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Tom Anderson reviews
Criterion
- Cert: Unrated
- Cat.no: CC1543D
- Running time: 103 minutes
- Year: 1987
- Pressing: 1999
- Region(s): 0, NTSC
- Chapters: 27 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Dolby Surround)
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Widescreen: 1.66:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: No
- Macrovision: No
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: $39.95 (personal import)
- Extras : The unrated widescreen director’s cut including “excessively violent” shotscut for the censor, Audio commentary by director Paul Verhoeven, co-writer Edward Neumeier, executive producer Jon Davison, and Robocop “expert” Paul M. Sammon, Film-to-storyboard comparison, Storyboards, An illustrated essay on the making of Robocop, Theatrical and teaser trailers, RSDL dual-layer edition
“The greatest science-fiction film since Metropolis”claims ruddy-faced Brit director Ken Russell on the slipcase. For oncethe former enfant terrible ain’t talking silly: if you like sci-fi hard-edged,exciting and shot-through with pitch-black comedy, ‘Robocop’ certainlydelivers the goods. Beneath the exoskeleton of a Hollywood blockbuster, Dutchdirector Paul Verhoeven has concealed a very funny satire on privateenterprise and the corporate menace..
The time is the future. Downtown Detroit is a third-world nightmare. The demoralised police force is run by OCP, who watch the city from high-tech ivory towers. Unfortunately for the former car-producing capital, the corporation is secretly aiming to downsize the boys in blue.
When the prototype policerobot ED-209 massacres an OCP Vice-President during a boardroom demonstration (an embarrassed executive calls this a “glitch”) ambitious corporate sleaze Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer – excellent) steps in to offer an alternative in cost-concious policing. Meanwhile, downtown, newly transferred cop Murphy (Peter Weller) is shot to a pulp by a sadistic drug lord.
Morton’s scientists use Murphy’s remains as the guts of a half-man/half-machine RoboCop – a mechanised resurrection we watch from Murphy’s point of view (hilariously, at one point, they switch him on during a drunken Christmas party). But RoboCop’s humanity has not been erased, and his supercharged metal body sets about struggling to reclaim his memory and avenge his own murder – even if it leads him to the very top of the corporation that created him.
Robocop is a stunning urban satire, an ultra-violent bloodbath that mixes comedy and real intelligence, and a definite candidate for repeat viewing.
The picture is in non-anamorphic 1.66:1 and shows occasional grain.
The sound is presented in Dolby Surround taken from the original 35-mm 2-track magnetic master. It is unexceptional which is a shame as this is the kind of action film that would benefit from the fruits of what many are calling “the digital revolution.” However, helicopter noises are good, and at one point a hubcap rolls into the back speakers.
Extras : Chapters :27 Chapters over 103 minutes for the film. Languages/Subtitles :This American disc is aimed squarely at the thirty per cent of the world that speak English. There are some that say it is the first world language since Latin. Not bad going for what was once an obscure dialect of German brought over by our bearded Teutonic ancestors. And there’s more… :The chief extra in this film is the “excessively violent” cut which was even snipped on theatrical release in America.
Watch OCP Vice-President Kinney getting blown apart by the ED-209 robotfor a full thirty seconds. Watch Peter Weller first losing his hand and thenhis entire arm to small arms fire. Watch the top of his head getting blownoff. Then feel slightly queasy but thrilled that most people in the UK haveonly seen the sanitised version.
Next up, the commentary track is something of a curate’s egg. It’s mainly about special effects and what a philistine the censor was, but there are interesting moments for “art”-lovers; Verhoeven spends a full five minutes expanding upon his theme of mixed locker rooms in the future (later famously revisited in “Starship Troopers.”) Writer Ed Neumeier alsoplaces the film in the context of America in 1987 – Reagan is still in power -preaching his gospel of privatisation and free enterprise.
The storyboard sections follow the theme of special effects and how they wereachieved, as does the exhaustive “illustrated essay” – where text is mixedwith the occasional still or video image.
The theatrical trailers are both in 4:3 but of an adequate, clear quality.Criterion has given us a lot of information here, although not enough aboutthe extraordinary themes the film deals with.
Menu :Animated menu showing actor Peter Weller twiddling his guns.
Overall, a sizzling Sci-Fi film on a solid disc. “Your move, creep!”
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.