DROP IT!!!

Let's dial it back one more year to 1987. Aretha Franklin is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a squirrel shut down the Stock Exchange by burrowing in a phone line (awesome...), both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted to great success, and Paul Verhoeven unveiled his dystopic crime film, Robocop (also to great success...) set in a slightly futuristic, crime-ridden Detroit (at least the future as viewed through 80's style Ray-Bans...) and features the aforementioned (and quite possibly the most famous...) cyborg crime fighter laying down the law...

We enter a world (set in an ambiguous near future...) where the crime rate in Detroit is basically an epidemic, cops are being killed every week and are threatening to strike, and the overall management of law enforcement is being handled by the mega corporation, OCP. It is revealed that the company is planning on releasing an automated policing unit as the human police force is seen as unable to handle the job. After a disastrous unveiling of the ED-209 (an AT-ATs smaller cousin...), the Robocop program in accepted and begins production. This leads us to our tragic hero, Murphy, who is gunned down the first day on the job in Detroit (kind of a reverse to the cliché'...). His still (barely...) living remains are claimed by OCP and integrated into the Robocop hardware, allowing a human brain to operate what amounts to a man-sized tank. Robocop then goes about the city and prevents many crimes, both big and small (ripping off a convenience store [look for old Marvel comics in this scene...] to stopping a hostage situation...). Eventually, the human side of Robocop reasserts itself and he begins remembering his old life, his old family, and those who brutally murdered him. So, after hospitalizing one hoodlum and tracking down another gang member of tried to kill him, Robocop busts into a cocaine processing plant (god, I love the 80's...) where the rest of cop killers are. He nearly kills the leader of the gang (the dad from That 70's Show...) before being reminded that he is a cop first and cannot take the law into his own hands. Also revealed is that the head guy at OCP is the money behind the crime lords in Detroit, which leads Robocop to attempt to arrest the head OCP guy. Unfortunately, a protocol in Robocop’s programming prevents him from arresting OCP members and a functional ED-209 was waiting to take him out. Fortunately, Robocop outsmarted the machine by toppling it down the stairs but was then greeted by the remaining police force (under OCPs payroll...) and was shot up, forcing a retreat to the steel mill where he was nearly killed at the beginning. OCP guy hires the rest of the cop killing gang, arms them with futuristic grenade launchers, and sets out to kill our hero. But, through cunning and smidgeon of good luck, the gang is whittled down to the leader. Robocop becomes trapped under scrap metal, but the leader becomes cocky and gets close enough for Robocop to stab him in the neck with a spike, killing him. Afterwards, Robocop returns to OCP to deal with the money man. Revealing proof to the board that he killed the creator of Robocop, the villain tries to take the owner of OCP hostage. But, the owner fires the money man which removes the OCP protocol and allows him to take him down by blasting him out the window. As Robocop leaves, the owner asks his name and his simple reply is, 'Murphy'...

This movie is a science fiction staple for me and I pass it on to anyone who enjoys the genre. Robocop is more subtle science fiction though as it takes place in a near future, it is based in a recognizable city, and there is no mention of space travel, aliens, and the like. It is especially fun for those who dig realistic fiction and dystopia vs. utopia universes. While the contrasts between the two aren't as pronounced as in other films (The Matrix, Demolition Man, etc...), it is a more logical progression into the future as there are no laser guns, no flying cars, etc. It's just regular people being put down by 'The Man'. Because of the amount of bloodshed and bullets, this typically gets lumped in with the general action movie genre (due to the aforementioned sci-fi subtleties...) but that is a bit of over simplification of the kind of movie Robocop is...

It warrants mentioning that Robocop can be perceived as an early pop culture champion of the cyberpunk movement. Let's look at the facts: Robocop exists on an Earth where a giant corporation wants to change their environment (read: Detroit...) to fit their ideal of perfection and go to many lengths to do it. Murphy is first a normal working Joe (read: lower class...) and then is dropped further in status (read: near dead...) before being changed by the corporation to bear their standard into the future. Robocop then turns against the 'overall' wishes of the corporation and becomes an autonomous unit, capable of free thought, judgment and actions. He is still bound by his prime directives (Serve the public trust, Protect the innocent, and Uphold the law...), but is able to act more heroically, meaning more compassionate and human. Granted, we don't really get to see this until the second movie, but the principle holds true. He's a plugged-in rebel who fights for the good of the public and that makes him a cyberpunk hero in my book...

One last point of note: There have been several articles written to point out the biblical metaphors within Robocop. I've read a couple of them and can (sort of...) see where they are coming from. List them in the comments what you picked up on...

Sean Connery INNNNN SPAAAAAACE...

When most people think of space travel, they tend to veer towards the Star Wars/Star Trek spectrum (nothing wrong with that...). The flashing laser blasts, exotic worlds, creatures beyond out contemplation; all of it displayed for our viewing pleasure. But there is far more out there (movie-wise...) for us to enjoy, often times forgotten when there are most comfortable, flashy franchises to be had. Consider the first two Alien movies: very un-flashy, understated sci-fi flicks. No laser blasts or beam swords, no magical elements what so ever and a general grounding in futurealism (Dig it...). They gave us a dirty or 'used' universe, rather than the utopia of Star Trek. Even Star Wars has a certain utopia-esque feel to it, despite the conflict (everything felt very bright and clean, even on sandy Tatooine or murky Dagobah...). But I digress. The movie in question for today is a movie from 1981 starring Sean Connery called Outland...

Apparently (I found this out after seeing the movie...), the storyline is a variation on the western High Noon. I've never seen High Noon. However, I will say that the story is very much like many western movies you might have come across; a sheriff rolls into to town (Sean Connery as a Interplanetary Marshall on Io [a moon of Jupiter...]...), finds some shady business going down (the manager is dealing narcotics that causes mining workers to work harder but make them psychotic...), vows to stop it at all cost (his family does not approve and he could get killed...), has a big gun fight near the end (both hit men explode in the lack of atmosphere of space...), and basically shuts down the bad guys for the good of the land (The Marshall rejoins his family, mentioned in a space age post-movie scroll...). While very linear, the story is well paced and does keep the interest of the audience over the entire film. You want to see just how The Marshall will get out of this sticky situation...

Now, the way the film is shot and the setting that it takes place in would feel very comfortable within the confines of the Alien universe (at least up to the second movie...). The style of rooms, the overall grittiness of general setting, the lack of the fantastical elements in many other franchises, the reliance on fairly modern implements such as modified shotguns, florescent lights, and obviously clunky mechanical machines for jobs rather than streamlined...anything really. Also, the use of green computer displays and early 80's graphics and fonts lends itself to the idea of what space travel might have been like if we had not progressed beyond the technology of the 80's. Combined, it makes it an easy leap from this movie to Alien; I was halfway expecting to see something specifically related to the aforementioned franchise appear in the background...

Further, unlike some more modern sci-fi movies, we actually build an emotional attachment to the characters, as they are normal people (similar to Vasquez, Hicks, and Hudson...). Flawed, human, and actually complex. Connery is not some superman character who never misses and doesn't get hurt. He's an aging Marshall, he gets shot and bleeds, and he can't just take a hit and get over it. By the end, he's been put through the wringer and seems to win by sheer will alone. The lead 'heavy' is just a man who wants to control his colony and make a lot of money doing it. He's no sinister archvillain out to kill everyone; the stress of not being able to have business as usual and not being able to get rid of the Marshall takes a noticeable toll on the character. The Marshall's lieutenant is a corrupt cop, but wants to do right by the Marshall. He agrees to help the Marshall be a spy and even shows a decent amount of shame (at least before he gets bumped off...). Even the female doctor (Connery's foil who almost acts like a western deputy...), while wooden at times, actually manages to grow as a character by the end and realize that things don't need to be as they are...

Among the great many pieces of crap sci-fi movies of the 80's (I'm looking at you, Masters of the Universe, Earth Girls are Easy, and Howard the Duck...), I'd rank this one very high. It's not the epic that Star Wars is, nor is it the rip roaring action event that Aliens is; what it is a solid story built upon a simple concept and executed seriously. And therein lies the key; the entire staff of this film (the actors, the writers, the director, all of them...) treat this movie with a seriousness that occasionally seems lost to modern day film makers. The setting could be anywhere and I believe it would have been presented in a manner that I would find appealing. It seems that modern science fiction are two concerned with how much money to throw at the effects, rather than developing good stories and characters (I'm looking at you, Battlefield: Earth, Pandorum, and The Fountain...). Hollywood could take a page or ten from this oft forgotten sci-fi tale...

Grade: Solid A-