In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 11 wins & 13 nominations total
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Jesse D. Goins
- Joe Coxas Joe Cox
- (as Jesse Goins)
Lee de Broux
- Salas Sal
- (as Lee DeBroux)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company's nefarious plans, he turns on his masters. —Jwelch5742
- Taglines
- The future of law enforcement.
- Genres
- Certificate
- R
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaMost shots of Robocop and the police car show him getting out or preparing to get in. Peter Weller didn't fit into the police car in full costume. When he needed to be in the car, he wore the top part of the costume and sat in his underwear. To maintain the illusion that RoboCop wears the entire suit while inside a car, most shots show his robotic feet exiting first.
- GoofsJust before RoboCop removes his helmet, he is wearing a piece that covers his neck and chin. When he actually removes his helmet, the armor is gone.
- Quotes
Bixby Snyder: I'd buy that for a dollar!
- Crazy creditsThe standard copyright notice at the end of the film includes a warning that "This motion picture is protected under the laws of the United States and other countries and its unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution by enforcement droids."
- Alternate versionsIn 1995, The Criterion Collection premiered the 'unrated' edition of RoboCop on LaserDisc. The 1987 theatrical release was cut in several scenes to attain an R-rating, and this unrated version restored that footage. The unrated version has subsequently been used for many of the film's DVD and Blu-Ray releases. The first cuts appear in the scene where ED-209 goes berserk and shoots Kinney during the meeting. In the director's cut there is another frontal shot of Kinney getting riddled with bullets at the start of the scene. When Kinney collapses onto the model of Delta City, there are extra shots of him being bloodily hit with more bullets, as well as the ED-209 technicians struggling to rip wiring out of the circuit board. Restoring this footage makes the scene much more darkly comical. During the car chase, when Clarence's henchman Bobby is shot in the leg, the R-rated version shows a long shot, while the unrated has a gruesome close-up of Bobby's leg being shot. Murphy's death is almost a minute longer in the unrated version. After his hand is blown off, Murphy looks in horror at the stump, before Clarence's gang blows off his entire arm with gunfire. The subsequent part with him being riddled with bullets is much longer as well. An elaborate tracking shot is used only in the unrated that shows the back of Murphy's head exploding into the camera when he is finally shot by Clarence. This shot made use of a fully-mechanical prosthetic Murphy built by make-up special effect artist Rob Bottin. The overhead shot of Lewis kneeling beside Murphy's body at the end of the scene is also exclusive to the unrated version. Clarence Boddicker's death is shown in different shots depending on the version. The R-rated shows a long shot of him staggering away immediately after being stabbed, while the unrated shows a tight close-up.
- ConnectionsEdited into RoboCop 3 (1993)
- SoundtracksShow Me Your Spine
Music by P.T.P.
Top review
So close to today's society, it hurts
When I look at the modern day West, and the 2008 financial crisis, I often see parallels with images from RoboCop: protests, mind-numbing commercials, crime as the result of huge poverty, profit as the main goal of life, no matter at what (or whose) expense. There is not one OCP today, but dozens of OCPs, huge modern mega-corporations that influence every aspect of the society and drain it of its wealth. Just like in RoboCop, the middle class is almost gone and we only have the poor and the rich.
RoboCop started out as a pure B-movie, but unlike Cyborg (1989) or The Six Million Dolar Man (1974), it kept its relevance, satire and sharpness precisely because it is so close to today that it hurts. Even as a kid, I somehow got that one of the messages of the film was how the power was slowly shifting from the government to the OCP. Let's be fair, though, Verhoeven sometimes directs a scene in a heavy, clumsy manner, and some cheap ideas slightly reduce my enjoyment whenever I re-watch this. Overall, this is still a strong film, and I stand behind what I say. Kurtwood Smith is one of the most fiendish villains of the 80s, and one of the most unorthodox ones, too, with those glasses, but we must also mention Peter Weller who is often overlooked under that armor, yet his stoic presence tells us everything we need to know. His Murphy is a character designed by the corporations, a being that is a product, not a being anymore. The way he finds his humanity, nonetheless, is still powerful. He defies the system, he defies the cold exploitation - and he becomes worthy to become recognized. And the ED-something-something robot is still cool as ever, too.
RoboCop started out as a pure B-movie, but unlike Cyborg (1989) or The Six Million Dolar Man (1974), it kept its relevance, satire and sharpness precisely because it is so close to today that it hurts. Even as a kid, I somehow got that one of the messages of the film was how the power was slowly shifting from the government to the OCP. Let's be fair, though, Verhoeven sometimes directs a scene in a heavy, clumsy manner, and some cheap ideas slightly reduce my enjoyment whenever I re-watch this. Overall, this is still a strong film, and I stand behind what I say. Kurtwood Smith is one of the most fiendish villains of the 80s, and one of the most unorthodox ones, too, with those glasses, but we must also mention Peter Weller who is often overlooked under that armor, yet his stoic presence tells us everything we need to know. His Murphy is a character designed by the corporations, a being that is a product, not a being anymore. The way he finds his humanity, nonetheless, is still powerful. He defies the system, he defies the cold exploitation - and he becomes worthy to become recognized. And the ED-something-something robot is still cool as ever, too.
helpful•303
- gorankostanski
- Jun 5, 2013
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Robocop: The Future of Law Enforcement
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $13,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $53,424,681
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,008,721
- Jul 19, 1987
- Gross worldwide
- $53,425,389
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