"Please do not be afraid. I am a medical robot"
June 25, 2013 8:34 AM   Subscribe

Dr. Easy is a beautifully produced dark sci-fi short based on the story The Red Men. It follows a medical robot trying to help an armed and wounded man before the police are sent in. [via | SFW but may have triggers]
posted by quin (20 comments total) 19 users marked this as a favorite
 
Sad robot. :(
posted by dobie at 8:52 AM on June 25, 2013


For some reason I went into this expecting the robot to be a practical effect, then I remembered this was 2013, and I became a little bit sad.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 9:20 AM on June 25, 2013


For some reason I went into this expecting the robot to be a practical effect, then I remembered this was 2013, and I became a little bit sad.

Realistic pathfinding representation made up for this imo
posted by MangyCarface at 9:24 AM on June 25, 2013 [3 favorites]


A "Medibot", if you will.
posted by glhaynes at 9:27 AM on June 25, 2013


Cool idea. The writing's a little shoddy, though, if you ask me.
posted by quantity at 9:35 AM on June 25, 2013


I kind of felt like this was just about to finally get started, and then the closing credits showed up. Rather disappointing.
posted by ook at 9:35 AM on June 25, 2013 [4 favorites]


The writing is a bit strange. Why is the medical robot telling the police about the guy's financial history? Why does a bullet wound to the mouth look the same as a punch to the mouth?
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 9:49 AM on June 25, 2013


Also, why is the guy living in a Nine Inch Nails video?
posted by dobie at 9:56 AM on June 25, 2013 [1 favorite]


The robot was coming from *inside* the house.
posted by panboi at 9:58 AM on June 25, 2013


I kind of felt like this was just about to finally get started, and then the closing credits showed up.

On closer reading I noticed this: "Dr. Easy is a prologue for a planned feature adaptation of 'The Red Men'." So maybe the abrupt ending is a feature, not a bug.
posted by quin at 10:34 AM on June 25, 2013 [1 favorite]


Yes, it's only based on the first chapter of the book.
posted by ArkhanJG at 11:07 AM on June 25, 2013


"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."
posted by starscream at 11:42 AM on June 25, 2013


ABE
posted by homunculus at 1:59 PM on June 25, 2013


Be advised that ABE is straight-up horror. High quality horror, perhaps, but definitely not safe for the nightmare prone.
posted by Dreadnought at 5:36 PM on June 25, 2013


The writing is a bit strange. Why is the medical robot telling the police about the guy's financial history?
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 9:49 AM on June 25 [+] [!]

Profiling? If a dude is holed-up in an abandoned apartment in a hostile situation, the first thing the police want to know is why, so they can diffuse it. Money is frequently a great motivator for hostile situations.



I really, really enjoyed this. Good post.
posted by FirstMateKate at 9:50 PM on June 25, 2013


Plot of The Red Men seems reminiscent of Dan Galouye's Simulacron-3 (a.k.a. World on Wire). Damn reading list is getting too long....
posted by lodurr at 5:31 AM on June 26, 2013


If a dude is holed-up in an abandoned apartment in a hostile situation, the first thing the police want to know is why, so they can diffuse it. Money is frequently a great motivator for hostile situations.

Sure, but why does the medical robot apparently have access to the guy's financial information and the police don't?

As you know, Bob, I get that somebody needs to handle the exposition—but I agree with tylerkarasewski that it was a bit of an odd choice to put those words in the robot's mouth.
posted by ook at 9:05 AM on June 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


I haven't read the book -- I just know the jacket description online -- but I think it may have been changed from a 'negotiator robot' to a 'medical robot' for the film.

be that as it may, they're trying to show a dual role: negotiation, under the guise of medical attention. so the 'bot is an AI that's empowered to drive the negotiations on its own, but it's reporting to the scene commander like any team member would (and the scene commander is making his own tactical decisions independent of the 'bot's direction). both are acting rationally and reasonably within their purview. That it doesn't end well is neither's fault. which to me signals something significant: the plot's not about "robots bad" or "humans inferior."

so, so far, i'm liking the look of it.
posted by lodurr at 10:09 AM on June 26, 2013




also moar plz.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 11:49 AM on June 26, 2013


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