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Fast, Cheap & Out of Control

1997 · Movie · 83 min

7.3(43)unSUB Rating

Documentary

This documentary weaves together four very different lives, each shaped by a deep fascination with animals and systems of control. Moving between a circus animal trainer, a garden artist who sculpts living hedges into creatures, a researcher studying unusual burrowing mammals, and a scientist building insect-like robots, it explores obsession, creativity, and how people make meaning through their work.

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Details
Years
1997
Release date
1997-10-03
Language
English
Runtime
83 min
TMDB rating (input)
6.8/10 (43 votes)
About

You’ll likely enjoy this if you like offbeat documentaries about passionate eccentrics and big ideas built from small details, in the vein of Grey Gardens or Vernon, Florida; Not for you if you want a clear, linear story.

Pros: quirky real-life characters; thought-provoking themes; memorable animal imagery | Cons: jumpy non-linear flow; can feel repetitive; connections may seem thin

Themes

  • circus
  • lion
  • eccentric
  • robot

Cast & crew

  • DH

    Dave Hoover

    as Himself (Wild Animal Trainer)

  • GM

    George Mendonça

    as Himself (Topiary Gardener)

  • RM

    Raymond A. Mendez

    as Himself (Mole-Rat Specialist) (as Ray Mendez)

  • RB

    Rodney Brooks

    as Himself - Robot Scientist

Directed by Errol Morris