Maybe it's my upbringing, but every now and then I like to sit and watch a certain old movie . The story is well worn; perhaps not as popular among todays hip youth as it once was, but still of relevance today. Not for nothing do some call it the greatest story ever told - a man rising from the dead to heal the world through his sacrifice. I think we all know who I am talking about:
ROBOCOP!
You have 15 seconds to complyI love this movie, it stands head, shoulders and bullet-ridden torso above the normal violent 80s big gun movies. It's a rare work of art that manages to both satirise a genre while also being a perfect example it, but somehow Robocop transcends a fairly silly premise to deliver both bloody action and vicious social commentary in one tightly scripted package.
Robocop was a cheap movie, even when it was made. But it makes the most out of what it has, and the limited special effects work well. Much of the credit for making the movie work must go the the actors, who are all excellent. The various bad guys are well done, with the unlikely named Clarence Boddicker being a particular standout. Unlike most 80's action movies, here the bad guys actually have some motivation for being the way they are (its just business) rather than just being evil for the sake of it.
The first versions of USB had a quite different form factorThe special features on the DVD reveal a troublesome shoot with great misery for everyone involved. Thankfully, none of this hardship is visible in the final product which still looks great nearly 20 years later.
Finally, one of the scriptwriters talks about the impact Robocop had after its release. He gives the example of Richard Nixon and Robocop appearing together at an event organised by the Boy Scouts of America. Why the Scouts would want to invite the star of a R16 movie and a disgraced politician is a mystery that sadly I have been unable to find out any more about. Not even a picture of this momentous occasion exists on the internet - until now:
I love how Nixon seems overjoyed to be close to the tin man, on the other hand you can see the inner turmoil in Robocop as he stands there, trigger finger twitching as his program prevents him from taking action against former members of the executive branch.