Robocop

Your move creep!

Robocop is one of those movies that inspires debate, as well it should. The director, Paul Verhoeven (who later became an even bigger player with films like "Total Recall" and "Basic Instinct") has definitely indulged in extreme violence and has no qualms about presenting violence as an object of fun. But I would defend it even if its only virtue was its action sequences because those elements are handled so well. There's a number of imaginatively staged action scenes, and it never devolves into an arcade-style shooting gallery like so many 80s actions films do. The action is compelling because of Verhoeven's style and because he's given the characters enough substance that we care about what happens to them, including at least a half dozen interesting villains.

A lot of discussion has revolved around whether or not this film deserves to be called satire. Those looking for Moliere-like pearls in Verhoeven's modestly amusing commercial interruptions are understandably disappointed. This isn't the kind of movie that you can look at or objectify in order to access its ideas on an intellectual level. It's a different kind of beast: it must be entered into, it must fulfill its function as an action narrative first and foremost and it carries its ideas like a wedding train dragged by a semi-truck… a prominent after-thought. At any rate I feel it's closer to camp than satire, one of the first camp action films of the 80s style I would argue ("Remo Williams" being another, now largely forgotten). It's a good drinking movie, and this most recent time when I watched it my friend and I were laughing and yelling so much that we probably missed half the dialog. But I don't think we missed much of the point. If it was a satire, Robocop wouldn't emerge as such a serious figure invested with pathos and personality. The movie itself is best enjoyed in my opinion as a joyride with some interesting commentary about America's relationship to violence thrown in by way of farce; you wait for each villain to meet his fitting end and watch the carnage pile up. The villains are all so easy to hate, and all the actors playing them are having a lot of fun. Ronny Cox is fantastic as the corporate heel, but I've always enjoyed Kurtwood Smith the most. Really this is a very well-cast movie all around. I love the scene where Miguel Ferrer has his coke party interrupted by Smith with his bomb and his video. It's easy to underestimate the kind of skill Smith shows when he's so funny and obviously has his tongue in cheek but still manages to be convincingly sadistic and evil. Honestly, a comparison to Vincent Price in his heyday is not unwarranted.

Starting up!

Bad guys are so fucked.

Peter Weller for his part is adequate and it's a difficult role so that's no insult. I didn't care for Nancy Allen in the movie but I can't really put my finger on the reasons. I guess she just came across as very tentative. I think it was a small mistake for Verhoeven to have her play it in a more grounded mode; his butt-kicking females are more fascinating but he does always have problems directing female heroes (see "Showgirls" and "Total Recall" for example).

I think this is a pretty intelligent movie with some layers to it. It's better as science fiction than you would at first suspect, mining Frankenstein territory in a number of scenes – particularly where the callous nature of the creator is shown ("lose the arm") and when the police force turns on Robocop like the mob of angry villagers in Whale's film version. In Shelley's time perhaps a single scientist was a suitable object of terror, but by choosing corporate monster-makers the writers of this film gave the story a far more prescient object for paranoia. Indeed, even since I last saw the film in the late 90s, the film's central premise has become even more relevant due to America's misadventures with corporate security forces in Iraq. 

the Meanest Fucktards.

Just chillin' watching some youtube videos.

This time around I noticed all the elements of Western parody in the film. Not just the twirling pistol (which also, interestingly, performs a plot function by identifying Robocop as Murphy) but also in various other scenes. For example one poster here complained about the "generic" or obligatory nature of the convenience store scene and the rape scene where Robocop is introduced as a hero. I couldn't disagree more. They parallel the arrival of the hero in a traditional Western; the convenience store works for the trading post in "Shane", the nightclub scene doubles for a tavern brawl (i.e. the beginning of "Rio Bravo") and the attempted rape parallels any number of damsel in distress scenarios. That's a very funny scene for me because of the way the girl goes up to Robocop after he rescues her and kind of drapes herself over him ("My hero!"), a very prototypical American bit that you'd see in a Randolph Scott Western from the 40s. Robocop's sterile reaction is perfect, again a parody of the emotionless law enforcing gunfighter of the Old West of American mythology.

Robo Yoga.

More human than human.

I expect to find more and more interesting elements the more I watch the film over the years. I think recently its reputation has taken a slight hit – look at the interesting life this film has had. Originally it was a big hit both in theaters and on video. Over the years it was not forgotten because action movie fans would return to it and be surprised at how well it holds up and how many ideas are floating about beneath the surface. Then based on their recommendations movie-goers of a more intellectual bent gave the movie a chance and were disappointed. It's time for the pendulum to swing back and for the movie to be reclaimed as what it is – an intelligent violent film. 

Here's the movie trailer:

And as bonus track for those Robocop fans out there, a compilation of TV ads & parodies based upon this great law enforcer: