"Soylent Green" is a classic. Classic premise...classic shock ending...and of course, it stars the classic Chuck Heston!
These days, I couldn't see the highly Republican Heston supporting a sci-fi movie about the dangers of global warming and overpopulation. Luckily, he starred in this 1971 gem that is currently part of Comcast/Xfinity On Demand's Free Movies selections (look under Preferred Collection).
Many die-hard cult film fans have seen this countless times, and it is certainly worth revisiting.
The film is set in the 21st century. Greenhouse gases have ravaged the earth, and populations are out of control. Manhattan itself has more than 40 million people living there. The city is a steamy, dirty hellhole filled with haves and have nots.
One of the haves, the rich Simonson (Joseph Cotten), is brutally murdered. Grunt detective Thorn (Heston) is assigned to the case and discovers that the slain Simonson was a board member of the omnipotent Soylent Corporation. With food in short supply, the Soylent Corporation manufactures wafers filled with vegetable protein that have become the staples of the American diet. The most recent product, "Soylent Green," is apparently rich with harvested plankton.
Anyways, Thorn finds himself in over his head trying to solve this mystery. He's aided by roommate Sol(E.G. Robinson in his final role), a book-smart senior who remembers the days when the air was clean and food was plentiful. Thorne also finds romance with the HOT Shirl (Leigh Taylor Young), Simonson's concubine. On his tail are a gaggle of thugs led by Chuck "Rifleman" Connors.
If you haven't seen this movie before, what are you waiting for? It actually holds up fairly well and explores themes that are still fairly topical.
I won't spoil the ending, but it's one of 70s sci-fi cinema's most iconic conclusions. Check it out, and let me know what you think.
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