RoboCop
Directed by Paul Verhoeven7.684%84%7.4
Corporate interests resurrect a murdered police officer as a cybernetic enforcer to privatize security in a decaying Detroit. He executes lethal justice while flickering memories of his former life trigger a hunt for his killers.
- Vincent ReggianniniJune 16, 2025In the wrong hands this could have been an utter, contemptible failure. But give this to a non-American director who initially rejected the script, and give the lead role to an actor who took himself WAY too seriously and you get one of the most iconic and memorable movies of the late 20th century. Drenched with satire and off the wall humor, and spiced up with an almost x-rated amount of violence this movie just rolls with the punches, all while delivering a poignant story about a man realizing he has lost his humanity.
- mdediegoMay 9, 2026One of the first cyborg movies ever made. Probably the best Paul Verhoeven film. Robocop takes you to a corporation-run society, where profit and power matter more than human lives, and even the police force becomes just another business asset. What made Robocop great was Murphy’s personal struggle with his own reality and identity. Apart from that, it was probably one of the first movies with full-on gore that is not suitable for all stomachs.
- Scott beardJanuary 24, 2026RoboCop (1987) is Paul Verhoeven dropping a thermonuclear satire bomb disguised as the most badass cyborg cop movie ever made. Detroit’s a crime ravaged shithole run by corporate overlords at OCP who literally auction off the city like it’s a bad timeshare. They murder honest cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller, giving robotic stoicism Oscar worthy depth) in one of the most brutal, lingering executions in cinema history, shot to pieces, limbs mangled, blood everywhere, then resurrect him as RoboCop: part machine, part haunting memory of the man he used to be. The action? Pure 80s excess done right. RoboCop storms in with that iconic “dead or alive, you’re coming with me” deadpan, auto aiming precision shots, and enough slow motion violence to make your popcorn taste like guilt. The practical effects hold up like steel: that toxic waste villain meltdown still looks gloriously disgusting, and the stop motion ED 209 malfunction is comedy gold wrapped in corporate hubris. But Verhoeven’s not just serving ultraviolence, he’s force feeding you Reagan era America on steroids. Corporate greed privatizing everything (including law enforcement), media desensitization with fake news segments (“Nuke ‘em!” game shows, product placement murders), and the illusion of justice in a system that chews up good people and spits out profit machines. The satire is vicious and hilarious: OCP execs clap like seals at murder demos, the news anchors smile through apocalypse reports, and RoboCop’s directive glitches remind you humanity’s the real glitch. Weller’s performance is the soul, those tiny eye twitches when old memories flicker, the halting “I’d buy that for a dollar!” echoes, turn a tin man into a tragic hero. Nancy Allen’s tough as nails partner adds heart without sap, Kurtwood Smith’s coke fueled villain Clarence Boddicker is scenery chewing perfection (“Bitches leave!”), and the whole cast plays it straight so the irony hits like a Directive violation. It’s funny as hell (those interstitial ads are savage), gory enough to get an X rating originally, and smart enough to make you question if we’re all just programmed to cheer for the next upgrade. The 2014 remake? Polished, PG 13 sanitized corporate product, misses the point entirely. The original is raw, unapologetic, and still cuts deeper than any modern blockbuster dares. Ten out of ten directive violating headshots. RoboCop isn’t just a movie; it’s a middle finger to unchecked capitalism, wrapped in chrome and carnage. Say it with me, “Serve the public trust. Protect the innocent. Uphold the law.” Then go watch it and feel that delicious unease. 🤖💥🩸
- ZokkiieApril 7, 2026Haven’t seen this in over 25 years, and wow—I’d forgotten how intense and brutal it really is. The action hits hard, the satire is sharp, and it somehow balances both without ever feeling messy. The practical effects are messy in the best way, gritty and tactile, and the dark, dry humor sneaks up on you. It’s confident in its chaos, unapologetically rough around the edges, which makes it stick in your head. That bleak, industrial vibe just works, and even after it’s over, it lingers longer than you expect.
- mhamreusJanuary 20, 2026A brutal, hilarious time capsule of late-80s cinema, RoboCop is peak Paul Verhoeven. On the surface, it is a hard-R sci-fi action film drenched in over-the-top violence. Underneath, it is razor-sharp social commentary aimed straight at corporate greed, privatized policing, and a media culture numb to brutality. Verhoeven walks a perfect line between satire and spectacle. The violence is so excessive it becomes absurd, the villains so exaggerated they feel like walking indictments of the era. And somehow it all works. Every outrageous moment reinforces the point rather than dulling it. At the center is RoboCop himself, a tragic hero fighting to reclaim fragments of his humanity beneath the steel. The film never forgets the man inside the machine, even when the body count climbs. And then there is Kurtwood Smith. As Clarence Boddicker, he absolutely steals the villain show. Charismatic, vicious, and endlessly quotable, he delivers some of the most memorable lines of the decade and sets the gold standard for cinematic bad guys. This is a movie that simply could not be made today. Too mean. Too blunt. Too willing to offend. And that is exactly why it still hits so hard
- CubaneJanuary 8, 2026They have a statue of this vaguely phallic metal man in Detroit despite none of the filming actually taking place there. The choice to use Dallas as a cheat location for Detroit is lazy and contemptible. It's a shame considering the great themes, action, one-liners, and hilarious campy CGI this film also has on offer.
- RichardJanuary 4, 2026Saw this one in the cinema back in the day and it absolutely burned itself into my brain, the perfect mix of satire, violence and that wonderfully grimy 080's sci‑fi aesthetic. Later owned it on VHS and DVD, because of course you do when a film hits this hard. It’s still one of the sharpest reflections on corporate greed ever put on screen, wrapped in a story that somehow manages to be brutal, funny and weirdly heartfelt all at once. And that ending with the director falling? Still hilarious.
RoboCop Trivia
RoboCop was released on July 17, 1987.
RoboCop was directed by Paul Verhoeven.
RoboCop has a runtime of 1h 43m.
RoboCop was produced by Arne Schmidt.
Corporate interests resurrect a murdered police officer as a cybernetic enforcer to privatize security in a decaying Detroit. He executes lethal justice while flickering memories of his former life trigger a hunt for his killers.
The key characters in RoboCop are Officer Alex J. Murphy / RoboCop (Peter Weller), Officer Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen), The Old Man (Dan O'Herlihy).
RoboCop is rated R.
RoboCop is a Science Fiction, Action, Thriller film.
RoboCop has an audience rating of 8.4 out of 10.
RoboCop had a budget of $13M.
RoboCop has made $53.4M at the box office.