RoboCop (1987)
- Before Peter Weller was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Paul Verhoeven's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven, one of the most incisive and entertaining Hollywood satires ever disguised as a genre film. Peter Weller stars as Officer Alex Murphy, a Detroit police officer who is brutally murdered by a gang of criminals and rebuilt by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products as RoboCop โ a cyborg law enforcement officer intended to clean up Detroit's streets as a proof of concept before OCP privatizes the city. As RoboCop enforces the law with robotic efficiency, fragments of Murphy's human memories begin surfacing, and he discovers that his own murder was orchestrated by OCP executives.
Paul Verhoeven, a Dutch filmmaker bringing a European outsider's perspective to American culture, embedded savage satire of corporate greed, media sensationalism, privatization, and American violence within a visceral action thriller. The deadpan fake commercials and news segments punctuating the film โ for products like the 6000 SUX car and the Nukem board game โ were brilliant satirical touches. RoboCop earned $53 million worldwide on a $13 million budget and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
