In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop
returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
Director:
Paul VerhoevenWriters:
Edward Neumeier, Michael MinerStars:
Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy |See full cast and crew »
Storyline : Detroit - in the future - is crime-ridden and run by a massive company. The company has developed a huge crime-fighting robot, which unfortunately develops a rather dangerous glitch. The company sees a way to get back in favor with the public when policeman Alex Murphy is killed by a street gang. Murphy's body is reconstructed within a steel shell and called RoboCop. RoboCop is very successful against criminals and becomes a target of supervillian Boddicker. Written by Colin Tinto <cst@imdb.com> / edited by statmanjeff
User Reviews :
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)
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)
