RoboCop [R 18+]

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Starring: Peter Weller, Kurtwood Smith

Part machine, part man, all cop. The future of law enforcement.

It's been more than 20 years since the heavy–metal law–enforcement machine RoboCop burst onto screens, and it's a movie that has only grown in significance to pop culture and to film making. And it's quite possibly one of the last great action flicks of the 1980s (originally rated X in the US).

Directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Peter Weller in the title role, RoboCop is at times more a cynical black comedy poking holes in corporate greed and society out of control than a violent action popcorn movie. RoboCop marked the first major Hollywood production for Dutch director Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Black Book) and according to producer Jon Davison, the film's message is “fascism for liberals” — a politically liberal film done in the most violent way possible. It is now considered among many film scholars to be a masterpiece of subversive cultural criticism, exploring in a broader scope themes of media and human nature wrapped in a big budget action film package, using a slew of humorous advertisements (such as a board game called Nuke 'Em — “Get them before they get you!”) and news reports punctuating various scenes.

Set in a dystopian near future, Detroit, Michigan is spiraling out of control as violent crime and corruption spread like a virus throwing the city into financial ruin. The city government contracts the mega corporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) to fund and operate the police department, basically privatising it. OCP has no desire to rebuild “Old Detroit” but rather replace it with a modern utopia affectionately touted as “Delta City”. But, before construction can safely begin, OCP needs to end crime in the Old Detroit but knows already the overwhelmed and police department has lost control. The answer is a cop who never gets tired, follows directives like a program and always upholds the law — a “robo–cop.” Assuming the mantle is a mortally–wounded beat cop, Alex Murphy (Weller), who has been literally shot to pieces by a vicious gang of crooks. Stitched up, suited up, plugged in and effectively with all his humanity and memory wiped, RoboCop is born and hits the streets to administer the law.

However corruption within OCP, its dealing with organised–crime psychopath, Clarence Bodicker (a wickedly sadistic Kurtwood Smith from That 70s Show) and the slow re–awakening of Murphy's past memories begin to bring the best–laid plans to a grinding halt.

It's one of those movies well worth a second look, but given the cult following RoboCop gained after its initial, commercial success, chances are this is may be your third, fourth or fifth time.

The Astor is pleased to bring RoboCop back to the big screen with a BRAND NEW 35MM FILM PRINT for a generation too young to get in and see it at the movies (it was rated R after all). Loud, violent, chock–full of awesome bad guy lines (lead baddy Bodicker quips “Can you fly Bobby?” before hurling his own injured man out the back of a van) but scathingly–clever in its social and political commentary and observations,

RoboCop is more timely now than it was 1987 and probably more at home in the technological age we live in now. (AB)

Rating:

Jake Wilson writes in The Age

Internet Movie Database listing for RoboCop.

Original theatrical trailer for RoboCop