RoboCop (1987)

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Edward Neumeier (written by) &
Michael Miner (written by)

Release Date:

17 July 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Part man. Part machine. All cop. The future of law enforcement.

Plot:

In a dystopic & crime ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him.

Plot Keywords:

Police Station | Tragic Hero | Visceral | Extreme Violence | Police Arrest

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Peter Weller	...	Officer Alex J. Murphy / RoboCop
Nancy Allen	...	Officer Anne Lewis
Dan O'Herlihy	...	The Old Man (as Daniel O'Herlihy)
Ronny Cox	...	Dick Jones
Kurtwood Smith	...	Clarence Boddicker
Miguel Ferrer	...	Bob Morton
Robert DoQui	...	Sergeant Warren Reed
Ray Wise	...	Leon Nash
Felton Perry	...	Johnson
Paul McCrane	...	Emil Antonowsky
Jesse D. Goins	...	Joe Cox (as Jesse Goins)
Del Zamora	...	Kaplan
Calvin Jung	...	Steve Minh
Rick Lieberman	...	Walker
Lee de Broux	...	Sal (as Lee DeBroux)

Runtime:

102 min | Finland:91 min (heavily cut) | Germany:78 min (cut version) | Norway:98 min (cut version) | USA:103 min (unrated director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | USA:X (original rating) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1988) | Brazil:14 | USA:R (certificate #28646) | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) (re-rating) (2004) | Germany:18 (re-release) (JK/SPIO) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) | Italy:T | Malaysia:18SG | Spain:13 (DVD rating) | Canada:18A (Ontario) (re-rating) (2004) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (also director's cut) | South Korea:15 | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2004) | Germany:16 (cut version) | Finland:K-15 (uncut) (DVD rating) | West Germany:18 (cut) (video premiere) | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:(Banned) (1987) | UK:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:M (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:(Banned) | Iceland:16 (cut) | Ireland:18 (director's cut) | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M (video rating) | New Zealand:R18 (director's cut) | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | Singapore:M18 (director's cut) (uncut version) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Building One, Studios at Las Colinas - 6301 North O'Connor Road, Irving, Texas, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In Sacramento, California a robbery suspect fled into a darkened movie theatre to escape pursuing police. He became so engrossed in the movie playing on screen, Robocop, that he failed to notice that police had evacuated all other patrons from the theatre. When the lights flipped on, the stunned man was taken into custody.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the employee is being shot in the meeting, blood packs are visible on his back.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Slimey Lawyer: Attempted murder? It's not like he killed someone. This is a clear violation of my client's civil rights.
Bail Bondsman: Make it aggravated assault and I can make bail in cash, now.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Muchachada nui: (#1.9)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Show Me Your Spine

One of the best films of the genre!!!

When I first saw "Robocop" on Showtime back in 1989, I was about 8 years old. It was definitely the most violent, and one of the most sophisticated films I'd ever seen (at that time...being 8, my dad had issues with showing me "Blade Runner" though he seriously wanted me to since it was first released). Everything about the film grabbed me on some level. A lot of people seem to really like this film, though I've heard a share of people and critics say that it's a second-rate film due to the extensive violence and sappy dialogue, calling it cartoon-ish. Well, I have to say that the cartoon-ish quality to the film is part of its allure. It's not only a humorous device for the sake of entertainment, but its significance to the story is great. This is a dystopian future where big companies control almost every part of our existence, from the government to the police to our domestic lives. It's almost Orwell-ian (anybody notice how the OCP building is the tallest in the city?). It's a future where criminals run rampant in every form, from street thugs to business execs. Seriously, the head villain is a greedy business suit who uses a street gang to create trouble so he can provide a solution in the form of a droid with enough firepower to put up a fight with a tank...only to have that blow up in his face and mutilate a fellow exec at its unveiling. Bill Gates never had a bad day like this. Or how about when the gang blows Murphy into a million pieces with enough shotgun ammo to make even the NRA cringe, totally destroying any remnants of his right arm. It's cartoon-ish because it's a comentary on the direction the world could conceivably take, while at the same time being a source of entertainment. Whether the entertainment value was intended for people who love to see guns blazing or for people who like to see horrifying sights (Murphy's execution, for as long as it was and as bloody as it was, HAD to demand a lot of sympathy from people...if it didn't, there's something wrong with you, and let's not forget when Robocop was getting shot up by the swat team). This film has everything going for it. A plot that exists on more levels than its B-movie surface. It's a social commentary, a satire, an action film, a sci-fi film, and at times even a comedy (when Robocop dragged the guy away by his hair, I laughed like mad). The acting is great, the effects are great (not perfect, but that adds to the visual appeal because it's as gritty as the story), the music is great (kudos to Basil Poledouris on an amazing score), and overall...this film is one of the greatest films of its genre. I wouldn't call it "THE" greatest, but it's very high up there. I still have yet to see the uncut Director's version, but knowing Paul Verhoeven's work as I do, I know it must be far more brutal than the domestic version (hard to grasp with how far this film goes, but...it evidently went further, showing just how cartoon-ish things can get I suppose). I give it a definite 10/10!!!