I remember seeing this in the Wild Wild West[0] movie from 1999. It's curious seeing the history behind it.
On the one hand, you have a plot device delivering some interesting sci-fi exposition to move the story forward, and on the other hand, you've got this squeamish every man wringing his hands from the vantage point of some supposed moral high ground, each ignoring the other, distracted by their own fixation.
Really makes you think.