RoboCop (1987)

In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Edward Neumeier, Michael Miner

Stars:

Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Weller	...	Officer Alex J. Murphy / RoboCop
Nancy Allen	...	Officer Anne Lewis
Dan O'Herlihy	...	The Old Man (as Daniel O'Herlihy)
Ronny Cox	...	Dick Jones
Kurtwood Smith	...	Clarence J. Boddicker
Miguel Ferrer	...	Bob Morton
Robert DoQui	...	Sergeant Warren Reed
Ray Wise	...	Leon C. Nash
Felton Perry	...	Johnson
Paul McCrane	...	Emil M. Antonowsky
Jesse D. Goins	...	Joe P. Cox (as Jesse Goins)
Del Zamora	...	Kaplan
Calvin Jung	...	Steve Minh
Rick Lieberman	...	Walker
Lee de Broux	...	Sal (as Lee DeBroux)

Storyline

Detroit - in the future - is crime-ridden, and run by a massive company. The company have developed a huge crime-fighting robot, which unfortunately develops a rather dangerous glitch. The company sees a way to get back in favor with the public when a cop called Alex Murphy is killed by a street gang. Murphy's body is reconstructed within a steel shell and named RoboCop. The RoboCop is very successful against criminals, and becomes a target of supervillain Boddicker.

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Plot Keywords:

robocop | gang | future | robot | partner | 

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Taglines:

Part man. Part machine. All cop. The future of law enforcement.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

RoboCop

Filming Locations:

Dallas Municipal Building - 106 South Harwood, Dallas, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$53,424,681 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 78 min (cut) 98 min (cut) 103 min (unrated director's cut) 91 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) DTS (special edition)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In addition to Iron Man (1966), the comic book 'ROM' is also seen in the mom-and-pop store, the storyline of which involves a hero sacrificing his human body and having his mind placed into a robot in order to save his people.

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Goofs

During the gas station scene, a "California Bell" telephone logo can be seen on a pay phone in the background.

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Quotes

[Ron Miller is holding City Hall hostage to get an old job back and Lt. Hedgecock is negotiating from outside with a bullhorn]
Lt Hedgecock: Okay Miller! Don't hurt the mayor! We'll give you what you want!
Miller: First, don't fuck with me. I'm a desperate man! And second, I want some fresh coffee. And third, I want a recount! And no matter how it turns out, I want my old job back!
Lt Hedgecock: Okay.
Miller: And I want a bigger office! And I want a new car! And I want the city to pay for it all!
Lt Hedgecock: What kind of car, Miller?
Miller: Something with ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits save the title "ROBOCOP".

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Connections

Referenced in Bargearse (1993)

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Soundtracks

Show Me Your Spine
Music by P.T.P.

User Reviews

Extremely entertaining blend of science fiction, action, and satire

The thing people are starting to realize about Paul Verhoeven is that most of his films are ultimately high concept satires. Both "Showgirls" and "Starship Troopers" have been recently undergoing reevaluation and getting the critical praise that was completely absent when originally released. "Robocop" was Verhoeven's first American success, and while it was never damned in the way his later projects were, many viewers are just starting to pick up on the abundance of satire the material contains, even past the television parodies. The main jab is that Robocop is ostensibly the hero, but his tactics against criminals are often more brutal than the initial crimes themselves.

Fortunately, audiences don't need to pay attention to the subtext to enjoy the film. In addition to being an extremely low key comedy, the film also works as an action picture. The action sequences are very well handled by Verhoeven, full of excitement and violence. Its easy to see why this was a huge box office hit when originally released. The pace never once slows down.

Another memorable aspect of the picture, even more so than Robocop possibly, are the colorful villains. Ronny Cox is an underrated actor and excels here as the big business villain. Even more astonishing is Kurtwood Smith, an actor best known to my generation for playing Red on "That 70s Show", as one of the most hiss-worthy and flat-out sadistic bad guys ever in a film. The rest of the cast is good, but its the villains that steal the show. Overall, "Robocop" remains incredibly enjoyable to watch over twenty years later. (8/10)