I have seen all of the RoboCop films, with the exception of the 2014 remake (which I may or may not watch as a part of this series), but, if I'm being honest, I don't remember anything about them.
Except that hulking, iconic armor design. And Peter Weller's booming, digitally augmented voice.
There are three of them. And my Blockbuster had them all. And I watched them.
And I realize now, how incredibly inappropriate it was for me, as a child, to watch these movies.
I always thought of them as bad action movies. But Paul Verhoeven's work is something of a classic film. It sports an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, and even has a Criterion release. When I sat down to hammer out a list of cyberpunk movies, RoboCop kept popping up again and again. So I decided to return to a movie I hadn't seen since I was a kid, and see what all the fuss was about.
I. Proto Cyberpunk
RoboCop is not, strictly speaking, a cyberpunk movie. It does, however, feature a lot of the same themes and ideas present in the genre. It even acts like a kind of prequel to a cyberpunk story: it feels like a movie set in the transition period between the modern day and a proper cyberpunk dystopia. Corporations, like Omni Consumer Products (OCP), are slowly, but surely, taking over institutions, like the police force and the military. Technology is racing forward at breakneck pace. OCP is even laying groundwork for a utopic mega city, called Delta City.
I like it, because Verhoeven has shown us how cyberpunk comes to be. The robocop program is a large step forward in transhuman technology, which is often a keystone in cyberpunk literature; OCP's bankrolling of the Detroit PD is the beginning of the kind of corporatocracy that makes life in cyberpunk societies such hell; the TVs feature the same inane "comedy" show replete with a vapid catchphrase repeated every minute or so ("I'll buy that for a dollar!"). We are so used to seeing the towering skyscrapers and the intense neon glow of cyberpunk urban sprawl, that we never stop to wonder how it all happened. How did we get here? RoboCop offers us an interesting look into that transition.
And by couching these themes and ideas into a macho action movie, Verhoeven actually sneaks up on the viewer with some heady stuff. Do we really want programmable super cops with the ability to kill roaming the streets? Especially when those super cops can be programmed to kill, or not kill, according to a corporation's interests? Do we really want corporations who value the almighty dollar in charge of our social institutions? There is probably a large portion of the audience that assumes that RoboCop is some kind of ejaculatory story of hyper machismo American excellence. But it is so much more terrifying than that. A man is sold to a corporation that claims his body, robs him of his humanity and identity, and utilizes him as their own murder tool. And then there's the scene of the thug who crashes his car into an industrial waste vat and literally has his flesh melted off his body, before being struck by a car and exploded like a bag full of viscera.
That's pitch-fucking black. And it's perfectly cyberpunk.
I like it, because Verhoeven has shown us how cyberpunk comes to be. The robocop program is a large step forward in transhuman technology, which is often a keystone in cyberpunk literature; OCP's bankrolling of the Detroit PD is the beginning of the kind of corporatocracy that makes life in cyberpunk societies such hell; the TVs feature the same inane "comedy" show replete with a vapid catchphrase repeated every minute or so ("I'll buy that for a dollar!"). We are so used to seeing the towering skyscrapers and the intense neon glow of cyberpunk urban sprawl, that we never stop to wonder how it all happened. How did we get here? RoboCop offers us an interesting look into that transition.
And by couching these themes and ideas into a macho action movie, Verhoeven actually sneaks up on the viewer with some heady stuff. Do we really want programmable super cops with the ability to kill roaming the streets? Especially when those super cops can be programmed to kill, or not kill, according to a corporation's interests? Do we really want corporations who value the almighty dollar in charge of our social institutions? There is probably a large portion of the audience that assumes that RoboCop is some kind of ejaculatory story of hyper machismo American excellence. But it is so much more terrifying than that. A man is sold to a corporation that claims his body, robs him of his humanity and identity, and utilizes him as their own murder tool. And then there's the scene of the thug who crashes his car into an industrial waste vat and literally has his flesh melted off his body, before being struck by a car and exploded like a bag full of viscera.
That's pitch-fucking black. And it's perfectly cyberpunk.
II. That Armor
Part of what makes RoboCop so damn iconic is the armor that encases Murphy. It is all sleek, shiny chrome: like some kind of futuristic knight. Designer Rob Bottin's work is legend. The suit looks sleek and functional. It looks dangerous. It is a thing of beauty. It manages to be bulky without looking absurd or laughable.
All these years later, RoboCop still looks like a badass. And that's not a little thing.
All these years later, RoboCop still looks like a badass. And that's not a little thing.
III. Kurtwood Fucking Smith
Kurtwood Smith, known to many as Eric's Dad, Red Foreman, is a national treasure. And in this movie, he chews the scenery like a madman. And it's great.
Case in point: there is a scene where his character, Clarence Boddicker, is supposed to take out a grenade, remove the pin and place it on a table. But Smith is not content to JUST grab a grenade. He pulls that thing out of his coat, and LICKS THE PIN. AND THEN HE PULLS THE PIN OUT WITH HIS OWN MOUTH. And seductively places that grenade on the table.
Look, the man wears a neckerchief. Unironically.
He growls, and throws punches, and curses up a storm. He knows exactly what movie he is in, and looks to be having the time of his life. It's only a shame that he isn't the movie's real big bad. Because he is so much more a presence on screen than the OCP executive that's actually pulling the strings.
Case in point: there is a scene where his character, Clarence Boddicker, is supposed to take out a grenade, remove the pin and place it on a table. But Smith is not content to JUST grab a grenade. He pulls that thing out of his coat, and LICKS THE PIN. AND THEN HE PULLS THE PIN OUT WITH HIS OWN MOUTH. And seductively places that grenade on the table.
Look, the man wears a neckerchief. Unironically.
He growls, and throws punches, and curses up a storm. He knows exactly what movie he is in, and looks to be having the time of his life. It's only a shame that he isn't the movie's real big bad. Because he is so much more a presence on screen than the OCP executive that's actually pulling the strings.
IV. It Is SO Violent
You know you are in for a treat when a tech showcase in front of the OCP board results in a giant robot glitching and brutally killing one of those board members. And the CEO doesn't seem to give a shit, except that it will delay the project and cost them millions. Like, there is a dead man ripped to ribbons by automatic cannon fire laying ten feet away, and this asshole is worried about the bottom line. That is hilarious. And very cyberpunk.
And then there's the scene where Clarence and his goons light up Murphy. Blood spatters, arms are blown off, and viscera is spread every which way.
This is a hard R 80s action spectacle. Verhoeven allows his super cop and his super criminals to enact super violence. And it works. Because the violence serves the story, and enhances the themes of a dangerous city in need of an insane solution to their crime problem. The violence is served with a smile: Verhoeven knows that this violence is ridiculous, and that is by design.
But not here. Nancy Allen's Officer Lewis is cut from a different cloth. She is the hardened vet that takes on the greenhorn newbie, Murphy. She is not mocked, ribbed or harassed by her coworkers. She kicks ass. And she doesn't have a romantic relationship with Murphy. She takes Murphy's death hard, but doesn't stop doing her job. She never appears onscreen in any skimpy, revealing clothing, either. She's a cop. She dresses like a cop. She kicks ass like a cop.
I thought that was nice.
And then there's the scene where Clarence and his goons light up Murphy. Blood spatters, arms are blown off, and viscera is spread every which way.
This is a hard R 80s action spectacle. Verhoeven allows his super cop and his super criminals to enact super violence. And it works. Because the violence serves the story, and enhances the themes of a dangerous city in need of an insane solution to their crime problem. The violence is served with a smile: Verhoeven knows that this violence is ridiculous, and that is by design.
V. Lewis
It has taken a long time for women to get to be bad ass in movies. In the action and sci fi genres especially, women have been relegated to princesses in need of saving, or prostitutes that need salvation. And they almost always wind up in our (male) hero's bed.But not here. Nancy Allen's Officer Lewis is cut from a different cloth. She is the hardened vet that takes on the greenhorn newbie, Murphy. She is not mocked, ribbed or harassed by her coworkers. She kicks ass. And she doesn't have a romantic relationship with Murphy. She takes Murphy's death hard, but doesn't stop doing her job. She never appears onscreen in any skimpy, revealing clothing, either. She's a cop. She dresses like a cop. She kicks ass like a cop.
I thought that was nice.
VI. It Is What It Is
Not everyone likes or will like RoboCop. The themes are there, but they bubble under the surface. The violence is intense, and the script is littered with F bombs. It is rated R for a reason.
You are either here for it, or you aren't.
But I do believe it is an enjoyable, more-thoughtful-than-you-think film that entertains as much as it engages. And, at 102 minutes, it won't waste your time.
You are either here for it, or you aren't.
But I do believe it is an enjoyable, more-thoughtful-than-you-think film that entertains as much as it engages. And, at 102 minutes, it won't waste your time.
VII. Should You See It?
Miscellany
- After his first pass through the script, Verhoeven threw it away in disgust. He thought it was just a dumb action movie. His wife picked it out of the trash and convinced him that there was more depth there than he first assumed.- The suit was so hot that Weller lost about 3 lbs a day in water weight before they installed an air conditioner.
- While filming the movie's big drug bust sequence, Weller was listening to his Walkman inside the helmet of the suit. His song of choice? Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain." He has said that this is his favorite memory of the production.
- The trauma team working on Murphy's body in the hospital are an actual ER trauma team. They were allowed to improvise all of their lines.
- Screenwriter Edward Neumeier was inspired to write Robocop after working on the set of Blade Runner.
- The film was submitted to the MPAA twelve times before it received its R rating.
- The terrorist who has taken hostages at City Hall is eating a Twinkie-like snack: this is a reference to the infamous Twinkie Defense used by Dan White after he murdered Harvey Milk and George Moscone.
- RoboCop was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound. It took home the award for Best Sound Editing.
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