Review of RoboCop (1987) by Alexander C — 07 Dec 2012

''Nice shooting, son. What's your name?''''Murphy.''In a dystopic & crime ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him.

Peter Weller: Officer Alex J. Murphy / RoboCop''Come quietly or there will be... trouble.''Director Paul Verhoven, the director of Total Recall and Black Book unleashes a truly original concept in the form of a normal Policeman cruelly butchered by criminals only to be revived as a super-cop cyborg.

Initially his memory is lost but as the film goes on he gradually gets it back, and begins to remember the people who hurt him and memories of his lost family resurface. Next time when you watch Robocop, try to shift your focus from the cyborg, loud explosions and over the top gore towards the actual writing.

From the main theme of criticizing the modern money driven societies of Western Cultures, (a topic still relevant, and will be in the future as well) all the way to the smallest segments of dialogue, the writing is nothing short of perfection.

RoboCop is simply the most intelligent "action" film to come out of Hollywood in the 80s. Unfortunately, the cleverness is hidden between the lines of comic book action. No wonder so many people fail to see this film for what it really is.

Amazing cinematography, solid performances (especially from Kurtwood Smith and Miguel Ferrer), memorable musical score, etc...The list is limitless. Granted, the stop motion effects of ED-209 look quite old today but the concept and visuals of this metallic beast is astounding for the late 80s.

RoboCop has its faults, like the rather extreme toxic waste drenching scene or unrealistic nature cue OTT violence there, but who cares when it's so much fun in a gory graphic way. All I know is I never tire of watching Robocop.

For me, one of the best scenes of RoboCop comes at the very end. An old man asks the robot, "What's your name, son?" The robot cop turns his head, sports a wan smile, and says, ''Murphy.

" Then as he turns to start to walk away the camera cuts to black and the theme song roars in as we read the bold print on-screen that says, ROBOCOP.The final word being RoboCop is the ultimate in cyborg films.

It's an extraordinary journey of a man trying to find himself when all is taken from him unfairly, also an action film that starts and never loses momentum. In a time when every single action film out there presents us with overblown budgets, mediocre acting, sloppy writing, amateurish directing, horrible sub characters, and nothing but special effects.

RoboCop is a solid undying reminder that at one time, big comic book flicks were not always just of the Action genre but also ones of depth and hidden meanings rolled into the mix, Robocop is one of the finest examples out there.