RoboCop is a 2014 remake of the 1987 film of the same name. It is directed by José Padilha.
Synopsis[]
In 2028, multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years but the Dreyfus Act, a publicly supported act preventing drones from being allowed to bear firearms, prevents the drones from being used locally. OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) has his marketing team, in conjunction with scientist Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman), create a new law enforcement product by combining human and machine in the hopes of changing public opinion and raising OmniCorp's profits.
Policeman Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is critically injured by a car bomb planted by crooked cops outside his house under the payroll of local crime boss Antoine Vallon (Patrick Garrow). Norton picks Murphy for the RoboCop program, and after getting consent from Murphy's wife, Clara (Abbie Cornish), has him outfitted with the RoboCop body and software, which gives him enhanced strength along with instant computing information in his brain. Alex at first rejects his current condition, but is convinced by Norton to be strong for his wife and son. Rick Mattox (Jackie Earle Haley), OmniCorp's military tactician, is skeptical of Alex's abilities and points out he will never be as efficient as a drone. In order to make Alex perform better, Norton tampers with Alex's brain, making him believe that his tactical decisions are his own when he is actually executing programs.
While preparing for a public press conference to unveil RoboCop, Alex is emotionally overwhelmed and has a seizure while downloading the police database information into his brain. Pressed for time, Norton has Alex's brain chemistry altered, lowering his dopamine levels until he no longer displays any emotions. Under control, Alex attends the press conference, where he ignores his waiting wife and son, and efficiently apprehends a criminal in the crowd. RoboCop is a public relations success, and afterward Alex is successful in drastically reducing the crime rate in Detroit. Public opinion on the Dreyfus Act begins to turn.
Clara, who has been prevented by OmniCorp from seeing Alex, manages to confront her husband as he is leaving the station, telling him about his son David's nightmares. Alex leaves, but then overrides his programming and detours from his current case to go to his house. He reviews the CCTV footage of his accident and realizes that David saw his body and was traumatized by it. Alex then pursues Vallon for revenge, tracking him down to a warehouse where Alex then kills everyone. Alex then returns to the station to apprehend the two cops who sold him out; they tell him that the Chief of Police is in on it. Alex shoots one cop non-fatally and stuns the other, and is about to arrest Chief of Police Karen Dean (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) when Mattox, who has been given full access to the RoboCop program, remotely shuts him down.
Sellars decides to spin this turn of events to his advantage, via television presenter Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson), who thanks RoboCop for revealing the fallibility of the police, and points out that drones are incorruptible. A repeal of the Dreyfus Act goes underway, with votes overwhelmingly in support of the repeal. Sellars tells Norton that RoboCop is no longer relevant, and sends Mattox to destroy him. Norton reaches Alex in the lab first and has him brought back to consciousness, telling him everything. Alex, feeling betrayed, goes after Sellars.
Sellars has the OmniCorp building shut down and armed with drones. Alex manages to gain entry with the help of his former partner, Jack Lewis (Michael K. Williams) and other police officers. Alex encounters Mattox and is almost at defeat, but Mattox is shot dead by Lewis, who is shot non-fatally. Alex reaches the roof, where Sellars is waiting for a helicopter and has Clara and David as hostages. Alex's programming prevents him from arresting Sellars, but he manages to overcome it just long enough to shoot Sellars, killing him.
In the closing scenes, OmniCorp's parent company, OCP, decides to review the drone and RoboCop program. The President vetoes the repeal of the Dreyfus Act based on the testimony of Norton, who confesses everything they'd done in the RoboCop program. Alex's body is rebuilt in Norton's laboratory, and then he waits for Clara and David, who are coming to visit him.
Cast[]
- Joel Kinnaman as Alex Murphy/RoboCop
- Michael K. Williams as Jack Lewis
- Abbie Cornish as Clara Murphy
- John Paul Ruttan as David Murphy
- Gary Oldman as Dr. Dennett Norton
- Michael Keaton as Raymond Sellars
- Samuel L. Jackson as Pat Novak
- Jackie Earle Haley as Rick Mattox
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Chief of Police Karen Dean
- Jennifer Ehle as Liz Kline
- Jay Baruchel as Tom Pope
- Aimee Garcia as Jae Kim
- Patrick Garrow as Antoine Vallon
- Douglas Urbanski as Mayor Durant
- Zach Grenier as U.S. Senator Hubert Dreyfuss
- Maura Grierson as Kelly Perkins
- Stewart Arnott as The Senate House Leader
- Matt Cook as General Monroe
- Steve Cumyn as the Ohio Senator
- Noorin Gulamgaus as Navid
- Marjan Neshat as Sayeh
- Sam Motazedi como Arash
- Khaliya Hosein as an Iranian child
- Savana Hosein as Irani Child #2
- Philip Akin as Dr. Alan
- Paul Haywood as Man in White Coat
- Raffi Altounian as Man with Prosthetics Playing Guitar
- Melanie Scrofand Wife of man with prosthesis
- Kelvin Wheeler as Old Sergeant
- Alex Mallari Jr. as young lieutenant
- Dwayne McLean as Thomas King
- Tattiawna Jones as Mayor's Assistant
- Wayne Downer as Marcus
- Robert Thomas as John Biggs
- Jordan Johnson-Hinds as Jerry White
- Ian Peters as a member of Jerry's gang
- Evan Stern as Walter Karrel
- Ish Morris as Armed sentinel in decrepit house
- Ambrose Wong as Room Technician
- Mark McKay as Detroit Laboratory Technician
- Aurora Browne as Policewoman
- Rory O'Shea as Armory Police
- Shondra Kayd as a Uniformed police officer inside the station
- Stacey Unsworth as Uniformed Police Officer Outside the Station
- Jeana Lowes as Murphy Greeting Police #1
- Kanu Giddings as Policeman who greets Murphy #2
- Tamara Almeida as Police Officer who greets Murphy #3
- Shane Invervary Policeman saluting Murphy #4
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as OmniCorp Technician
- Thomas Mitchell as OmniCorp technician
- Ian Butcher as OmniCorp Security Chief
- Rocky Anderson as OmniCorp Lead Security Agent
- Dalias Blake as OmniCorp Security Agent
- Barry Nerling as OmniCorp Outside Security Guard
- Dean Redman as OmniCorp Outside Security Guard
- Demord Dann as OmniCorp Guard
- Darcy Hinds as OmniCorp Guard
- Sean Francis as OmniCorp security guard
- Steve Wright as Pilot
- Kirby Morrow as Co-Pilot
- David Harcourt as PCP Man
- Kevin Hare as the rapist
- Carlyn Burchell as Victim of the rapist
- Markus Parilo as sweet man
- Jessica Booker as Sweet Man's Mother
- Joe Merritt as pedestrian
- Raiden Eastman as hostage boy
- Aaliyah Cinello as a girl
- Meghan Hoople as teacher
- Prince Massey as Tramp
Videos[]
Production history (1987-2014)[]
Development[]
This is the first RoboCop to be shown in the 2.35:1 ratio.
The idea of a RoboCop remake or "re-imagining" has been in development hell for many years.
Sony Pictures (Screen Gems division) first announced that it was working on a new RoboCop 2014 film in late 2005; no further details were given. In November 2006, Bloody Disgusting reported that the RoboCop remake had been halted.
The film has a budget of $100 million (US) according to IMDB.com and is written by Nick Schenk (Gran Torino) and Josh Zetumer.
Joel Kinnaman, star of the series The Killing, landed the lead role in the next remake of Robocop.
On October 15, 2012, it was announced that Sony Pictures moved back Elysium to August 9, 2013, and pushed Robocop to February 7, 2014.
Marketing[]
The first official image released related to the project was the new design for ED-209, via the viral marketing campaign site OmniCorp.com.
Reception[]
RoboCop was met with overall mixed reception and currently holds a "Rotten" 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is because the film felt inferior to the original.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
Screenshots[]
Trivia[]
- The music that Maddox had put on during a simulation test between Robocop and EM-208 was the song, If I Only Had a Heart, sung by Jack Haley and Judy Garland in their roles as the Tin Man and Dorothy Gale respectively in the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz.
References from original media[]
- Several characters, excluding -RoboCop, are a reinterpretation of the originals:
- Jack Lewis is based on Anne Lewis.
- Raymond Sellars could be based on Dick Jones, and being the CEO of Omnicorp, he would be representing the Old Man.
- Dennett Norton would be based on RoboCop's technicians, such as Marie Lazarus, Linda Garcia, Charlie Lippencott and Cornelius Neumeier.
- Antoine Vallon is based on Clarence Boddicker.
- Robo's human left hand alludes to a scene from the original film, where Bob Morton suggests that Murphy's left arm be discarded.
- The EM-208 have a great resemblance to one of the RoboCop 2 prototypes.
- The "Red Asset" devices that prevent the elimination of an Omnicorp agent or executive are based on Directive 4, which prevents any arrest of an OCP employee.
- One of the first designs of Robo's suit, it is inspired by the design of the original Robo.
- RoboCop's main weapons, the TSR-66 and M2 Battle rifle. Represent the Auto 9 and Gunarm. The latter, according to the conceptual arts, was going to be attached to the arm.
Appearances[]
- Individuals
- Locations
- Brazil (mentioned)
- Chicago (mentioned)
- China
- Denver, Colorado (mentioned)
- Detroit City
- Detroit Police Headquarters
- Greece (mentioned)
- Irak (mentioned)
- Michigan
- New York (mentioned)
- Ohio (mentioned)
- Pittsburgh (mentioned)
- Ryan Correctional Facility (mentioned)
- Tehran