Movie Review – RoboCop (1987)
Imagine a world in the not-too-distant future where crime is rampant and the solution is straight out of a science laboratory.
Released in 1987, RoboCop tells a violent tale where a Detroit police officer is tortured and nearly killed by a notorious criminal’s gang, only to return as a half-man, half-machine cyborg cop seeking revenge. Throw in plenty of bloody violence along with greed, corruption, drugs, and good, old fashioned murder, and there you go.
Directed by Paul Verhoeven, RoboCop stars Peter Weller as Detroit police officer Alex Murphy / RoboCop. Co-starring in the film are Nancy Allen as officer Anne Lewis, Ronny Cox as OCP senior president Richard “Dick” Jones, Kurtwood Smith as Clarence Boddicker, and Miguel Ferrer as OCP executive Robert “Bob” Morton.
RoboCop takes place in Detroit, Michigan in the year 2029.
Crime is rampant and the city itself is on the edge of financial collapse. The federal government is not interested in bailing out the city (sound familiar?). Along comes the Omni Consumper Products (OCP) corporation to the rescue. In exchange for funding and running Detroit’s police force, the mayor is allowing OCP to demolish sections of Detroit and create “Delta City,” a high-end utopia. “Delta City” will be an independent city within a city that is run by OCP and NOT the city of Detroit.
The film begins with a Detroit television station giving us news stories. Mixed with the news reports are satirical commercials for products making a mockery of society. One of the news reports mentions that a few Detroit police officers were murdered by crime boss Clarence Boddicker, a killer associated with the deaths of 31 police officers. One of the police officers was only critically injured, but his outlook is grim.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
At one of the police precincts we see officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) arrive after being transferred from a different precinct. It’s noted that OCP has been shuffling quite a few officers around the city as they run the police program. When Murphy goes to the locker room he notices that several of his fellow officers are very upset with the way that OCP continues to deteriorate the police department. There’s talk of the officers going on strike soon.
After suiting up in his gear, Alex Murphy is introduced to his new partner, officer Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen). The two of them leave and head out on patrol of their section of the city.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
Over at OCP’s headquarters, “The Old Man,” — the OCP chairman (Dan O’Herlihy) — has called the company’s executives together for an important meeting. OCP executives Robert “Bob” Morton (Miguel Ferrer) and Donald Johnson (Felton Perry) can only speculate as to what the meeting is about as apparently the company doesn’t like to announce anything ahead of schedule. After “The Old Man” shares his vision about “Delta City,” OCP senior president Richard “Dick” Jones (Ronny Cox) shares a live demonstration of the ED-209, a law enforcement robot designed to fight back against Detroit’s seemingly unstoppable crime problem. Coincidentally, having ED-209s would also eliminate the need for most of the police department.
But as we see in the demonstration, ED-209’s programming is still a bit off. It doesn’t recognize that the pretend “criminal” is no longer a threat. The ED-209 uses lethal force and brutally kills the company worker with all of its firepower. “The Old Man” is furious with Dick Jones’s robot program.
That’s when Bob Morton steps up and informs “The Old Man” about his alternate robotic police program, one that uses a half-human, half-robotic cyborg. “The Old Man” approves of Morton’s project, titled “RoboCop,” and gives him the green light to proceed. Now all Morton needs is a recently deceased police officer to give his program a test run.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
While they’re out on patrol, Murphy and Lewis receive a notification about a recent bank robbery. The robber is none other than Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) and his gang of criminals. Murphy and Lewis quickly catch up with the criminals’ getaway vehicle, and a short gunfight between the two vehicles ensues. When one of the robbers is seriously injured, Clarence has his men toss the guy onto the police car. This separates the vehicles and buys them time to make a brief getaway.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
It’s just a brief getaway though as Murphy and Lewis quickly find the robbers’ abandoned van parked at the old steel mill. No backup is available to help them, so the two police officers separate and head into the steel mill. Anne Lewis finds one of the criminals, but he distracts and then attacks her, knocking her unconscious. Alex Murphy finds a few other criminals, but as he’s holding one of them at gunpoint the others appear. Clarence Boddicker taunts Murphy before using a shotgun to blow off the officer’s right hand. His gang members then use shotguns to brutally torture the wounded police officer. He’s still alive when they run out of ammunition, so Clarence finishes Murphy by using a pistol to fire a shot into Murphy’s head.
Thanks to Anne Lewis finding Murphy, he’s still alive when paramedics rush him into an emergency room at the hospital. Unfortunately, the doctors are unable to save his life. Murphy has flashbacks of his life as he dies in the operating room.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
Time passes and all of a sudden we see things from Alex Murphy’s point-of-view. Only he is now some sort of robot in an OCP research laboratory. We see as technicians slowly build the cyborg, testing out features and making further modifications. Everything appears to work and Bob Morton is exceptionally pleased with the final product — RoboCop.
There’s a celebration as RoboCop is officially finished and transferred to the Detroit police department. The robot has three prime directives: serve the public trust, protect the innocent, and uphold the law. Unknown to pretty much everybody else, there’s a fourth directive but it’s classified.
At the firing range most of the Detroit police officers see RoboCop for the first time. They’re clearing impressed by both his shooting accuracy and firepower. Anne Lewis notices the way that RoboCop spins his gun before holstering it, something that her deceased partner, Alex Murphy, used to do. RoboCop then gets into a patrol car and heads out on patrol.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
One his first patrol, RoboCop stops an armed robbery in progress, he helps a defenseless woman fight off two thugs, and he helps resolve a hostage situation (by killing the hostage taker, of course). The cyborg police officer is extremely effective in fighting crime, and news of his abilities is surely going to make criminals think twice before breaking the law.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
Robert Morton is promoted to vice president after the success of the RoboCop program, but Dick Jones is still furious about it. They two of them have an argument in the executive restroom where Dick Jones threatens Bob Morton.
At the police station, RoboCop is in a “sleep” mode when he suddenly begins to have visions and memories of his life as Alex Murphy. He “wakes” from his nightmares and starts to leave the police station. Anne Lewis sees him and tries to talk to him. Lewis thinks that RoboCop is really her ex-partner and she tells him that he’s really Murphy. RoboCop then leaves and patrols the city.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
One of Boddicker’s gang members, Emil (Paul McCrane), is robbing a gas station when RoboCop arrives. When RoboCop tells him, “Dead or alive, you’re coming with me,” Emil becomes terrified. He recognizes the cyborg as the police officer that his gang killed a while back. He shoots at RoboCop before tossing his cigarette into a pool of gasoline, blowing up the gas station. RoboCop isn’t hurt by the flames, and he shoots at Emil’s motorcycle, causing him to crash and be taken prisoner.
RoboCop returns to the police station and accesses the computer terminals. He uses his photo and video recording features to match Emil’s face to that in the database. He finds the criminal along with his associates, including Clarence Boddicker. When he looks up Boddicker’s crimes, RoboCop discovers that one of his victims was Alex Murphy, the person that Anne Lewis told him that he was. He notices Murphy’s address and decides to visit that house.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
When RoboCop arrives at the house he discovers that it’s unoccupied and listed for sale. Alex Murphy’s wife left and took their son after learning that her husband was killed. As RoboCop walks through the now empty house, he has memories of being a husband and father. He then sets out after Clarence Boddicker to get his revenge.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
Meanwhile, Bob Morton is at home sniffing cocaine with two prostitutes when he’s paid a visit by Clarence Boddicker. Clarence orders the women out of the house before using a silenced pistol to shoot Morton a few times in the legs. As he’s in extreme pain, Morton tries to make a deal with Clarence and pay him whatever he wants as long as he doesn’t kill him. Clarence plays a tape of Dick Jones making a final statement to Bob Morton, telling him why he’s about to be killed. The killer then places a hand grenade near Morton and then leaves the house. Bob Morton is killed in a large explosion.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
Clarence Boddicker then visits Sal (Lee de Broux), one of the biggest drug suppliers in the area. As the two of them come to an agreement for using each other’s criminal sources, suddenly RoboCop arrives. He shoots his way through the building, killing most of the armed criminals. When he finds Clarence, RoboCop beats him up pretty badly. Just as he’s about to kill him, Clarence tells him that he’s working for Dick Jones. He also reminds RoboCop that he’s a cop, and as a cop, RoboCop knows that he’s not supposed to kill criminals, no matter how dangerous they are.
When Clarence Boddicker is taken to the police station, he’s booked as a cop killer.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
RoboCop then goes to OCP’s headquarters to arrest Dick Jones. When he arrives in Jones’s office, the senior president offers to be placed under arrest. As we see, RoboCop is unable to arrest Dick Jones. The classified fourth directive in RoboCop’s programming forbids him from arresting any of OCP’s senior officers. Any attempt to do so results in RoboCop shutting down.
As RoboCop is weakened, Dick Jones brings out the ED-209. The ED-209 targets RoboCop and the two machines fight in Dick Jones’s office. RoboCop is able to escape to a stairwell, a terrain that the ED-209 cannot manage. The ED-209 is helpless after it falls down some stairs and lands on a landing.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
A police SWAT team is waiting for RoboCop in the building’s underground garage. The police officers from that precinct try to stop the SWAT team, but they open fire on RoboCop on orders from Dick Jones. The cyborg is damaged but is able to escape from the gunfire. Anne Lewis rescues RoboCop, and the two of them drive to the abandoned steel mill so that RoboCop can repair himself. When RoboCop repairs himself, Anne sees that much of Alex Murhpy’s personality still exists inside of the cyborg.
The next day, Clarence Boddicker pays Dick Jones a visit at OCP. It’s presumed that Clarence made a phone call to Jones after he was arrested, and Jones was able to pull some strings to get him released. In his office, Dick Jones tells Clarence that RoboCop needs to be destroyed as its video evidence is admissible in court. If Clarence can destroy RoboCop, then Dick Jones will allow Clarence to be a crime boss in “Delta City,” an area that will be ripe for drugs, prostitution and gambling. To help him destroy the cyborg, Dick Jones gives Clarence’s gang some advanced military weapons.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
The Detroit police department goes on strike and crime spikes. Emil is released from jail and he re-joins his gang. Clarence Boddicker gives them some very powerful rifles. They then use the tracking system and discover that RoboCop is hiding in the old steel mill.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
Clarence’s gang arrives at the abandoned steel mill, and a large battle takes place between them and RoboCop and Anne Lewis. They’re able to kill some of the gang members. At one point Emil is washed with toxic waste and he partially mutates. He’s then killed when Clarence tries to make a getaway in a 6000 S.U.X. car. Clarence’s car crashes and Anne Lewis is shot and critically injured. RoboCop is also injured when a gang member drops a bunch of steel scrap metal on top of him. When Clarence climbs on top of RoboCop and tries to finish killing him, Robo stabs Clarence in the neck, killing him.
RoboCop (1987) – (c) Orion Pictures
RoboCop then returns to OCP’s headquarters. He uses one of the advanced rifles to shoot and destroy an ED-209 that’s guarding the building. RoboCop then walks into a meeting being conducted by “The Old Man,” and he plays back the recorded video confession of Dick Jones telling RoboCop why he killed Bob Morton. This infuriates Dick, and he takes “The Old Man” hostage. “The Old Man” fires Dick Jones, allowing RoboCop to shoot him as he no longer qualifies for the fourth directive. Dick Jones is shot several times and then falls out a window, plunging to his death.
RoboCop ends with the cyborg telling “The Old Man” that his name is Alex Murphy.
So is RoboCop a good movie?
If you love science fiction loaded with bloody violence, then you cannot go wrong with RoboCop!
This is a dark film loaded with graphic violence while also telling a fantastic tale of man versus machine. Here you have a dedicated police officer who’s gunned down in the line of duty. He’s basically resurrected in the form of a cyborg. Once the machine learns its true identity, the human part re-emerges and seeks out revenge against the criminals who destroyed Murphy’s life.
The acting is great, the special effects and make-up are outstanding, and the music by Basil Poledouris is rather haunting and creepy, which is quite fitting for this film. If you watch the director’s cut of the film, be ready for a LOT of bloody violence. The film is so loaded with graphic violence that it originally had an NC-17 rating.
Obviously, RoboCop is not a film for everybody. You’ll want to keep the kiddies from watching this one.
RoboCop (1987) – movie trailer
I love this film. It’s not perfect, but RoboCop is a great 1980s sci-fi film with plenty of action and memorable quotes. It’s just a shame that its sequels weren’t anywhere near as good as the original film. One can only hope that the 2014 remake will bring the film some justice.
Bob Morton – “What are your Prime Directives?”
RoboCop – “Serve the public trust, protect the innocent, uphold the law.”
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RoboCop – “Dead or alive, you’re coming with me!”
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Bixby Snyder – “I’d buy that for a dollar!”
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Commercial Voice-Over – “It’s back! Big is back, because bigger is better than ever! 6000 SUX: An American Tradition!”
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RoboCop – “Book him!”
Sgt. Reed – “What’s the charge?”
RoboCop – “He’s a cop killer.”
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Dick Jones – “I had to kill Bob Morton because he made a mistake. Now it’s time to erase that mistake.”
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The Old Man – “Nice shooting, son. What’s your name?”
RoboCop – “Murphy.”