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[edit] Robocop

[edit] Themes

Though it is presented as a special-effects-laden action film, RoboCop does explore a few themes.

In the Criterion Edition DVD commentary track, executive producer Jon Davison and writer Edward Neumeier both point to the decay of American industry from the 1970s through the early 1980s. The abandoned rust belt-style factories that RoboCop and Clarence Boddicker's gang use as hideouts demonstrate this theme. Massive unemployment is prevalent, being reported frequently on the news, as is poverty and the crime that results from economic hardship.

The concept of dehumanization is also represented in the title character. Murphy is killed in the line of duty and rebuilt as a cold, mechanized, and violent being. Although he later seems to regain some of his humanity, his ruthlessness in dealing with criminals is quite outside the boundaries of reasonable use of force employed by the police. His methods are, however, amazingly effective against the criminal elements of the city, with the movie depicting crime decreasing dramatically where RoboCop is operating.

In contrast to the theme of dehumanization is the theme of regaining one's humanity. Although Murphy has become "RoboCop", during the last sequence of the movie we find that despite being a product of OCP, his basic core of individuality has not been lost. The president of OCP says, "Nice shooting son, what's your name?" Murphy declares, "Murphy." It is now clear that he is no longer just a programmed and manufactured amalgam of flesh and robotics, but an individual.

Another theme is the sense of justice finally being brought to vicious and remorseless criminals. The criminals mercilessly execute Murphy as well as many other cops and innocent citizens and are involved in drug trafficking, murder, and prostitution which to them is merely a form of business. A key point is that lawyers, probably controlled by ruthless corporate executives, are able to release criminals within hours or days despite the severity and number of crimes they were charged with. This shows the inability of the judicial system to effectively contend with criminals, and the only way for the citizens of Detroit to be truly safe is when Murphy "deals" with them.

Illegal drugs, cocaine in particular, also take center stage; Clarence and his gang are cocaine entrepreneurs seeking to expand their empire, and Bob Morton cavorts with two prostitutes while snorting a large amount of the stimulant.

The movie is also a condemnation of Reagan's America, such as "free trade" movements and privatization of social services that allows a corporation like OCP to take over the police force. Also criticized is Reagan's Star Wars program, which causes the deaths of two ex-presidents in a firing malfunction. The media is also mocked for its perkiness and support of the corporate party line.

  • In several articles and interviews previously published and also on the DVD commentary to the film (in the scene where Murphy is tortured by Boddicker and a later scene in the film when Robocop confronts one of his original killers with the line "I'm not here to arrest you anymore"), Paul Verhoeven revealed that, despite not being a Christian, he was mostly inspired to make the film about a good cop getting killed and returning from the dead as a much stronger superhero come to judge those that killed him and/or commit heinous crimes, because of the script's many deliberate parallels with the Bible and the crucifixion story of Jesus Christ. Verhoeven had made the movie De Vierde Man four years earlier, which relies heavily on Christian symbolism.
  • Another source of inspiration for the title character, pointed out in the Criterion Edition DVD commentary track, is the Marvel Comics character Iron Man. In the scene where RoboCop stops the convenience store robbery, there is an Iron Man comic in the magazine rack, which can be seen right before the criminal arrives at the checkout counter.


  • RoboCop was directed by Paul Verhoeven. This was his second American movie (Verhoeven is Dutch); however, when he first glanced through the script, he threw it in the garbage. Afterwards, his wife read the script more thoroughly and convinced Paul that the plot had more substance than he originally assumed.
    RoboCop, as portrayed by actor Peter Weller
    Enlarge
    RoboCop, as portrayed by actor Peter Weller


[edit] Production

  • The film was originally given an X rating by the MPAA in 1987. After Verhoeven deleted some blood and gore from the first boardroom scene, Murphy's execution (where his entire right arm is severed by a shotgun blast and a final overhead shot of Murphy's bloody corpse), and the final battle with Clarence Boddicker, it was re-evaluated and given an R rating. The original version was included on the Criterion Collection laserdisc and DVD of the film (both now out of print), as well as the 2005 trilogy box set version.
  • The writers accidentally were stuck at an airplane terminal with a high ranking movie executive for several hours and it is there that they told the movie executive their idea, and set into motion the chain of events which eventually became RoboCop the movie.
  • Many of the urban settings of the movie were filmed in downtown Dallas, Texas, due to the futuristic appearances of the buildings. Dallas City Hall (combined with some matte paintings) was used as the exterior for the fictional OCP Headquarters.
  • When filming in Dallas during the summer of 1986, Peter Weller was losing three pounds a day due to sweat loss while wearing the RoboCop suit in 100+ degree temperatures. Peter's personal assistant, Todd Trotter, was responsible for keeping Peter cool in between takes with electric fans and, when available, large ducts connected to free-standing air conditioning units. The suit later had a fan built into it.
  • Todd Trotter was also responsible for Peter Weller's Sony Walkman, which played a single audio cassette known as "RoboMusic". Peter Weller listened to "RoboMusic" in between takes to help him stay in character. The actual content of "RoboMusic" is known only to Peter Weller and Todd Trotter, but many fans speculate that the cassette was filled with sounds of machinery, computer noises and other machine-themed sound effects.
    6000 SUX adversement.
    Enlarge
    6000 SUX adversement.
  • "Barbara", secretary of OCP executive Dick Jones, is played by Joan Pirkle, real-life wife of Kurtwood Smith.
  • The Ford Taurus was used as police cars in the movie due to their then-futuristic design. Additionally, the main competitor of the Ford Taurus at the time was the Pontiac 6000, which is parodied by its movie counterpart, the "6000 SUX".
  • The 6000 SUX itself was based on a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass with extensive bodywork. Commercials advertise the SUX as "an American tradition" with a fuel efficiency of 8.2 miles per gallon. In early production, it was to be powered by jet turbines. The exhaust of the turbine is still visible above the rear license plate of Clarence Boddicker's SUX in chase scenes. Living up to its name, the inside rearview mirror falls off when the roof of the car is slapped in the last third of the movie.
  • Although cameras are now forbidden to be taken there, a lot of the movie (including the final battle scene) was filmed on Zug Island, which is a man-made industrial island now used primarily for car manufacturing.
  • The first and third films were scored by Basil Poledouris.
  • In the original script, RoboCop killed Boddicker by bludgeoning his head in with his metallic fist. When Paul Verhoeven was set to shoot the scene, he wanted to have RoboCop stab Boddicker right in the eyeball with his interface spike, but realized the censors would not allow it. Verhoeven then contemplated having RoboCop shove his interface all the way through Boddicker's chin, jaw and mouth, but again realized that the censors would not allow it. Verhoeven then settled for having RoboCop stab Boddicker in the throat.
  • In one version of the script, the black thug Joe, arguably the most sadistic of Boddicker's thugs, is killed after RoboCop sent him falling onto an iron pole at the junkyard, where Joe was then torn apart by dogs. Instead, the finished film shows Joe simply being shot down by RoboCop.
  • The oddball TV show with its catchphrase "I'd buy that for a dollar!" seen throughout the movie is called It's Not My Problem. This is not shown in the movie, but is rather revealed by script writer Ed Neumeier on the commentaries track of the RoboCop Trilogy DVD release.
  • Both the Teaser and Theatrical trailers use the famous theme from The Terminator.
  • The oddball TV show with its catchphrase "I'd buy that for a dollar!" seen throughout the movie is called It's Not My Problem. This is not shown in the movie, but is rather revealed by script writer Ed Neumeier on the commentaries track of the RoboCop Trilogy DVD release.
  • RoboCop's gun is a modified Beretta 93R.

[edit] Cultural references

[edit] Title with the name 'Robo'


[edit] Generic Term

[edit] Prime Directive Reference

  • The prime directives were mimicked in the strategy section of the now out-of-print GMR magazine.
  • In the popular webseries Red vs Blue there is a shot from the point of view of the character of Lopez, a Spanish robot, where four directives are displayed as RoboCop's are:
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES
  1. FIX EVERTHING
  2. HATE THE ORANGE ONE (Grif)
  3. CALL MOM MORE OFTEN
  • In the ninth episode of Sailor Moon (episode #6-en), about 18 minutes into the episode, Sailor Mercury's computer screen shows the first three prime directives.

[edit] Other Appearances

  • RoboCop appeared during the World Championship Wrestling Capital Combat pay-per-view in 1990, where he saved Sting who was trapped in a cage.
  • In one point of the movie Indian in the Cupboard the main character tests the cupboard by bringing amongst others: a dinosaur, Darth Vader, and RoboCop who says "Halt!"

[edit] Parody

  • Another episode of Beavis and Butt-head has Beavis & Butt-head watching a RoboCop clone called Iron Justice. Beavis is nearly killed when he attempts RoboCop's signature stunt of crashing into a wall.
  • The multiplayer mode character Cyborg Chimp in Timesplitters: Future Perfect is a parody of RoboCop. It even has a banana in its concealed holster.


[edit] Useful?

  • In a Korean comic book series called Super Board one of the characters become the king of the land guarded by army of sword (later replaced with a fly swatter) wielding Robocops.
  • In Mitch Clem's comic strip Nothing Nice To Say, Fletcher creates a crossword puzzle where are the answers are Robocop.
  • In a Christmas episode of Beavis and Butt-head, a TV program is shown of RoboCop gunning down two men with a Santa Claus hat while a child shouts "You saved Christmas!"
  • The game show host in Smash TV says "I'd buy that for a dollar!" during gameplay.
  • A screenshot of a Japan-only Square Enix RPG called Egg Monster Hero depicts a Moogle named Mecha Moogle that has the distinct RoboCop appearance, as well as the stance he takes while he is firing his gun, one hand back and the other extended forward, firing the gun. The Moogle is saying, "Thank you for your Kupo-peration."
  • In 1989, UK hip-hop artist Silver Bullet had chart success with 20 Seconds To Comply, featuring numerous samples from the first film.
  • mc chris references RoboCop several times on his album Life's a Bitch and I'm Her Pimp, including the tussin and dq blizzard.
  • In the video game StarCraft, when you repeatedly click on a Protoss Dragoon, which looks like a robotic spider, it says, "Drop your weapon. You have 15 seconds to comply."
  • The 1989 Japanese Metal Hero tokusatsu series Kidou Keiji Jiban features a plot basis very similar to the of Robocop, in which a young rookie officer is killed by a monster in the line of duty, only to be rebuilt as a new robotic officer who defends Japan by fights against savage monsters made by an insane scientist. However, Jiban had the ability to switch from his 'human' guise into his robotic form when needed.
  • In an episode of the British Sci-Fi comedy Red Dwarf entitled "DNA," series hero Dave Lister and crew discover a derelict space craft. While searching for survivors, they happen across a machine that can sample a lifeform's DNA and restructure it to suit any desired form. After an experiment with Lister's Chicken Vindaloo dinner creates an insane Curry Monster, Lister decides that the only way to stop it is to use the machine to transform himself into "A Superhuman — Man Plus." The transformation shows Lister with half of his body covered by the Robocop costume... but only a foot tall. He kills the creature by throwing a can of beer into its mouth and shooting it, realizing that lager is "the only thing that can kill a vindaloo!"
  • In Hot Shots! Part Deux, as Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is fighting, a digital counter displays the body count. At one point in his progress in ringing up deaths, "Bloodier than Robocop" appears as a comment.
  • The videogame Perfect Dark for the Nintendo 64 has a gun called the MagSec-4. It looks almost exactly like the gun Robocop uses, and even comes equipped with a secondary fire of "3-round" bursts.
  • In Girlfriend of Steel 2, players can actually see Robocop in the game. However, this Robocop is different as a blue collar is exposed from its armor.
  • In the computer game Uplink: Hacker Elite, the player can hack into the OCP server. Inside the server, RoboCop's prime directives are listed.
  • In the 12th Episode of the Japanese anime Magical☆Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Ms. Aki appears dressed very similarly to RoboCop, but with her bare breasts protruding from the metal outfit.
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