RoboCop (1987)

In director Paul Verhoeven's gory and ultra-violent sci-fi, cyber-cop action-thriller film, a sleeper hit, it told about the Frankenstein-like transformation of a police officer after his death at the hands of drug dealers - into a heavily armed enforcement robot:

• the introduction of good-guy veteran Detroit Officer Alex J. Murphy (Peter Weller), who transferred into the hellish, crime-ridden, Metro West Detroit precinct from Metro South; he was partnered with fierce veteran Officer Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen), often seen blowing chewing gum bubbles

Officer Murphy

Officer Anne Lewis

• meanwhile, in the boardroom of the megacorporation OCP (Omni Consumer Products), contracted to "run local law enforcement" (including the Detroit Metro Police Department), Senior President Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) announced plans for his company to transform the dystopic Old Detroit (suffering from the "cancer" of crime) into a utopian Delta City; he gave a stirring preview of future law-enforcement: "We need a 24-hour-a-day police officer. A cop who doesn't need to eat or sleep. A cop with superior firepower and the reflexes to use it"
• in the product demonstration sequence, he spoke about a new robotic ED (Enforcement Droid) for "urban pacification" - a Series 209 prototype; it was heralded as "a self-sufficient, law-enforcement robot" and "the hot military product for the next decade"; he introduced a giant, awkward, top-heavy robot to show a simulated arrest and disarming procedure of an "arrest subject" - an innocent opponent selected from the audience named Kinney (Kevin/Ken Page)
• when the demo began, ED-209 gave a stern warning when Kinney's Desert Eagle pistol was threateningly pointed at it: "Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply"; but the incompetent, poorly-performing ED-209 malfunctioned, stepped forward, growled in a deep voice, and warned: "You now have 15 seconds to comply," even when the gun was surrendered and thrown down on the floor; after a countdown, it mercilessly killed Kinney with a violent volley of shots, claiming it was now authorized to use "physical force" according to Penal Code 1.13, Section 9; Kinney died after falling backwards onto a model of Delta City
• after the murderous assault by ED-209, executive Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer) shouted for assistance to the hapless volunteer: "Somebody want to call a god-damn paramedic?"; the OCP's head of the board, the Old Man (Dan O'Herlihy) was upset by the failed robot, and spoke harshly to Senior President Dick Jones: "Dick, I'm very disappointed", and Jones responded - with a classic line: "I'm sure it's only a glitch, a temporary setback"; the Old Man was aghast: "You call this a glitch!! (pause) We're scheduled to begin construction in 6 months. Your 'temporary setback' could cost us 50 million dollars in interest payments alone!"
• the contingency plan (after the failure of ED-209) was the RoboCop program recommended by executive Bob Morton of OCP (causing antagonism from Jones), to create experimental cyborg cops
• while on patrol with Lewis investigating an armed robbery at a pharmaceutical company, the criminals were located in an abandoned steel mill; while Lewis was knocked unconscious, there was a prolonged, horrifying torture-killing sequence of the death of Officer Murphy - in the line of duty - his murder was delivered by the sadistic drug gang of punks led by "crime boss of Old Detroit" - Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith); when Murphy insulted Boddicker: "Buddy, I think you're slime," his gang laughed in unison; Boddicker responded: "See, I got this problem. Cops don't like me, so I don't like cops"
• as Boddicker made the sound of a tracking device, he aimed his shotgun at Murphy's right arm that was held down by Boddicker's foot; his right hand was mercilessly blown off with the shotgun - as the villain joked about the mutilation: "Well, give the man a hand"; the sadistic gang leader then told his thugs: "He's all yours"; then Murphy's entire right arm was blasted away - followed by a non-stop volley of gunshots into his body by the sadistic group functioning as a firing-squad; miraculously still alive, Boddicker executed Murphy with another blast to the head

Cop Murphy vs. Boddicker Murphy's Brutal, Sadistic and Merciless Murder

• after Murphy's recent death, his terminally-wounded body was rushed to a hospital in order to transform him into a half-human, half-robotic crime-fighting super-cop cyborg, known as RoboCop ("The Future of Law Enforcement"); as he was being operated upon in the trauma unit, Murphy began to relive and envision past events from his life (and would continue to do so); he experienced a few intermittent, ghost-like POV flash-backs of his old life as Police Officer Alex Murphy; his son Jimmy (Jason Levine) was watching a cop show on TV titled TJ Lazer, while his pink-robed wife Ellen (Angie Bolling) was in the bedroom intimately telling him: ("I really have to tell you something...I love you!") - there would be more visions later

RoboCop's First Flashbacks to Old Life as Murphy

• in a scene from Murphy's POV, Murphy was transformed and converted into RoboCop (with his outer skin composed of "titanium, laminated with Kevlar", and mechanical hands with 400 ft./lbs. of force); talking to RoboCop in close-up, executive Bob Morton gloated: "You're gonna be a bad motherf--ker!"; he promoted RoboCop's abilities: "The fastest reflexes technology has to offer, on-board computer-assisted memory, and a lifetime of on-the-street law-enforcement programming"
• afterwards, RoboCop was unveiled as he strode into the police station precinct where his abilities (tracking system, voice stress, etc.) were demonstrated, diagnosed, tested and monitored; the cyborg was continually being fed a brownish paste (tasting like "baby food") to replenish his organic systems; Morton questioned what RoboCop's three Prime Directives were - and RoboCop dutifully recited: "Serve the public trust, protect the innocent, uphold the law"; Directive 4 was considered "CLASSIFIED"
• during RoboCop's first night on patrol, he entered a convenience grocery store run by a couple (Marjorie Rynearson and Jo Livingston) that was in the midst of being robbed by a threatening trench-coated armed thief; bullets ineffectively bounced off RoboCop's bulletproof coverings; the cyborg law enforcer bent the shotgun's barrel, and punched the robber with a terrific blow, sending him unconscious into a refrigerator; his second encounter was against two criminals who were assaulting and raping a blonde woman (Donna Keegan); with precise aim, RoboCop shot the perpetrator in the groin (the bullet tracked through the female's dress and between her legs); he then threatened the second assailant: "Your move, creep!" - the thug immediately surrendered; RoboCop coldly told the grateful female: "Madam, you have suffered an emotional shock. I will notify a rape crisis center"
• during negotiations with a SWAT team at City Hall with crazed and desperate ex-city councilman Ron Miller (Mark Carlton) who held the mayor and his staff hostage and demanded a vote recount, the RoboCop calmly made his way to the 2nd floor; during the tense scene, the negotiator promised Miller "a bigger office...a new car...one with reclining leather seats that goes really fast and gets really s--tty gas mileage...with cruise control"; the negotiator also added: "Let the mayor go, we'll even throw in a Blaupunkt"; using thermal imaging, RoboCop located Miller, grabbed him through an adjoining wall, and punched him through a window to his death
• the scene of the RoboCop's PR visit with children when he was interviewed and asked by a reporter: "Any special message for all the kids watching at home!?" and the RoboCop's four-word reply: "Stay out of trouble"
• the film's many humorous commercial advertisements during news broadcasts - to satirize American consumer culture - e.g., the video home game Nukem ("Get them before they get you"), or later in the film, the car commercial for the gigantic, over-sized 6000 SUX sedan ("Big is back. Because bigger is better. SUX, an American tradition")

Nukem - Family Board Game

6000 SUX

• the confrontation sequence in a men's room urinal when an enraged Dick Jones (who was thought to be "pretty pissed") threatened Bob Morton for upstaging him with his RoboCop creation; asserting his authority as the "number two" man in the company behind the Old Man, he grabbed Morton's hair and warned: "You've insulted this company with your bastard creation....You just f--ked with the wrong guy....You better pray that that unholy monster of yours doesn't screw up"
• the scene at a SHELL gas station during a robbery in progress, when RoboCop recognized Emil Antonowsky (Paul McCrane), the gang member who shot off his right arm; he approached and ordered: "Drop it! Dead or alive, you're coming with me!"; Emil panicked, yelled out: "I know you. You're dead. We killed you!", and before zooming away, he set the station on fire; however, his bike was shot out from under him and RoboCop took the seriously-injured Emil into custody
• after learning the home address of Officer Murphy from a database on the police's mainframe computer, RoboCop visited his now-abandoned, for-sale former home at 548 Primrose Lane and experienced more hallucinations of his former life; besides seeing his son and wife, he also discovered a family photo in the kitchen, and again saw his wife in the bedroom; as RoboCop left the property, he punched the TV with a video-realtor imploring: ("Hey, have you thought it all over? Why not make me an offer?")

RoboCop's Visit To His Former Home

The Murphy Family Picture

RoboCop Destroying the Realtor's Video Monitor

• at his home, as Bob Morton was snorting cocaine with two call-girls, Clarence Boddicker entered with a firearm, commanded that the "bitches leave," crippled Morton by shooting him four times in the legs, and then played a CD video message from his boss, Dick Jones - he criticized the ambitious Morton's non-compliance with OCP protocols, necessitating his elimination: ("Do you know what the tragedy is here, Bob? We could have been friends. But you wouldn't go through proper channels. You went over my head. That hurt. But life goes on. It's an old story, the fight for love and glory. It helps if you think of it as a game, Bob. Every game has a winner and a loser. I'm cashing you out, Bob"); Boddicker pulled the pin on a hand grenade and set it on a coffee table before leaving; the weapon detonated and destroyed the house and Morton

Boddicker with Jones' Videotaped Message For Morton

Wounded Morton Struggling to Reach a Detonated Hand Grenade on the Coffee Table

• the next sequence was at a competitor's cocaine processing factory, where Boddicker threatened his criminal rival Sal (Lee de Broux) to give him a volume discount and/or join his distribution network; RoboCop interrupted and broke down the door, and a massive shootout commenced; after all of the gang members were shot dead, RoboCop brutally beat Boddicker, and forced him to confess his association with OCP's Senior President: ("I work for Dick Jones...He's the number two guy at OCP! OCP runs the cops! You're a cop!"); but RoboCop was unable to vengefully kill Boddiker because of Prime Directive 3 ("Uphold the law"); Boddicker was placed under arrest and transported to the police station, where RoboCop ordered: "Book him" - on charges of being a "cop killer," although shortly later, Jones paid the bail and freed him

RoboCop Assault on Boddicker - Forcing Him to Confess He Worked for Jones

Jones' Activation of Directive 4 - an OCP "Product Violation"

• the RoboCop then entered Jones' office in the modernistic OCP Tower, played a video recording of Boddicker's confession, and charged Jones with "aiding and abetting a known felon"; however, this activated the 'Classified' Directive 4 - Jones' system safeguard (or "insurance policy") by creating a "product violation" - it shut down RoboCop and prevented him, as an OCP "product," from harming an OCP official: (Jones: "Any attempt to arrest a senior officer of OCP results in shutdown...You're our product and we can't very well have our products turning against us, can we?"); Jones then openly admitted that he had ordered Morton's death: ("I had to kill Bob Morton because he made a mistake. Now it's time to erase that mistake")
• in the next sequence, Jones' ordered ED-209 to pursue RoboCop and eliminate him; the ED was unable to follow RoboCop down flights of stairs to the garage (due to his oversized, clumsy feet), and on his backside after falling, he had a childish temper tantrum - a film highlight; however, RoboCop was ambushed in the underground garage by police, and was able to escape, with Lewis' aid, to an abandoned steel mill
• after releasing Boddicker from jail, Jones was adamant that the RoboCop had to be eliminated, because the cyborg had recorded his guilt: ("He recorded every word you said. His memory's admissible as evidence! You involved me!"); he offered crime lord Boddicker and his thugs an enticing promise - full control of drugs, gambling, and prostitution during and after the construction of the planned community of Delta City ("Virgin territory for the man who knows how to open up new markets"); in exchange, Boddicker had to pursue and destroy RoboCop with major firepower - heavy military .50 caliber weapons and a tracking system
• the sequence of RoboCop removing his helmet - and viewing his reflection, while telling Lewis: "You may not like what you're going to see"; he asked about his wife and son, and learned they had moved away after Murphy's funeral to start over again; RoboCop reacted: "I can feel them. But I can't remember them"
• during the ensuing assault at the steel mill, Boddicker's men were quickly eliminated one by one; a special death was reserved for bad guy Emil - known as the Melting Man death scene; during the conflict, Emil drove a large truck-van directly at RoboCop: ("Now, I've got ya"), but was tricked when the RoboCop enforcer shot his windshield, spun away, and caused Emil to crash into a gigantic tank ominously labeled 'TOXIC WASTE'; from its back doors, the van spilled out gallons of toxic waste along with the quickly melting and liquifying driver; he gasped for breath as he crawled to his feet, noting his clawed hands and disintegrating flesh; he staggered around, moaning piteously: "Help me!"; his gory death occurred a few moments later when he stepped in front of Boddicker's speeding vehicle -- his body splattered explosively across the hood and windshield, obscuring the driver's view and causing him to crash upside-down

Acid Bath Dowsing and Body Splattering Death of Emil Antonowsky After He Drove His Truck at RoboCop and Hit a TOXIC WASTE Tank

• during a standoff between RoboCop and Boddicker, as RoboCop was pinned under scrap metal debris dropped onto him, Boddicker approached to finish him off with a large rail bar ("Sayonara, RoboCop!"), but RoboCop was able to maneuver himself to violently stab him in the throat with the computer data spike concealed in his fist
• in the film's climactic showdown, RoboCop returned to the OCP Tower, where he confronted and triumphed over ED-209 guarding the front entrance, by blasting its entire mid-section with Boddicker's giant high-powered weapon; RoboCop then turned his attention toward Jones who was leading a board meeting in the building; he approached with the statement: "Dick Jones is wanted for murder," and then played the recording of Jones' confession of Morton's murder to the board members; the desperate Jones grabbed a gun and took the OCP Old Man (the corporate President) hostage, with plans to flee in a chopper from the roof; his plan failed when the Old Man summarily fired Jones - thereby nullifying Directive 4; RoboCop fired at and killed Jones who was propelled backwards, smashed a window, and fell to his death; RoboCop then re-holstered his gun

Old Man Taken Hostage by Jones

Jones' Death

• to end the film, there was a memorable closing exchange between the very thankful and impressed Old Man and RoboCop after the villainous Dick Jones was dispatched: (Old Man: "Nice shootin', son. What's your name?", RoboCop: (pausing and then smiling) "Murphy")

"Nice shootin', son. What's your name?"

"Murphy"