Robocop’s Sensational Social Satire Continues to Captivate, 35 Years On – Top

(CW: A scene with sexual violence is mentioned in this article)

Before a single frame of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 action sci-fi Robocop rolls, the film has already solidified itself amongst the greats.

“Part Man,
Part Machine,
All Cop.”

It’s a tremendous tagline that leaps off the poster, puts asses into seats and perfectly encapsulates Robocop’s entire premise. It’s no surprise that the film would become a prized jewel within Orion Pictures’ portfolio, as well as one of the most iconic films of the 20th century.

And 35 years later, the film hasn’t lost an ounce of its satirical potency.

Initially, Robocop works off a mere surface-level examination: Recently transferred cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is murdered by gangsters and is resurrected as a cyborg crime-fighting machine dubbed Robocop.

Between Murphy twirling his hand cannon like TJ Lazer or his penchant for one-liners like, “Your move, creep,” or “Dead or alive, you’re coming with me,” there were few boxes that Robocop didn’t check for adolescent Jay.

The film remains a certified showstopper in that regard, though Verhoeven’s multilayered approach to societal satire wasn’t something I’d appreciate until I was older.

Satire in film can be tricky. Drama is easy, comedy is hard, as it goes. But what has become abundantly clear over the last decade is how easily satire can be misinterpreted or missed altogether.

Take Veroeven’s other sci-fi hit 1997’s Starship Troopers, largely a damning indictment of American militarism and nationalism. The film is often misinterpreted as having American nationalist energy, a notion that couldn’t be further from the film’s intention.

Similarly, some have described Robocop as pro-cop/capitalism, a notion that couldn’t be further from Verhoeven’s actual intention. Whether the film’s decrying the militarization of police, consumerism, nuclear proliferation, or capitalism being the root of a crumbling society, there’s very little the film favors.

What initially allows Robocop to establish its nihilistic tone and world-building is Verhoeven and writers Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner’s use of in-universe media.

The film begins with an abrupt segment from the popular news show Media Break, which boasts, “You give us three minutes, and we’ll give you the world!” At face value, the idea of meaningfully informing audiences about world events in 180 seconds is comical. Their report details a conflict in South Africa where the ruling military government threatens to use a three-ton neutron bomb to quell civil unrest. This story is brief and delivered matter of factly, only seconds later shifting to a comical story.

And this contrast is the world-building magic of Robocop.

The lack of tonal contrast between segments, despite their contents, tells the viewer, “this is a world casually teetering on the edge of nuclear and political conflict despite our technological advancements.” Or, it’s simply business as usual.

Subsequently, we see adverts for artificial hearts sponsored by famous brands, made affordable by non-predatory financing so that everyone can afford them (See: Repo Men), family friendly board games revolving around nuclear war, oh, and a laser cannon misfire causing a sprawling wildfire in Santa Barbara.

Given how fraught the world of Robocop is, by comparison, it makes Alex Murphy’s fight against mega-conglomerate Omni Consumer Products (OCP) seem inconsequential. The film was somewhat prophetic in its depiction of OCP evolving from being a household consumer products company to having a hand in weapons development and ultimately militarizing the police force.

This element of the film feels all the more chilling given our current political and social climate and the ease with which companies skirt between the gray area of the law.

OCP plans to deploy walking urban pacification tanks called ED-209, which makes Robocop seem outdated by comparison. Though as soon as 209 is introduced, it proceeds to accidentally shoot a board member precisely 1000 times. While we don’t currently have walking 209’s patrolling our crime-ridden cities, police forces utilizing military equipment has become a disturbing trend over the decade plus. Furthermore, Robocop’s portrayal of OCP’s attitude towards impoverished communities is chillingly effective.

Their CEO matter of factly states, “Old Detroit has a cancer. The cancer is crime, and it must be cut out…” The notion that crime is a symptom of poverty, rather than an indictment of a city’s purposeful neglect of its most vulnerable, tells you all you need to know about OCP’s moral compass.

OCP’s “solution” being that these communities are better served by 24/7 patrolling weapons of war instead of community outreach and funding is a damning indictment of America’s unwillingness to solve its problems, but rather a quick fix that creates an entire new slew of generational issues.

This is best summed up when Robocop intervenes in stopping an attempted sexual assault. Before Murphy steps in, we see the thugs tearing at the women’s clothing, underneath the glow of a billboard for the upcoming gentrification project Delta City. Apart from the 21st century mockup of this city of the future, there’s a tagline that reads, “(Delta City) The Future Has a Silver Lining.”

That future is an unstoppable train, and the conductor doesn’t care who finds themselves on the tracks.

READ NEXT: 40 Years Later, Poltergeist Is Still A Must-Watch Horror Film