The Lawnmower Man is a 1992 science fiction horror film directed by Brett Leonard, written by Leonard and Gimel Everett, and starring Jeff Fahey as Jobe Smith, an intellectually disabled gardener, and Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Angelo, a scientist who decides to experiment on him in an effort to give him greater intelligence by stimulating his brain using nootropic drugs and virtual reality computer simulations. The experiments give Jobe superhuman abilities, but also increase his aggression, turning him into a man obsessed with evolving into a digital being.

Plot

Dr. Lawrence Angelo, a scientist at Virtual Space Industries (VSI), conducts experiments using psychoactive drugs and virtual reality to enhance cognitive performance in a program called "Project 5." Although Angelo's intentions are benevolent, VSI is funded by "The Shop", a clandestine organization seeking military applications for his research. One of his test subjects, a chimpanzee named Rosco, gains enhanced intelligence, warfare training, and increased aggression; he eventually escapes but is killed by the laboratory's security forces. In response, Angelo decides to recruit Jobe Smith, an intellectually disabled gardener, as a new test subject, promising him increased intelligence. Angelo redesigns the treatments to eliminate the "aggression factors" used in the chimpanzee experiments. Not only does Jobe's intelligence improve, but he also develops psychokinesis and telepathy. He continues his training at the lab until an accident forces Angelo to halt the experiment.