Robocop Movie Analysis

The 1987 classic is set in a futuristic, crime-ridden Detroit. The film centres on a Detroit police officer, Alex Murphy, who is transformed into a crime-fighting cyborg known as RoboCop. RoboCop is a creation of the Omni Consumer Product (OCP), the corporation who has OCP wishes to create a utopian “Delta City”, a shining beacon of consumerism they hope to erect from the crime-ridden ruins of Detroit. Officer Alex Murphy, who has been recently relocated to Detroit’s most dangerous area, is brutally killed by drug kingpin Clarence Boddicker and the rest of his gang. Once Murphy is transformed into a cyborg he begins to arrest criminals much faster much to the delight of OCP. However, as the film progresses Murphy becomes increasingly haunted by the memories of his past. In an effort to regain his humanity, he begins hunting down the members of the gang who killed him. In this quest, Murphy observes a rapid decline in the accountability of corporations, the value of human life and the role of the state.
RoboCop, at its core, critiques relationships between the public and private sectors. The film takes a hard look at the role of
In RoboCop, the filmmakers take a particular look at what would occur in a society where police operations and the safety of a city has been handed over a private company. Local and national governments are mentioned very little throughout the film. The only real exposure we get to the role of the state in this dystopian version of Detroit is when RoboCop arrives on the scene of a hostage crisis where a disgruntled former councilman is holding the mayor and three other hostages. RoboCop goes on to kill the former councilman with brute force and efficiency. His show of brute force and skills makes the other officers seem useless and unable to protect Detroit’s citizens furthering the positive outlook on