Medical expert-turned-screenwriter Michael Crichton is best known for his blockbuster novels like Jurassic Park, which combine cutting-edge scientific theory with crowd-pleasing adventure. In 1973, he made his feature film directing debut (after a 1972 TV movie) with this thoroughly original futuristic saga. Using MGM production sets that were far from lavish, Crichton created a fantasy world of an adult Western theme park for millionaires. While Richard Benjamin and James Brolin are visiting, the robotic cowboys malfunction, and one played by Yul Brynner goes berserk. Alternatingly preposterous and riveting, Westworld was one of Crichton's most ambitious and quirky stories. His inexperience as a director was telling, and it would be five years before he directed again, with Coma. He had more success when directors like Steven Spielberg turned his visions into gold.