Guest Author - Kirsten Olsen-Keyser

An extreme product of it’s time, Robocop spins the tale of a future Detroit in the grips of an epidemic crime wave. OCP, a mega corporation, is responsible for policing the city. Dissatisfied with the mortality rate of their all too human police department, OCP has a new weapon in the works; a super cyborg cop. All they need is that willing volunteer. Enter recently deceased (in a moment of gory cinema history) Officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller). He gave his life in the service of OCP and now in death his corpse is company property.

Directed by Dutchman Paul Verhoeven, Robocop is an outsider’s look at 1980’s America. Violent & blood-spattered, it exposes the brutality of corporate yuppies who step on each other to get ahead and the total mistreatment of employees who seem nothing more than expendable property.

The satire of American culture is evident in the over the top game show host that touts, “I’ll buy that for a dollar!” and automobile advertisements that swank the new “Bigger is Better” 6000 SUX, “An American Tradition. 8.2 MPG.”

Like Terminator before it, the theme of technology overtaking man is also evident. Naturally, when mixing man with machine there are going to be some mishaps and Verhoeven makes sure we see the gruesome realty of those calamities.

While Robocop may be seen as just an artifact of the age, there are some brilliantly acted scenes by Weller that really give this film the emotional depth necessary to take it into the next era. Who couldn’t empathize with a dutiful police officer who lost his life only to become part of some sinister corporate experiment?

The message is shrill and perhaps more akin to American society presently. Little has changed in the last 20 years since the release of the movie with the same concerns for the working sector, police departments overworked and underpaid and society often caring more for things than their fellow man.

One of the most important films of the 1980’s, Robocop is classic sci-fi shoot-em-up and a must have for your DVD collection. Available on Blue Ray disc, I highly recommend switching to this high definition version if you can. There are added special effects and of course the picture quality is outstanding. However, for some odd reason there are no special features for fans.

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Writers: Edward Neumeier
Michael Miner

MPAA Rating: R for violence, language and adult situations

NOTE: The following Robocop 2 was a mildly entertaining flick, the third installment was complete rubbish.