RoboCop - Director's Cut (1987) *****

RoboCop (1987) is a perfect film and one of my Top 100 Films. While there is certainly a cursory level of nostalgia involved in that assessment, RoboCop holds up, not just as a top notch genre film—along with that other perfect sci-fi actioner of 1987, Predator (my review here)—but also as a commentary on ‘80s excess: capitalism, corrupt corporatism, and consumerism.

Peter Weller, as Murphy/RoboCop, brings an emotional weight absent from most other macho ‘80s action movies. He does an exceptional job of conveying gravitas while in heavy makeup and primarily obscured by his costume for the majority of the film. Nancy Allen, as Lewis, provides a uniquely androgynous and tough charm but also heart—which is pivotal to her relationship with Murphy. 

In addition, the film is populated by an all-star cast of supporting character actors—Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, and Miguel Ferrer as smarmy one percenters, Kurtwood Smith and Ray Wise as despicable yet charismatic gangsters, and Robert DoQui as a hard-as-nails sergeant. These supporting players approach tropes, to be sure, but satisfyingly so. A lot of that is thanks to the airtight script by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner featuring many memorable, humorous, and quotable one-liners. 

Director Paul Verhoeven's mad genius is on full display in his first major Hollywood picture. RoboCop is filled with many themes—including tragedy and trauma, as the titular character copes with the loss of his life, his family, and his autonomy (mega-corp OCP control his actions). Robo is presented as "Christ with a gun"—he is crucified, resurrected, and a scene near the end of the film even provides the illusion of him walking on water.

One of the film's strongest components is its pace—there is a relentless energy provided by the editing, but there are still important moments of reflection. RoboCop famously received numerous "X" ratings by the MPAA (before they finally settled on an "R") due to its graphic violence. It's amusing to note what they made a fuss about—seconds of footage that were trimmed but luckily still exist in the Director's Cut. Make no mistake though, RoboCop is excessively, absurdly gory, but it's all in service of the story. When the film was accused of being fascist, one of its producers, Jon Davison, referred to the film's message as "fascism for liberals"—which is perfectly apt.

The artistry in RoboCop is astounding—the cinematography, production design, makeup, visual effects, matte paintings, stop motion, and of course master effects creator Rob Bottin's brilliant, sleek, and iconic RoboCop suit design. Every department's contribution compliments one another—driven by a grand, bombastic, and poignant orchestral score by composer Basil Poledouris.

RoboCop is the blockbuster that has it all—it's a B movie with an A budget, a hyper-violent cyberpunk action spectacle that doubles as a thought-provoking satire of American culture and stands as an all-time classic.

You can find my Paul Verhoeven Feature Films Ranked list here.