RoboCop

Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Ray Wise
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
1987

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In Detroit, crime has overtaken the city. When a cop (Peter Weller) is mortally wounded, a large corporation turns him into RoboCop, a nearly indestructible cyborg who wages a war on crime.

Review:

Tim: RoboCop is surprisingly good. The movie could have easily been your typical mindless action movie. In the hands of director Paul Verhoeven, the movie is so much more. It is an action movie that also features commentary on class, big corporations, America's war on crime, technology verses humanity, and more. It can be viewed on the surface as an action thriller, but there is a great deal of complexity under the surface. For that reason, this movie is better than the average film.

I have to start off discussing the violence. Verhoeven ratches up the violence and the gore to a truly stunning level. On the one hand, this could be very off-putting. I admit there were moments when I cringed and wanted to look away. We see body parts explode, blood gush, and some ultra violent, gory destruction. The violence is hard to take, but it is a critical part of the film. This story depicts a society marred by violence and through violence it is fought. That is an important element of the film, even if it is hard to watch.

As far as an action movie, the film is solid. We have our hero, RoboCop, fighting against corruption and crime. He also has to go against a huge corporation that puts profits above morals. There are many terrific action scenes and iconic moments. The blood and the guts make it all feel that much more deadly and dangerous. We have villains who are complex and realistic (for the most part). The story is entertaining and exciting.

What is amazing is that Verhoeven took a typical action movie and made it into something special. Yes, the script certainly helped and was written with more intelligence than most action movies. However, Verhoeven's direction made this an entertaining, gritty, powerful movie. That is impressive.

I have to admit the film does have some flaws as well. I thought the portrayal of the group of criminals was quite poor. Why would the criminals be loud, yelling morons? I thought it was a juvenile portrayal of villains. It reduced them to the simplest, one-dimensional level. They are bad because they're bad. I wanted more, because the film has other villains who are significantly more developed.

All in all, RoboCop is an above average action movie. It has more intelligence and things to say than the typical story. It is a solid movie and a very entertaining one. Yes, it is ultra violent, but it's a very good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: RoboCop 2, RoboCop 3