RoboCop (1987)

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Edward Neumeier (written by) &
Michael Miner (written by)

Release Date:

17 July 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

In a dystopic & crime ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him.

Plot Keywords:

Robocop | Gang | Memory | Robot | Future

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Peter Weller	...	Officer Alex J. Murphy / RoboCop
Nancy Allen	...	Officer Anne Lewis
Dan O'Herlihy	...	The Old Man (as Daniel O'Herlihy)
Ronny Cox	...	Richard 'Dick' Jones
Kurtwood Smith	...	Clarence J. Boddicker
Miguel Ferrer	...	Robert 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)

Runtime:

102 min | Germany:78 min (cut version) | Norway:98 min (cut version) | USA:103 min (unrated director's cut) | Finland:91 min (heavily cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2004) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | Germany:18 (re-release) (JK/SPIO) (uncut) | West Germany:18 (cut) (video premiere) | Australia:R | Italy:T | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (video rating) (1989) | Finland:(Banned) (1987) | Germany:16 (cut version) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) (re-rating) (2004) | Canada:18A (Ontario) (re-rating) (2004) | USA:R (certificate #28646) (edited for re-rating) | USA:X (original rating) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1988) | Spain:13 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (also director's cut) (2002) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Malaysia:18SG | Hungary:16 | Italy:VM14 (DVD rating) | India:A | Finland:(Banned) (cut) (video rating) (1987) | UK:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M (theatrical rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:(Banned) | Iceland:16 (cut) | Ireland:18 (director's cut) | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M (TV rating) | New Zealand:R18 (theatrical rating) (director's cut) | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | Singapore:M18 (director's cut) (uncut version) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Building One, Studios at Las Colinas - 6301 North O'Connor Road, Irving, Texas, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The sound of Bob Morton's doorbell is the same as the one in the writer's house in A Clockwork Orange (1971).

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the film, when Clarence and RoboCop come face to face, Clarence holds his hands up and tells RoboCop that he gives up. Clarence's arms are lowered in some shots and raised in others.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Slimey Lawyer: Attempted murder? It's not like he killed someone. This is a clear violation of my client's civil rights.
Bail Bondsman: Make it aggravated assault and I can make bail in cash, now.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Show Me Your Spine

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)