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Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Powerful

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

"Paper Man" is a mildly interesting murder mystery about the dangers of computers when there is a maniac on hand to manipulate them. It's all mean to be rather scary but today seems a bit muddled and silly.When the film begins, a college computer geek somehow gets a credit card in the mail that is not his. Instead of throwing it away or alerting the company, he goes to school and consults with a super-geek (Dean Stockwell). Soon he and his friends are spending on a dummy account and although illegal, all is well in the world...or so they think. Slowly through the course of the film folks start to die...all because some evil and unknown force is manipulating computers and making them kill!!I think when the film debuted it was seen as prescient and interesting...but today it comes off as a bit silly and dated. I especially thought that the real killer and their identity seemed a bit of a hoot. There are better ways you could spend your time than watch this one.

This is actually an enjoyable little computer thriller that shows off the popular perception of computers in 1971. Aside from enjoying Dean Stockwell's great early-70s hair, it's great to see the characters gather around a hard copy terminal as they enter input, and shuffle through the piles of printed output. Taking advantage of a computer error, a group of college students create computer records for a fictitious persona to use an untraceable credit card - an early attempt at identity theft that becomes dangerous when the students start dying one by one. I am a big fan of these 1970s TV movies, and this is a decent example with the mystery keeping my interest throughout.

When a super computer apparently turns on a group of naughty tech students who've created a bogus identity to essentially commit credit card fraud, the student who wrote the programme (Stockwell) becomes prime suspect in the series of bizarre accidents that follow. Stefanie Powers, James Stacy, Elliot Street and Tina Chen initially profit handsomely from Stockwell's handy-work, but the sheriff (Ross Elliot) suspects that Stockwell may not be as introverted and shy as his reputation suggests. As the "accidents" escalate, a twisted nerve is revealed that might identify the culprit. While it's dated, the concept of the super computer becoming an all powerful entity of destruction is a theme that's as prolific as they come forty years later. Stockwell (sporting an epic bouffant) is suitably suspicious (and not unlike his character in "Compulsion"), while Powers is an attractive and sympathetic psychology graduate, ex-Marine Stacy the stereotypical jock, Chen providing the ubiquitous ethnicity and Street a likable, computer geek, perhaps creating the "nerd" mould. James Olson has a key supporting role as the computer technician.I saw the 90 minute version, and the suspense builds nicely to a climax that while not entirely telegraphed, isn't going to shock most armchair sleuths. Nevertheless, the acting is watchable, the dialogue realistic and the narrative consistent. Dated but entertaining mid-week movie.

Always thought this was a GREAT movie and, yes, I always thought a major studio should have picked up the idea. I mean c'mon, we've had a remake of "Hairspray" already and it's only 20 years old! This movie could be done super-right in this day and age due to the advancements in...uh...computer technology. Watching the movie now, it does seem to not be as great as I remembered it, but still very good...especially the idea. And the "lights going off down the hallway" scene...along with the "the elevator almost reached it's floor" scene...are definite classics. If you do not have a copy of this, search one out and enjoy the great story line done in grand-but-cheesy TV-movie style