ROBOCOP
A film review by Steve Fritzinger
Copyright 1987 Steve Fritzinger
The Terminator is back, and this time he's a good guy. In this future the police force is run as a for-profit division of Security Concepts Inc., and an up-and-coming young executive thinks he can eliminate crime and get himself a vice-presidency with his Robocop project. Peter Weller is Alex Murphy, a Detroit cop killed in the line of duty, who has been "recycled" by SCI's labs. His personality is erased, and what is left of him is merged with a cybernetic body to form an unstoppable super-cop. The cyborg's computer-controlled reflexes and enhanced senses and Murphy's 20 years of police experience are combined to form the perfect vehicle to dispassionately uphold the law. The Robocop performs flawlessly until Murphy's personality and memory returns.
One of Robocop's many strengths is Peter Weller's performance in the title role. Limited by the cumbersome cyborg costume, Weller depends on his voice, and later his face, to show the transformation from emotionless machine to human being. The subtle changes in his speech and movement give life to a character that could have been as flat and two-dimensional as the worst comic book hero.
Another strong point is Murphy's partner. Officer Lewis is a tough, competent and compassionate cop, everything police heroes have always been. Her relationship with Murphy helps him reassert his control over the robot, and also provides a human counterpoint, and some restraint, to the violence and shoot-outs inherent in this type of movie.
The atmosphere of ROBOCOP is rich with detail. Carefully watching the action in the background gives the viewer a sense of what this world is like. It's the same level of throwaway details that made STAR WARS a "real-looking" world. Comic relief is added by throwing some pointed darts at SDI, toxic waste, and network television.
ROBOCOP gets my vote for best film so far this summer, and as one of the top science fiction films in quite awhile.
Steve Fritzinger CCI-OSD Reston VA.
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