Dead or Alive You Are Coming With Me

“Dead or Alive You’re Coming With Me” The one tagline that created an unforgettable franchise.

*** MATURE CONTENT *** SPOILER ALERT *** GORE ***

RoboCop The Summary

In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force.

To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. However, when RoboCop learns of the company’s nefarious plans, he turns on his masters. — Google

RoboCop 1987 Original Trailer from Classic Trailers on YouTube



The Cyberpunk of the 80s

On July 17th, 1987 RoboCop released in the theatres as an R rated movie—however, rated initially as an X movie by Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) due to excessive graphic violence. Ultimately, its unique dystopian style, mixed with low science-fiction and detective, had the crowd hooked. It made its money back at more than 53 million dollars in the USA only.

[image error]RoboCop Official Cover – 1987

RoboCop, created by Paul Verhoeven and the movie written by Edward Neumeier
and Michael Miner, had an impact on its viewers. The people attending the
theatres back then were unaware of its marking scenes. RoboCop wasn’t a comedy,
nor was it action only. It was an eye-opener and a movie that would be unique
in every way.

An R rated movie back then, is not what it is now. The overall rules to
decide which category a movie belongs in changed over time. Now, people watch
RoboCop for breakfast; back then, it was a disturbing movie, to say the least
with its few footages.

The Evil Corporation

In 1987, RoboCop hit the screen, bringing an idea not fully explored back
then. The idea that a corporation would meticulously buy its way in every
critical aspect of a country. The OCP belongs to Dan O’Herlihy and his vice
president, Richard “Dick” Jones, becomes the main villain of the
movie.

The OCP company worked its way in the military, politics, municipalities,
industries, factories, everywhere. Now, they want to “give back” to a
falling apart Detroit, by providing them with extra protection aka, cybernetic
law enforcement.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

Detroit is Gotham on steroids. It would require five Batman and 2 Superman
to help it keep its head above water. In addition, the crimes are at its most
horrifying peak. Not to mention, the police station cannot keep its police
officers long enough to calm the population. To top it all off, those officers
are dropping like flies because of cop killers. As a result, a nightmare for
the city is on the rise. Police officers want to go on strike.

Furthermore, the OCP who is in charge of making most weapons now wants to
integrate its machine to help the cops without warning. Somehow, those people
aren’t alarmed by the elevation of crime. Why would they? It is their bread and
butter.

Quiet genius if you ask me. Then again, is that where we are heading now?

The Consuming Culture Humourized

To lighten the mood during the movie, to get from the X rated to R rated,
the addition of commercials seemed to be a good idea. It is. Even the news
broadcasting is an addition to the depth of the movie.

As a result, we get the sarcastic message that we are a ridiculous consuming
generation. We go after the latest gadget because a video tells us to without
thinking. This movie dates back to the VHS era and yet, watch the commercials
for the “I’d buy that for a dollar!” or the “Nukem” game,
even the “6000 SUX sedan” and tell me this isn’t a ridiculed of what
our society has become.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

The highest fake commercial success of RoboCop is the “Buy that for a
dollar.” However, the fake Nukem game, inspired by the war game, is quite
unnerving as you see a family play and try to conquer each other’s country
through politics and the military as well as nuclear bombing. You watch it the
first time it’s funny, you watch again and realize, we’re there. It’s not just
a commercial anymore.

The One Scaring Scene

As the movie goes, the police officer Alex Murphy walks in the South Detroit police station after a transfer. On his first day, he meets his female badass partner, Lewis. We see him practice a fast rotation of his gun “a la cowboy” before putting it back in its holster.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

It was a trick he practiced for his son to make him proud to be like his favourite television hero. The movement seemed insignificant when first watching the movie.

Then we have the introduction of our secondary main villain known as
Clarence Boddicker. Clarence and his gang of thugs are the drug overlords of
Detroit. They are also the number one cop killers around.

RoboCop – 1987

When Lewis fail to arrest one of the thugs, she falls down a level of the abandoned building, and it leaves Murphy alone. When Murphy apprehends two of the cop killers, another six or eight showed up surrounding him and walking by Boddicker’s side.

He had no chance. The shooting, resulting in gore and blood, is quite graphic and horrific.

Don’t Listen To Critiques

Some said it was “slasher flick” and of bad taste. It wasn’t. The shooting looked real and demonstrated what happens in real life to not only police officers, but soldiers, special agents, undercover, to innocents and civilians. Don’t think because there’s a litre of blood splashing around that its bad taste. It’s a reality.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

If you’re shot by shotguns a hundred times, yes, your hand might explode, and you might scream in agony losing an alarming amount of blood. Flash news reporter, we have an average of 5.5 litres of blood in our body.

In like manner, the remains of Alex Murphy ends up at a hospital where we
see him blink, thinking about his wife and kid. We hear the medical equipment
and the blood pouring out of every hole in his body.

Nothing can top that shooting scene. It scared people back then, and it is
still epic to this day.

RoboCop Comes At A Price

Remember the OCP? Well, RoboCop wouldn’t exist without them. Furthermore, it
wouldn’t exist without an epic fail of Dick Jones’ previous project of ED 209.
The infamous UFO on two legs in the colors of black and grey.

Together with Murphy’s explosive death, the malfunction of ED 209 in the OCP’s boardroom is one of the scenes that had the movie rated X at first. First, ED 209 represented the future of law reinforcement.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

Moreover, The “old man” counted on Jones to have it ready. However, its body language reading non-responsive ended up having the demonstration of his capabilities failing when he shot a young man.

Both ED 209’s arms are rotating shotguns. When the young man, following Jones’ orders, pointed a gun at the machine, it gave him sixty seconds to drop it. Sadly, the man did drop the gun, but the machine didn’t register it and shot him multiple times.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

As a result, the man died in a puddle of blood surrounded by his coworkers crying and shouting “Get the paramedics” quite useless if you ask me.

Nonetheless, the scene is the inciting incident needed for Morton to sneak in between Jones and “the old man” to pitch his RoboCop project. The monetary loss of ED 209 is the only concern of the OCP president and Jones.

Watching the young man died a horrifying and needless death, seemed just like “another day at the office.” All they cared about was how to solve the problem.

Don’t F With Jones

As the movie goes on and RoboCop is turned on, he is a machine. As a result, cops accept him after his many success, moreover, by saving a convenient store owner couple from an armed robbery.

Then, saving a girl from rape by shooting one of the two rapists through her skirt to hit the man in the crotch. Again, he saved the town’s mayor from an armed kidnapping. His success is undeniable.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

Furthermore, RoboCop comes in contact with one of his killers. The killer recognized him by his tagline phrase, “Dead or alive. You’re coming with me.” RoboCop’s capability to record live and have instant replay has him as a valid legal, lawful tool.

He used his video to look for the killer in the police databank and found him and his accomplices. He recognized the entire gang.

RoboCop – 1987

The OCP now a happy place for Morton, goes south when Jones warns him that
he didn’t like what he did. Again, another death worthy of RoboCop, bloody,
gory, and explod-y. The death of Morton is a result of Jones working alongside
Boddicker.

The 4th Directive

Long story short, RoboCop is an OCP product. People working for the
corporation are not idiots. The boardroom alone is an amalgam of corrupted
people. We see them living the celebrity lives of “sex, drugs, and rock
and roll.” Furthermore, Jones is friends with the number one drug overlord
of Detroit.

So, to add to the lawful directives of Serve the public trust, protect the
innocent, uphold the law, an extra hidden directive sneaks in. The infamous
Directive 4: Any attempt to arrest a senior officer of OCP results in shutdown.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

In like manner, Jones gratified from this Directive when RoboCop aka Murphy, unravel the background play that was at work. RoboCop couldn’t arrest Jones for the life of him.

As a result, Jones had the cops shoot him, despite some refusing to shoot a fellow officer recognizing him as Alex Murphy. Then, Boddicker comes back in the picture.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

After a long, disturbing chase, RoboCop and Lewis manage to kill Boddicker’s
thugs, and the final scene always brought a big smile across my face.

80’s Classic

I don’t care what critics say about the movie. Some feminist columnist was saying it was an insult to women. Lewis was a strong woman; she alone took down a few villains, exploded one of them and brought Murphy to the hospital.

She is the only one who recognized Murphy as RoboCop and the one who corrected his targeting system because she’s a good shot. So, what’s wrong about that? Her look is cop-like, she wears an officer’s suit and never is she sexualized.

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The captain of the South Detroit police station is Reed, a loving and devoted police officer, protective of those under his command. He is an African American, and so is the Mayor of Detroit.

We see one of the influenceable board members of the OCP as well, among others. POC i.e., People of Color, are part of the movie in all aspects, meaning as good people or bad.

RoboCop – 1987

What I also enjoyed of RoboCop, is that despite its release in the 80s, it
was ahead of its time. They used POC in the right places, no favoritism. They
used women as strong and reliable—Lewis and Dr. Lazarus, and lesser e.g., the
two supermodels. The main bad guys? All older white men. It seems right to me.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

So those who opposed to those characteristics of the movie: why don’t you
look closely next time? Those who created RoboCop had a vision, and to me,
quite spot on. There was no favoritism in their casting, and they played their
cards right.

Overall RoboCop

The music, recognizable and now a cult classic of movies, is still holding to this day. The stop motion animation of ED 209 is quite impressive when seen on a 50″ plasma screen.

The only scene that doesn’t look as good is Jones going down the building. However, the rest of the movie holds up and is in good health.

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

RoboCop inspired many people from the generation before me to mine. Its low sci-fi cyberpunk take on the American life is still up to date. That tells a lot about our society.

Its sequel, just as disturbing, show the other side of the police enforcement. No more “to serve and protect” only “to corrupt and kill.”

[image error]RoboCop – 1987

The RoboCop dream is happening. So, don’t tell me this movie is out of date
or wrong. If you don’t see it, watch it again. It might wake you up that
nothing is what it seems.

A.D. Wayne

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