Robocop
Robocop was released in 1987. It was directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier.
The concept of Robocop was conceived by Neumeier while working on the set of Blade Runner. A box office revenue of $53.4 million was generated on a budget of $13.7 Million. The film received three academy nominations in 1988. Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Special Achievement for Best Sound Editing, which it won.
The Movie
Peter Weller plays Alex Murphy, a Detroit city police officer. The setting is a not-too-distant dystopian Detroit, engulfed in a crime wave.
The city grants ownership of the police force to a corporation called OCP (Omni Consumer Products). They embark on a program to build law enforcement robots and droids to assist the police in restoring law and order.
ED-209
The first version was ED-209, but things went horribly wrong when the droid is revealed, killing an executive of the board. This gives Bob Morton (Ferrer) the chance to unveil his own project.
Murphy and his partner pursue a notorious gang and end up being ambushed, tortured, and eventually killed. Murphy’s body is claimed by Morton and he is turned into a human/android hybrid.
Enter Robocop
Robocop is now assigned to Metro West and he starts laying down the law with brutal precision. He also tracks down the gang that murdered him and discovers that they were working with OCP, and they were responsible for Morton’s death. Boddicker and his gang were subsequently locked up by Murphy. Jones in turn frees them and gives the gang heavy weaponry to kill Murphy. in the meantime, Detroit police go on strike.
Murphy confronts Jones at OCP headquarters and tries to arrest him. However, a directive built into Robocop prevents him from doing so. in turn, Jones unleashes ED-209 on him and a battle ensues where the droid is destroyed and Robocop sustains heavy damage. Jones escapes.
Lewis takes Murphy to an abandoned steel mill where he attempts to repair himself. This is where Boddicker and his men appear to finish him off. Ultimately the good guy prevails and Murphy returns to OCP HQ where he confronts Jones in a board meeting. Jones admits his involvement in Morton’s death and grabs the CEO of the company as a bullet shield. Once more the so-called “Directive 4” prevents Robocop from shooting Jones or any OCP board member. Jones is promptly fired by the boss, and Murphy, released from his directive, promptly shoots Jones, who crashes through the skyscraper window, plunging to his death.
Conclusion
Robocop was a huge box office hit, although being very extreme. Verhoeven obsessively loaded scenes with extreme violence. So much that it sometimes appears comical. There are various versions of the movie available with different levels of violence shown. The movie is one of a group of films that form the “iconic 80s” movie genre. It was ahead of its time and set the bar for future movies of the same storyline.
The Cast
- Peter Weller as Alex Murphy / RoboCop
- Nancy Allen as Anne Lewis
- Daniel O’Herlihy as the Old Man
- Ronny Cox as Dick Jones
- Kurtwood Smith as Clarence Boddicker
- Miguel Ferrer as Bob Morton