Robocop

PLOT:

The film is set in a dystopian near future, in Detroit, Michigan. Violent crime is out of control, and the city is in financial ruin. The city government contracts the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) to fund and operate the police department, in effect privatizing it. OCP is not interested in rebuilding “Old Detroit” but rather replacing it with a modern utopia called “Delta City”. Before this construction project can begin, OCP wishes to end crime in the city, but knows it can’t rely on an already overwhelmed police department.

OCP Senior President Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) presents the new law enforcement droid ED-209, which he believes will end crime in Old Detroit, at an executive meeting. The demonstration quickly goes awry when ED-209 fails to recognize that the OCP volunteer dropped his weapon, as commanded by the droid. The unarmed executive unsuccessfully tries to flee and is gunned down. Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer) uses this opportunity to propose his alternative project, the RoboCop program, directly to the head of OCP (Daniel O’Herlihy) who accepts, earning Morton the wrath of Jones.

Detroit police officer Alex J. Murphy (Peter Weller), recently assigned to the Metro West precinct, is mortally wounded in action by a gang of criminals led by the notorious Clarence J. Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) and pronounced dead in the hospital. Murphy’s brain and face are rebuilt into a robot body, and he is dubbed RoboCop. RoboCop patrols the city and upholds the law and is extremely effective at stopping crime. Morton’s overwhelmingly successful project propels him to an OCP vice presidency, but Dick Jones warns him that his humiliation won’t go unanswered. Boddicker, who has been secretly working with Jones, later kills Bob Morton on Jones’ orders.

RoboCop starts to experience memories from his previous life and starts hunting Boddicker and his gang. Boddicker is arrested in a cocaine factory by RoboCop. In desperation, Boddicker inadvertently implicates Dick Jones. While trying to arrest Jones, RoboCop is stopped by a directive in his program, Directive Four, prohibiting him from arresting any senior OCP executive. RoboCop is severely damaged by an ED-209 unit and a police SWAT team but escapes with the help of his former partner, Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen).

Jones frees Boddicker and tasks him with the destruction of RoboCop, promising to make him a crime lord when OCP starts the construction of Delta City. Boddicker’s gang members, rounded up by RoboCop, are released when the police force goes on strike. Supplied with military weapons by Jones, they follow RoboCop to the same abandoned steel mill in which Murphy had been killed by the gang. In a final showdown, RoboCop and Lewis kill Boddicker and the gang. The battle leaves RoboCop damaged and Lewis wounded.

RoboCop proceeds to the OCP headquarters and reveals Jones’ criminal activities to the head of OCP. Jones tries to take the OCP head hostage. But as he starts making demands, he is fired, which refutes his protection under Directive Four. RoboCop immediately shoots Jones, forcing him through a window to fall to his death. When the head of OCP asks RoboCop for his name, he replies, “Murphy”, before leaving the boardroom.

REVIEW:

Back in the 80s, movies weren’t so scrutinized. Thusly, they were of higher quality. Robocop is no exception. While the effects aren’t on par with today’s standards, you can’t watch this and not be impressed.

I remember this being the first R rated movie I ever saw that wasn’t a horror movie. Today I look at it with different, more mature eyes. and still love it.

Though I do love it, there are some flaws. This could be because they spend so much on the origin part of the story. As far as I know, they didn’t know there were going to be two sequels, so there was no need to spend half the movie on it. Also, they could have spent a little more time developing the human aspect of Officer Murphy and a little more in depth with Clarence Boddicker. Those are just my opinions, though.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars