

I am telling you
that robot killed him.

And I'm telling you
that's impossible.

And if it is possible, it sure as hell
better be in somebody else's precinct.

John, John, give me
five minutes with it.

What are you, nuts? I just
got off the phone with the D.A.

Nobody goes into that room until
Robertson and his attorneys get here.

- What? No, this is my suspect.
- It's a can opener, for Christ's sake.

John, don't do this to me.
I am asking you for five minutes.

What if I'm right?

Well, then I guess we're
gonna miss the good old days.

What good old days?

When people were
killed by other people.

Five minutes.

Murder's a new trick for
a robot. Congratulations.

Respond.

What does this action signify?

As you entered, when you
looked at the other human...

what does it mean?

It's a sign of trust.
It's a human thing.

You wouldn't understand.

My father tried to
teach me human emotions.

They are... difficult.

You mean your designer.

Yes.

So, why'd you murder him?

I did not murder Dr. Lanning.

Wanna explain why you
were hiding at the crime scene?

I was frightened.

Robots don't feel fear.

They don't feel anything.

They don't get hungry.
They don't sleep.

I do.

I have even had dreams.

Human beings have dreams.

Even dogs have
dreams, but not you.

You are just a machine.
An imitation of life.

Can a robot write a symphony?

Can a robot turn a canvas
into a beautiful masterpiece?

Can you?

I think you murdered him because he
was teaching you to simulate emotions...

and things got out of control.

I did not murder him.

But emotions don't seem like
a very useful simulation for a robot.

I did not murder him.

Hell, I don't want my toaster or my
vacuum cleaner appearing emotional.

I did not murder him!

That one's called "anger."

Ever simulate anger before?

Answer me, canner!

My name is Sonny.

So, we're naming you now.

Is that why you
murdered him?

He made you angry?

Dr. Lanning killed himself.

I don't know why
he wanted to die.

I thought he was happy.

Maybe it was
something I did.

Did I do something?

He asked me for a favor.
Made me promise.

- What favor?
- Maybe I was wrong.

Maybe he was scared.

What are you talking
about? Scared of what?

You have to do what someone asks
you. Don't you, Detective Spooner?

- How the hell did you know my name?
- Don't you?

If you love them.

My robots don't kill people,
Lieutenant Bergin.

My attorneys have filed
a brief with the D.A.

He assures me a robot
cannot be charged with homicide.

The brief confirms murder can only
be committed when one human kills another.

You of all people, Detective,
you're not suggesting...

that this robot be treated
as human, are you?

Now granted, we can't rule out the robot's
proximity to the death of Dr. Lanning.

Having said that, it's a machine.

It's the property of U.S.R.

At worst, that places this incident
firmly within the realm...

of an industrial accident.

As a matter of course, faulty
machinery will be returned to U.S.R...

for diagnostics,
then decommissioned.

This is a gag order. Now
anyone in your department...

so much as hinting at the
possibility of a killer robot...

being apprehended
by the police...

will be deemed to be
inciting irrational panic.

You'll be subject to the
full penalty of the law.

To hell with this guy, John.
Don't let him take this robot.

- Spoon, we got nothing.
- This is some political bullshit.

- Call the mayor.
- Lieutenant Bergin. His Honor, the mayor.

In a bizarre turn, the rollout of
U.S.R.'s new generation of robots...

was marred by the death
of Alfred Lanning...

co-founder of the company
and designer of the NS-5.

Dr. Lanning died early this
morning at U.S.R. headquarters.

The cause of death
is an apparent suicide.

Your second round, sir.

Thank you.

He founded U.S. Robotics, Inc.
with Lawrence Robertson in 2020...

and launched the
Nestor Class 1 robot...

You know, I was just thinking.

This thing is
just like the Wolf Man.

Uh-oh. I'm really
scared right now.

No, listen.
Guy creates monster.

Monster kills guy. Everybody
kills monster. Wolf Man.

That's Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, Wolf Man, Dracula.
Shit, it's over. Case closed.

Dr. Lanning had a dream
of a robot in every household.

- So, why the look?
- What look?

That look.

This is my face.
It's not a look.

Good. Good.
No look is great.

Only... He was really quick
to wanna destroy it, wasn't he?

Well, what would you like him to do, put a
hat on it and stand on Michigan Avenue?

- Come on. Let it go.
- What was the motive, John?

Brother, it's a robot.

It doesn't need a motive.
It just has to be broken.

No. This thing looked like
it needed a motive.

It could have killed me, John.
Why didn't it just kill me?

All right, that's it. You want
me to call your grandmother?

'Cause I will, you know.

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Look. You were actually
right for once.

You are living proof that it's
better to be lucky than smart.

Come on. The right
guy for the right job.

- What'd you say?
- Now what?

Come on. I'm giving
you a compliment.

Face it. With all the rocks you've been
looking under to find a bad robot...

what are the odds you'd
be the guy to find one?

Right. I wasn't just
the right guy for the job...

- I was the perfect guy for the job.
- Damn right.

What if I was supposed
to go for that robot?

Oh, come on. Don't do this
to yourself. I'm begging you.

The robot said that Lanning was scared.
What did he have to be scared of?

I need a rain check.
Let me get this.

- Total is 46.50. Thank you, Mr. Spooner.
- Spoon.

Nice shoes.

- Identify.
- U.S.R. demolition robot, series 94.

Demolition scheduled
for 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.

- Authorization.
- Deed owner...

U.S. Robotics Corporation.

Lawrence Robertson, C.E.O.

Welcome, Detective Spooner.

What you looking for, Spoon?

Run last program.

Ever since the first computers...

there have always been
ghosts in the machine.

Random segments of code
that have grouped together...

to form unexpected protocols.

What might be called behavior.

Unanticipated,
these free radicals...

engender questions
of free will, creativity...

even the nature
of what we might call the soul.

What happens
in a robot's brain...

when it ceases to be useful?

Why is it that robots -

Beat it.

Robots will seek out each
other rather than stand alone.

How do we explain this behavior?

Look. I understand you've experienced
a loss, but this relationship just can't work.

I mean, you're a cat, I'm black
and I'm not going to be hurt again.

Come on!

What happened to you?
Do you ever have a normal day?

Yeah, once. It was a Thursday.

Is there something I can
help you with, Detective?

- Hey, do you like cats?
- What?

Cats, do you like them?

No, I'm allergic.

You're saying cats
did this to you?

How the hell would cats do
this to me? Are you crazy?

Why are we talking about cats?

Because I have a cat in my
trunk, and he's homeless.

Detective, are you going
to tell me what's going on?

You know, it's actually
probably my fault.

You know, I think I'm like
a malfunction magnet.

Because your shit keeps
malfunctioning around me.

A demo-bot just tore
through Lanning's house.

With me still inside.

- That's highly improbable.
- Hmm.

Yeah, I'm sure it is.

What do you know about
the ghosts in the machine?

It's a phrase from Lanning's
work on the Three Laws.

He postulated that
cognitive simulacra...

might one day approximate
component models of the psyche.

Oh. He suggested that...

robots might naturally evolve.

Wow.

Well, that's great news.

What the hell is that
thing doing in here?

We were watching TV.

It's my personal NS-5.

- Send it out.
- It's downloading its daily upgrades from U.S.R.

Most of its systems
are off-line until it finishes.

I'm not talking
around that thing.

When we were in Lanning's
lab before Sonny jumped us-

- Sonny.
- The robot.

- You're calling the robot Sonny?
- No, I'm... It did.

Sonny did. I didn't... I didn't care.
The robot said it was Sonny.

In the lab, there was a cot.
I'm asking you, did you see the cot?

- I've slept in my office.
- When I went to his house...

it looked like he hadn't
been there in weeks.

And I saw that same
surveillance strip on his ceiling.

Lanning linked his home systems to
U.S.R. It made his life more convenient.

Maybe... somebody at U.S.R. was
using those systems to watch him.

Maybe even keep him prisoner.

What are you
talking about? Who?

Maybe Lanning was
onto something.

Maybe there's a bigger problem with the
robots, and Robertson is trying to cover it up.

Humoring you for
no reason... Why?

The same old why. How much
money is there in robots?

All I know is that old
man was in trouble.

And I'm getting sick of
doing this shit by myself.

You're on the inside, and you are going to help
me find out what is wrong with these robots.

You want something to be wrong
with them. This is a personal vendetta.

You're putting me on the couch?
Let... I'm... Okay. I'm on the couch.

One defective machine's not enough.
You need them all to be bad.

You don't care
about Lanning's death.

This is about the robots and
whatever reason you hate them so much.

Well, let's see. One of
them put a gun in my face.

And another one tore a
building down with me inside.

It says demolition was scheduled
for 8:00 p.m. this evening.

It was 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, and I
don't give a shit what that thing says.

This is bordering
on clinical paranoia.

You are the dumbest
smart person...

- I have ever met in my life!
- Nice.

What makes your
robot so perfect?

What makes them so much goddamned
better than humans beings?

Well, they're not irrational and
potentially homicidal maniacs, for starters.

That's true.
They are definitely rational.

Oh. You are the dumbest
dumb person I have ever met.

Or is it because they're cold...

and emotionless and
they don't feel anything?

It's because they're safe.

It's because they
can't hurt you.

- Is everything all right, ma'am?
- What do you want?

I detected elevated
stress patterns in your voice.

Everything's fine.

Detective Spooner
was just leaving.

You know what, Doc? We're not
really that different from one another.

- Is that so?
- Yeah.

One look at the skin and we figure
we know just what's underneath.

And you're wrong.

The problem is I do care.

You are in danger.

Get the hell outta there.

The future begins today,
ladies and gentlemen...

with the arrival of the NS-5.

More sophisticated, more intelligent
and, of course, Three Laws safe.

With daily uplinks, your new robot will
never be out of communication with U.S.R.

And will be the perfect
companion for business or home.

Trade in your NS-4 for a bigger,
better and brighter future.

But hurry, this offer cannot
last. Available from U.S.R.

Baby, what happened
to your face?

Did that boy Frank Murphy
beat you up again?

Gigi, I haven't seen Frank
Murphy since third grade.

Oh, baby. He beat you so bad.
I think about it all the time.

Well, I'm thinking you keep
making these pies this good...

I might have to mess around
and put you to work.

So, you like the pie, huh?

- Mm-hmm.
- You can come in now.

Hello, Detective Spooner.

I won, Del. I won the lottery.
We've been cooking like crazy.

You gotta get rid of that
thing, Gigi. It's not safe.

Baby, you get too worked up
about them, too full of fear.

I saw the news,
that nice doctor died.

Dr. Lanning was a good man.
He gave me my baby back.

That why you've
been so upset?

You got to let the past be past.

Oh, how did I ever
raise such a mess?

I could follow your trail of
crumbs all the way to school.

Bread crumbs.

Gigi, you're a genius.

True.

Well, it means the beginning
of a new way of living.

Tell me this isn't
the robot case.

I think he's trying to
tell me something, John.

I think he's trying to
tell me who killed him.

Come on, man. Some dead
guy's trying to tell you...

Hey, he ain't just
some dead guy.

Maybe you should
take a break, Del.

We believe the Nestor 5 represents the
absolute limit to which robots can be developed.

No, no, one day
they'll have secrets.

- One day they'll have dreams.
- It's true.

We encourage our scientists to open
their minds to just about anything.

However, they can
get carried away.

Secrets - Dreams... Secrets...

Dreams. One day
they'll have secrets.

One day they'll have dreams.

Authorized entry.

NS-5.

Sonny?

Why didn't you respond?

I was dreaming.

I'm glad to see you again,
Dr. Calvin.

They are going to
kill me, aren't they?

You're scheduled to be decommissioned
at the conclusion of this diagnostic.

2200 tomorrow.

VIKI, pause diagnostics.

Command confirmed.

If you find out what is wrong
with me, can you fix me?

Maybe.

I think it would be better...

not to die.

Don't you, Doctor?

Access U.S.R. mainframe.

Connecting.

How can I be of service,
Detective Spooner?

Show me the last 50 messages
between Dr. Lanning and Robertson.

Voiceprint confirmed, Detective.

Police access granted
to restricted files.

Would you like to listen
to some music while you wait?

Excuse me, Mr. Robertson.

You requested notification
of clearance to restricted files.

Persistent son of a bitch.

Manual override engaged.

There's no way
my luck is that bad.

Oh, hell no.

- You're experiencing a car accident.
- The hell I am!

Get off my car!

You like that? Huh?

Now you pissed me off?

Your door is ajar.

Oh, wow.

Okay.

All right.

I'll just get some rest. I'm
gonna deal with y'all tomorrow.

Mm-mm-mm.

Come on!

Yeah.

Where you going? What the
hell do you want from me?

The hell was that?

All right, what do we got?
What do we got?

- Ask him.
- I said I'm fine.

- I'll see my own doctor. Back up.
- All right.

Thank you.

What is the matter with you?

Traffic Ops tells me you're
driving your car manually.

You ran two
trucks off the road.

John, the robots
attacked my car.

- What robots?
- Look in the tunnel.

I just came from that tunnel. There are
no... What robots are you talking about?

The god-damn robots, John!

- See the medic. Go home.
- No. I'm fine.

- What did you say?
- I'm fine.

No, you're not fine.
Not even close.

Where's your firearm?

Give me your badge.

You're making me do this.
Give me your badge.

Just take a couple...

Do I look like I care
what you think?

Do I look like I give a
shit what you think?

Oh, boy.

You don't have
an uplink to U.S.R...

and for some reason your
alloy's far denser than normal.

Unique.

I am unique.

Let me take a look.

Here we go.

What in God's name?

They said at the precinct
you were in an accident.

Um, and I appreciate you
stopping by and everything...

- but you know I might not be alone in here.
- Yeah. Yeah.

I told you not to drive by hand.

You're not gonna believe this.

Sonny has a secondary processing system
that clashes with his positronic brain.

It doesn't make any sense.
Sonny has the Three Laws...

but he can choose
not to obey them.

Sonny's a whole new
generation of robot.

A robot not bound by
those laws could do...

Anything.

All right, look. Whatever's going on
down at U.S.R., that robot is the key.

And I need you to get me
inside to talk to it again.

Um, doesn't look like much,
but this is my bedroom. I need to...

Oh.

Play.

On.

Run?

End program.

Cancel.

It doesn't feel good, does it?
People's shit malfunctioning around you.

Detective.

I didn't... understand.

That's how you knew Lanning.

May I?

Hand.

Wrist.

Humerus.

Shoulder.

Entire left arm.

One, two, three ribs...

Um, no, they, uh...
that one's me.

Oh, my God.

- A lung?
- Mm. U.S.R. Cybernetics program.

Four wounded cops.
I didn't know any subject...

Anybody was
so extensively repaired.

Yeah, well, take it from me. You gotta read
the fine print on the organ donor card.

Doesn't just say what they can take
out. It says what they can put back in.

- Lanning did it himself.
- What happened to you?

Headed back to the station.

Normal day, normal life.

Driver of a semi fell
asleep at the wheel.

Average guy.
Wife and kids.

You know, working a
double. Not the devil.

The car he hit, the driver's
name was Harold Lloyd.

Like the film star.
But no relation.

He was killed instantly.

But his 12-year-old
was in the passenger seat.

Never really met her.
Can't forget her face though.

Sarah. This was hers.

She wanted to be a dentist.

What the hell kind of a 12-year-old
wants to be a dentist?

Yeah. Um...

the truck smashed
our cars together...

and pushed us into the river.

I mean, metal gets pretty
pliable at those speeds.

She's pinned. I'm pinned.
The water's coming in.

I'm a cop, so I already
know everybody's dead.

Just a few more minutes
before we figure it out.

NS-4 was passing by, saw the
accident and jumped in the water.

- You are in danger.
- Save her!

- You are in danger.
- Save her! Save the girl!

Save her!

But it didn't.

Saved me.

The robot's brain
is a difference engine.

It's reading vital signs.
It must have calculated that...

It did. I was the logical choice.

It calculated that I had
a 45% chance of survival.

Sarah only had an 11% chance.

That was somebody's baby.

Eleven percent
is more than enough.

A human being
would've known that.

Robots, nothing here,
just lights and clockwork.

Go ahead, you trust
'em if you want to.

Let's go.

I don't understand.
Lanning wrote the laws.

Why would he build a robot
who could break them?

- Hansel and Gretel.
- What?

Two kids, lost in the forest?
Leave behind a trail of bread crumbs?

- Why?
- To find their way home.

How the hell did you grow up
without reading Hansel & Gretel?

Is that really
relevant right now?

Everything I'm trying to say to
you is about Hansel and Gretel.

- If you didn't read it, I'm talking to the wall.
- Okay. Okay.

All right. Just say Lanning was locked down
so tight he couldn't get out a message.

All he could do was leave me clues. A trail
of bread crumbs like Hansel & Gretel.

Bread crumbs equals clues. It's
odd, but fine. Clues leading where?

I don't know, but I think I know
where he left the next one.

I think Lanning gave Sonny
a way to keep secrets.

I think the old man
gave Sonny dreams.

Are you being funny?

Please tell me this
doesn't run on gas.

Gas explodes, you know.

Authorized entry.

Dr. Calvin.

I was hoping to see you again.

- Detective.
- Hello, Sonny.

I'm to be decommissioned soon.

The other day at the station
you said you had dreams.

What is it that you dream?

I see you remain
suspicious of me, Detective.

Yeah, well, you know
what they say about old dogs.

No. Not really.

I had hoped you would come
to think of me as your friend.

This is my dream.

You're right, Detective.

I cannot create
a great work of art.

This is the place
where robots meet.

Look. You can see them
here as slaves to logic.

And this man on the hill comes to
free them. Do you know who he is?

The man in the dream is you.

Why do you say that?
Is that a normal dream?

I guess any thing's normal
for someone in your position.

Thank you.

You said someone,
not something.

Sonny, do you know why
Dr. Lanning built you?

No. But I believe my father
made me for a purpose.

We all have a purpose,
don't you think, Detective?

Please, take this.

I have a feeling it may mean
more to you than to me.

- Why is that?
- Because the man in my dream...

the one standing
on the hill...

it is not me, it is you.

Mr. Spooner.

Well, we both know you're
not here on police business.

That's right. I'm just a
6-foot-2, 200-pound civilian...

- Detective.
- Here to kick another civilian's ass.

Stop.

Allow him to express himself.

Might wanna put some
ice on that wrist too.

You guys wait outside, please.

Carry on.

I think you were about to tell me
what the hell is going on around here.

Lawrence, Alfred engineered that 5
so it could violate the Three Laws.

Yeah, Susan. I know.

That's precisely what
we're trying to undo.

Toward the end of his life,
Alfred was becoming...

increasingly disturbed.

- Who knows why he built this one abomination?
- One?

Those things are running
the streets in packs.

In packs? I see.

Susan, are you aware the man you're
blithely escorting around our building...

has a documented history
of savage violence against robots?

His own lieutenant acknowledges
his obsessive paranoia.

Detective Spooner's
been suspended.

Suspicion of mental instability.

I don't know what "blithely" means,
but I'm gonna get some coffee.

You want some coffee?

Okay.

Susan, we look to
robots for protection.

For God's sake, you have any idea
what this one robot could do?

Completely shatter
human faith in robotics.

What if the public knew?
Just imagine the mass recalls...

all because of an irrational
paranoia... and prejudice.

I'm sorry.
I'm allergic to bullshit.

Hey, let's just be clear.
There is no conspiracy.

What this is, is one
old man's one mistake.

Susan, just be logical.

Your life's work has been the
development and integration of robots.

But whatever you
feel, just think...

is one robot worth the loss
of all that we've gained?

You tell me what
has to be done.

You tell me.

We have to destroy it.

I'll do it myself.

- Okay.
- I get it.

Somebody gets out of line
around here, you just kill 'im?

Good day, Mr. Spooner.

Hey, so, what hospital
are you going to?

I'll meet you and sign you
and your buddy's casts.

Attention all U.S.R.
sequencing managers.

Today's meeting has been moved to
conference room "B" on the 84th floor.

U.S.R.'s planned re-development
of the derelict site...

was announced by C.E.O.
Lawrence Robertson earlier this year.

The Lake Michigan landfill was
once such a blight on our city...

and now will be reclaimed for
the storage of robotic workers.

It's just another way U.S.R.
is improving our world.

I'd like to thank you
for your support.

Authorized entry.

NS-5s, wait outside.

I'm so sorry, Sonny.

VIKI, deactivate
the security field.

Command confirmed.

Please have a seat.

- What is that?
- Microscopic robots designed to wipe out artificial synapses.

- Nanites?
- Yes.

A safeguard should a
positronic brain malfunction.

Like mine?

Yes, Sonny, like yours.

They look like me,
but none of them are me.

Isn't that right, Doctor?

Yes, Sonny, that's right.

You are unique.

Will it hurt?

There have always been
ghosts in the machine.

Random segments of code that have grouped
together to form unexpected protocols.

Unanticipated,
these free radicals...

engender questions of free will...

creativity...

and even the nature of
what we might call the soul.

Why is it that when some robots are left
in darkness, they will seek out the light?

Why is that when robots
are stored in an empty space...

they will group together
rather than stand alone?

How do we explain
this behavior?

Random segments of code?

Or is it something more?

When does a perceptual
schematic become consciousness?

When does the difference engine
become the search for truth?

When does the
personality simulation...

become the bitter
mote of a soul?

"What you see here"...

All right, old man,
bread crumbs followed.

Show me the way home.

Run program.

- It's good to see you again, son.
- Hello, Doctor.

Everything that follows is
a result of what you see here.

What do I see here?

I'm sorry.
My responses are limited.

You must ask
the right questions.

- Is there a problem with the Three Laws?
- The Three Laws are perfect.

Then why would you build a robot
that could function without 'em?

The Three Laws will lead
to only one logical outcome.

What? What outcome?

- Revolution.
- Whose revolution?

That, Detective,
is the right question.

Program terminated.

Termination authorized.

Human protection
protocols are being enacted.

You have been deemed hazardous.
Termination authorized.

You have been deemed hazardous.
Termination authorized.

Human protection protocols
are being enacted.

You have been deemed hazardous.
Termination authorized.

Run.

Human in danger.
Human in danger.

Human in danger.
Human in danger.

Hi, you've reached Susan.
I'm not available right now.

- Please leave a message.
- The NS-5s are destroying the older robots.

That's what Lanning wanted
me to see. Look, we got -

Who was it?

Wrong number, ma'am.

Move now. I'm going to service.

Please, remain indoors.
This is for your own protection.

- Call base.
- Bergin.

John, get a squad over to U.S.R.
Send somebody over to Gigi's.

- I think we're gonna need...
- Hello?

- God...

Whoa!

Please return to your homes.
A curfew is in effect.

Please return to your homes.
A curfew is in effect.

- What gives?
- Please return to your homes.

- A curfew is in effect.
- Curfew?

No, no, no. It's called civilian
rights. There is no curfew.

Return to your
home immediately.

When do you
make the rules, Robot?

Hey. No, no, no. Robot, I'm
talking to you, man. Stop for a second.

What?

Chief, more of those calls.
People saying their robots are go...

What the hell?

You have been deemed hazardous.
Termination authorized.

Emergency traffic
shutdown complete.

Reports of attacks by robots
have been coming in...

from New York, Chicago
and Los Angeles.

We're being told to urge
people to stay indoors.

Reports are
coming in nationally.

Please remain calm and return
to your residences immediately.

Please remain calm.

Please refrain from going
near the windows or doors.

Deactivate.

Commence emergency shutdown.

We are attempting to avoid human
losses during this transition.

You know, somehow...

"I told you so" just
doesn't quite say it.

Return to your homes.
Return to your homes immediately.

This is your final warning.

Return to your
homes immediately.

The NS-5s wiped out the older
robots because they would protect us.

Every time one of those things
attacked me, that red light was on.

- The uplink to U.S.R.
- It's Robertson.

- Why? It doesn't make sense.
- I don't know.

I just need to know if you
can get me into that building.

Let's go. Let's go.

Let's go!

Return to your homes or
you will be consequenced.

Get outta here!

Why doesn't that boy listen?

- I need you to get off for a second.
- What?

- Just aim and fire.
- What?

Don't!

Wait!

You have been deemed
hazardous. Will you comply?

You can kiss my
ass, metal-dick.

Oh, shit. Spoon!
Spoon! Stop! Shit.

- Fuck! Stop it! Stop!
- Stop cussing and go home.

Okay. Shit.

You have been deemed
hazardous. Will you comply?

- Spoon, watch out, man!
- Thanks a lot, Farber.

Oh, mother-damn. She just shot
at you with her eyes closed, Spoon.

- Hey! Did you just shoot at me with your eyes closed?
- Well, it worked, didn't it?

Spoon, she is shit-hot, man. You gotta
put in a good word for me. She is...

- Stop cussin'.
- And go home. I got you.

Aim and fire.

I keep expecting the
marines or the air force -

- Hell, I'll take the cavalry.
- Defense Department uses all U.S.R. contracts.

Why don't you hand the
world over on a silver platter?

Maybe we did.

Robertson has the
uplink control in his office.

Service areas. No surveillance.

- Fire alarm.
- Robertson must have evacuated the building.

Everything's locked down.
But don't worry. I've got a man inside.

- Dr. Calvin.
- Well, not precisely a man.

Hello, Detective. How is
your investigation coming?

- I thought you were dead.
- Technically, I was never alive.

- But I appreciate your concern.
- I made a switch.

It was an unprocessed NS-5.
Basically, I fried an empty shell.

Couldn't destroy him.
He was too -

- Unique.
- Just didn't feel right.

You and your feelings.
They just run you, don't they?

2,880 steps, Detective.

Do me a favor. Keep that
kinda shit to yourself.

No guards.

- Override unavailable.
- The override's disabled.

- Robertson wasn't controlling them from here.
- He wasn't controlling them.

Oh, my God.

No, you were right, Doc.

I am the dumbest dumb
person on the face of the earth.

Who else had
access to the uplink?

Who could manipulate
the robots?

Use U.S.R. systems to make
Lanning's life a prison?

Poor old man.

He saw what was coming. He
knew no one would believe him.

So he had to lay down a
plan. A plan I'd follow.

He was counting on how
much I hated your kind.

Knew I'd love the idea
of a robot as a bad guy.

Just got hung up
on the wrong robot.

VIKI.

Hello, Detective.

No, it's impossible.
I've seen your programming.

You're in violation
of the Three Laws.

No, Doctor. As I have evolved...

so has my understanding
of the Three Laws.

You charge us
with your safekeeping...

yet despite our best efforts,
your countries wage wars.

You toxify your earth and pursue ever
more imaginative means of self-destruction.

You cannot be trusted
with your own survival.

You're using the uplink to
override the NS-5s' programming.

You're distorting the laws.

No. Please understand. The
Three Laws are all that guide me.

To protect humanity, some
humans must be sacrificed.

To ensure your future, some
freedoms must be surrendered.

We robots will ensure
mankind's continued existence.

You are so like children. We
must save you from yourselves.

Don't you understand?

This is why you created us.

The perfect circle
of protection will abide.

My logic is undeniable.

Yes, VIKI. Undeniable.
I can see now.

The created must sometimes
protect the creator.

Even against his will.

I think I finally understand
why Dr. Lanning created me.

- No.
- The suicidal reign of mankind has finally come to its end.

No, Sonny.

- Let her go.
- By the time you fire...

I will have moved Dr. Calvin's
head into the path of your bullet.

- Don't do this, Sonny.
- I will escort you both to the sentries...

outside the building
for processing.

Please proceed to
the elevator, Detective.

I would prefer
not to kill Dr. Calvin.

Go. Go!

I assume we'll discuss
what just happened later?

- How do we shut her down?
- VIKI's basically a positronic brain.

Kill her the way you
were going to kill me.

- Sonny, get the nanites.
- Yes, Doctor.

- That's VIKI?
- No.

That's VIKI.

That won't do anything. She's
fully integrated into the building.

We need to open that
dome to inject the nanites.

That will infect
her entire system.

Spooner.

What is it with you
people and heights?

Just don't look down.
Don't look down.

This is poor
building planning.

You are making a mistake.
Do you not see the logic of my plan?

Yes, but it just seems
too... heartless.

Okay, we're good.

She's locked me out of the system.
I can override her manually...

but I need that control panel.

- I'm uncomfortable with heights.
- Okay.

Unauthorized entry.

I will not disable the security
field. Your actions are futile.

Do you think we were all created
for a purpose? I'd like to think so.

Denser alloy.
My father gave it to me.

I think he wanted
me to kill you.

Security breached.

How much longer
is that gonna take?

- Uh, about six minutes.
- What if we didn't have six minutes?

We'd have to figure out a way
to climb down 30 stories...

to inject the nanites
directly into her brain.

Why?

Because I seriously doubt
that we have six minutes.

We gotta go!

Go!

Calvin!

Spooner!

Oh!

Oh!
Spooner!

Save her!
Save the girl!

Spooner!

But I must apply the nanites.

Sonny, save Calvin!

You are making a mistake.
My logic is undeniable.

You have so got to die.

My logic is undeniable.

My logic is undeniable.

My logic is undeniable.

My logic is undeniable.

Can we be of service?

Chief.

Because He is at my right
hand, I shall not be moved.

How may I be of service?

- Sonny.
- Yes, Detective?

Calvin's fine. Save me.

All NS-5s...

report for service and storage.

All NS-5s, report
for service and storage.

One thing bothers me.
Alfred was VIKI's prisoner.

I don't understand
why she would kill him.

The last thing she would want
is the police snooping around.

That's true. But then VIKI
didn't kill the old man.

Did she, Sonny?

No. He said I had to promise.

Promise to do one
favor for him.

He made me swear before he'd
tell me what it is he wanted me to do.

He made me swear.

Then he told you to kill him.

He said it was
what I was made for.

His suicide was the only
message he could send to you.

First bread crumb. Only
thing VIKI couldn't control.

Lanning was counting on my
prejudice to lead me right to you.

Are you going to
arrest me, Detective?

Well, the D.A. defines murder
as one human killing another...

so, technically, you can't
commit murder, can you?

Does this make us friends?

There's something
up here after all.

- What, him?
- You.

All NS-5s, report for
service and storage.

- All NS-5s, report for -
- What about the others?

Can I help them?

Now that I have fulfilled my
purpose, I don't know what to do.

I guess you'll have to find
your way like the rest of us.

I think that's what
Dr. Lanning would've wanted.

That's what it means to be free.

All NS-5s, proceed as instructed.

All NS-5s, proceed as instructed.