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Exceedingly violent
and yet unimaginably appealing, Robocop pulses with an amazing theme
song, shocking bloodshed, heroism, satirical stabs at the media
and government corporations, and a penetrating story of sacrifice
and revenge. Making use of still phenomenal miniatures and stop
motion animation, as well as plenty of explosions, stunts and carnage,
Robocop is one of the most important and revolutionary science-fiction
films of all time.
Recently transferred police officer Alex J. Murphy (Peter Weller) is out to be a role model for his kid and to clean up the crime-ridden streets of the futuristic, corporation-ruled Detroit. Meanwhile, slimy executives of the largest and most corrupt company OCP battle over whose crime-fighting program will quell the streets: a completely robotic army of deadly metal soldiers or a new Robocop program that makes use of cyborg technology. When Murphy wanders into the clutches of Detroit’s most infamous cop killer Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith), he is tortured, riddled with bullets, and left for dead. After being pronounced dead at the hospital, Murphy’s body is signed over to the Robocop program, making him the first candidate for cyborg transformation. Stripped of his identity, the new half-man, half-machine, all-cop monstrosity begins to disrupt the flow of criminal activities in Detroit. As memories and dreams begin to surge up in Murphy's presumed lifeless brain, Robocop begins a search and destroy mission to reap vengeance on those who took away the life he once cherished. Typically when discussing a comic-book-like superhero, you think of a family friendly tone. Robocop is anything but a conciliatory film for general audiences however, as it employs pervasive violence and adult themes. Rarely do we get to see a film of such maturity and prominent messages of corruption and the abolishment of free will in a film starring a man in a metal suit. Originally rated X by the MPAA on its initial release, Robocop makes use of brutality unlike most films. The graphic and barbarous depictions of gunplay and shotgun sedition create a perfect contrast for anyone under the impression that the plot is outlandish or comical. And its excess serves to mock the current influences of the media and what the public is allowed to visually consume. |
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Like a cybernetic Frankenstein,
Robocop is the product of greed and power manufactured with the
intent to do good. But like all mad scientist inventions that defy
free will, Robocop is doomed to fail because a large part of him
is still human. And with that thread of humanity he grasps at his
feeble memories and tattered identity to disobey his prime directive
of upholding the law – for vengeance is not to be forgotten.
As Robocop digs deeper into the inner workings of OCP, he discovers
the devastating truth. Suddenly Robocop is no longer an asset, and
is sought out for termination.
Somewhere in the middle of the film Robocop forgets it’s supposed to be a mindless action movie and integrates powerful emotions and immensely satirical analyzations of corporate corruption and the power of revenge as a form of justice. Moving deep beyond its shiny metal exterior, Robocop is also fueled by excellent performances by Weller and Smith who respectively ignite compassion and hatred. Paul Verhoeven, a veteran of radical sci-fi action adventure films started it all with his wildly inventive Robocop. Using inspired editing with news reports and commercials spliced into the film as if the viewer was switching between world news and the feature itself, Verhoeven created a visually unique and heavily cynical experience. Add to that the gut-wrenching action, heart-pounding ethical examinations and the beautifully well-aged animation, and you’ve got a film that defines the mature and terrifying world of exhilarating science fiction. - Mike Massie |
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