In 1985, Paul Verhoeven made his Hollywood debut, Flesh and Blood, a film set in Italy in the year of 1501 about a bunch of mercenaries led by a splendid Rutger Hauer, yearning for a better life. The setting alone is peculiar enough to drive off American audiences. Despite its many qualities, the film flopped. Consequently, nobody expected Verhoeven to make a movie better suited to his unique stylistic devices – strong visual language, social satire and, first and foremost, explicit violence – two years later. RoboCop brought forth all the assets of Verhoeven’s approach to film making. Decades later, RoboCop was still relevant and popular enough to see a remake. Not that it ever needed a remake.
Dystopian science fiction has rarely ever felt as real and plausible as it does in RoboCop. Other than many films, it isn’t set a hundred years or more in the future. And it’s set in Detroit, once prosperous beacon to the industrialized capitalist world that hit rock bottom in the 70s, then dug deeper. It’s a world of contrast. Shiny and polished new buildings and wealth for the chosen few, filth (drugs), crime and run-down housing projects for the unfortunate masses. It is evident that technology couldn’t save the people from the inevitable poverty and self-evident criminality. Enforcing law and order seems to be a reasonable first step in rebuilding the city. Of course, not necessarily, for the sake of all the citizens, as the poor are driven out of their miserable homes, that still prove to be everything they’ve got. Even the best and most loyal police officers are powerless, as their numbers are limited, equipment dated and their efforts curtailed by a corrupt system. History repeats itself. That’s why technology, after failing the masses, is supposed to save the masses from themselves.
Written by Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner, the script is much more than a vehicle for science fiction action, even though it’s there. This is social criticism at its best, challenging the status quo of the 80s: big money, big corporations calling the shots, big divide between the rich and the poor. With some trailblazing new technology hitting the markets at outrageous prices, such as computers, and a mentality leaning towards technological progress solving all problems, Neumeier and Miner ask a substantial question. What are the limits to progress, both practically and morally, and will it be used for the benefit of all of mankind or rather to solidify walls separating the rich from the poor? The failure of robot police officers controlled by artificial intelligence only raises an even more complicated question. What remains if man and machine blend? This wouldn’t concern us much in RoboCop, if it weren’t for Peter Weller starring as police officer Alex Murphy.
Nice shootin’, son. What’s your name?
Old Man to RoboCop
Those regularly watching documentaries probably know Peter Weller as eloquent and well-informed presenter. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Roman and Renaissance History from Syracuse University, where he also taught classes, and a doctorate from UCLA. But most people probably don’t know him at all, or maybe remember him from films like Screamers (1995), ambitious but underfinanced productions mostly aired in the middle of the night. This is sad, as Weller is a highly capable actor and just the right fit to portrait Murphy/RoboCop. We feel his conflict between duty and family. And we’re shocked when he’s slaughtered in the line of duty by criminal Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith, know as Red Foreman in That 70s Show). Verhoeven spares his audience none, and explicit violence is certainly one of his key stylistic devices. The violence expresses a lot. A loss of innocence and morale. That integrity comes at a price. And also that culture can only thrive in social order. Against his will, Murphy is transformed into RoboCop. It’s difficult to tell where Murphy begins and the robot ends. Murphy’s emotions are suppressed by the operating system, his brain and nervous system exploited as additional “processor” to make up for the shortcomings of artificial intelligence. But there’s a big difference between RoboCop and Schwarzenegger’s Terminator. They both speak like machines, yet Weller found a magnificent way to express this oddity of a man amalgamated with too much robot to be bionic anymore. His movements are noticeably awkward – just like you would expect a robot to move. The public and the police department are critical of his service. Some certainly because they fear his power. Others because they find the idea of utilizing a man’s mortal remains to contribute to a machine against his will amoral. After all, you may wonder if Alex Murphy, the man and loving husband and father, could’ve been saved as a human being, given these technological possibilities.
Even though RoboCop is pleasing visually and action-driven, it is ethical questions that draw us in the most. It is science fiction at its finest. Innovative and skeptical without being overly intellectual and boring. From the time RoboCop appears, you invariably want to know what’s left of Murphy. And his soul can’t be suppressed by the machine. Murphy takes control of the machine, which is poignant. All the qualities that define him are still there but nevertheless, he knows what’s become of him and that he can never again lead a normal life and care for his family. Weller accomplishes the almost impossible here. We see only the smallest section of his face and he still expresses Murphy’s character and conflict. Not the machine prevails and unifies the masses. Murphy does. Few lines in film are stronger than RoboCop’s comment on who he is at the end of the film: “Murphy.”
With RoboCop, Verhoeven made one of the defining science fiction and action films of the 80s. A strong, subtle script and superb lead actor turn it Into one of the most interesting but also controversial statements imaginable. There’s social criticism, skepticism towards power and technology, moral and conflict. Answers are never simple, jumping at conclusions impossible. This set the tone for not only Verhoeven’s subsequent films but also Neumeier’s work on the Starship Troopers-franchise. It is only sad to see his performance didn’t win Peter Weller the career and critical acclaim he deserved. RoboCop is definitely a classic with enough weight not to become irrelevant anytime soon.