robocop is an intelligent science fiction thriller and social satire , one with class and style .
the film , set in old detroit in the year 1991 , stars peter weller as murphy , a lieutenant on the city 's police force .
1991 's detroit suffers from rampant crime and a police department run by a private contractor ( security concepts inc . )
whose employees ( the cops ) are threatening to strike .
to make matters worse , a savage group of cop - killers has been terrorizing the city .
on murphy 's first day of duty , after his transfer from another precinct , these cop - killers brutally murder him by shooting off his limbs one by one .
( orion pictures had to edit this extremely graphic scene in order to get an r rating from the m .
p .
a .
a . )
after the emergency room staff at the hospital can not save murphy and declare him clinically dead , s .
c .
i .
recruits his remains for their new " robocop " program .
using the remains of murphy 's body as a foundation , their scientists build a cyborg , made of both flesh and metal .
the cyborg ( robocop ) is half human ( murphy ) and half robot ;
the s .
c .
i .
engineers have erased murphy 's memory and replaced it with a computer program ( or so they think ) .
with his lightning quick reflexes , immense strength , and impenetrable armor , s .
c .
i .
envisions robocop as an indestructible super - cop : the solution to detroit 's problems .
the remainder of the plot follows robocop 's crime - foiling and vengeance on his murderers .
as a science fiction action - thriller , robocop is extremely effective .
dutch director paul verhoeven combines gritty action with suspense , shocking gore , and spectacular special effects .
several sequences in the film , such as the one in which robocop employs his extremely precise aim to stop a rapist , are destined to become cult - classics .
because robocop is so visually and emotionally rousing , it demands to be seen on a large screen with an audience -- in other words , in a movie theater .
although the special effects and action are exciting , they do not by themselves set robocop apart from other films in the genre .
rather , robocop stands out for its accurate and biting satire of american society .
the movie makes a mockery of the star wars defense initiative , terrorism , board games , and television news broadcasts with air - headed anchors .
these news broadcasts , which are exceptionally clever , recur periodically throughout the movie and help to provide comic relief from the intense action and gore .
the satire in robocop , however , is almost as frightening in its own way as the suspense and blood .
1990 's america , as portrayed in the film , may seem far fetched but is in actuality ( i think ) only a slight exaggeration of the current state of american society .
the humorous satire in robocop is simultaneously credible and absurd .
verhoeven adroitly balances the satirical comedy with the gory action to create an entertaining and enlightening piece of science fiction / social commentary .
unfortunately , robocop possesses several flaws which prevent it from qualifying as a classic within the genre .
the movie lacks the lasting impact of such films as the road warrior , the terminator , and aliens .
robocop 's main problem , aside from its dumb title , is that it does not sufficiently develop murphy 's character .
we never learn the degree to which murphy ( as robocop ) is human and the degree to which he is a robot .
does murphy have any human spirit or free will left , or is he merely a computer following a program ?
the script halfheartedly raises these issues but then abandons them in its climactic flurry of gory action .
moreover , it almost completely ignores the question ( and tragedy ) of denying a man his right to die in favor of turning him into a machine .
robocop also contains several bothersome loose - ends .
as you watch robocop , you experience deja vu ; you feel as if you have seen the film before .
in many respects , robocop is reminiscent of several other films , including the terminator , return of the jedi , and even death wish .
however , to its credit , robocop easily has enough originality and unique personality to avoid becoming a cheap rip - off .
stands out for its accurate and biting satire the special effects and action are exciting extremely effective easily has enough originality and unique personality intelligent destined to become cult - classics with class and style