RoboCop
2014 · Directed by José Padilha
Original language: English
- action
- science fiction
- thriller
The story
In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years, but have been forbidden for law enforcement in America. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured, OmniCorp sees their chance to build a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine.
What it’s like
Cool blue-grey light over rain-slicked Detroit, with glossy white OmniCorp labs and steel-and-chrome machinery that look sterile against the night streets. Handheld camera drops into chaotic shootouts and drone pursuits, then pulls back for interludes of talk-show broadcasts and clean corporate boardrooms that give the film a cold, satirical edge. Pedro Bromfman's orchestral score swells through action beats and drops to sparse, wounded melody in the quieter family scenes. The mood is tense and grave, a blend of corporate dread and a man's slow reclaiming of himself. Violence is frequent and sometimes sharp: gunfire, explosions, a harrowing early attack, and graphic images of Murphy's injuries and the cybernetic rebuilding, but little that lingers gratuitously. Profanity is common. The pacing alternates brisk set pieces with reflective pauses, and the arc follows a loving husband and father who loses almost everything and works to hold onto his humanity. It suits viewers who want futuristic action with real moral weight and a bit of social bite.
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