The 1987 release RoboCop was one of the most popular films that year and has gone on to become a cult classic. It received both critical and commercial acclaim.
It went on to feature in many best of lists, including popular magazine Entertainment Weekly, which in 2007 named it the 14th Greatest Action Movie of all Time. In 2008, Empire magazine named it one of The 500 Greatest Movies of all Time.
Twenty-seven years later, the film has come in for a remake. This version of RoboCop is directed by José Padilha from a script by Joshua Zetumer, Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner and stars Joel Kinnaman as the titular character.
Set in 2028, the plot revolves around OmniCorp, the world’s leader in robot technology that is working on a very ambitious project. Kinnaman plays Alex Murphy, a loving husband, father and cop working the crime and corruption-ridden streets of Detroit.
When he is critically injured in the line of duty, Alex becomes key to OmniCorp’s project and the corporate behemoth grabs its chance to build a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and will stop at nothing – no matter the cost to Alex – to make sure the programme succeeds.
In the film’s production notes, Padilha expands on his vision for this 21st-century retelling of the tale. “Back in the 1980s, the idea of a half-man, half-robot could only take place in the far future. But it’s actually happening now,” he says.
“From prosthetics to drones to self-driving cars, this idea is becoming part of everybody’s life. It’s raising a lot of legal and ethical issues that we’re all dealing with. And Alex Murphy embodies all of those questions – what happens when you put the man inside the machine?”
From prosthetics to drones to self-driving cars, this idea is becoming part of everybody’s life
For OmniCorp, the RoboCop is simply a commodity they need to sell to law enforcement institutions across the country. They stand to earn billions of dollars – and are, therefore, willing to close a blind eye to certain ethical issues.
Yet, there is one thing they forget, elaborates Padilha. “Inside the product, there is a man; it’s not just a suit, it’s a human being. They set up this invention that they think they can control, but they pick the wrong guy. They pick somebody too good, a guy determined to use his new powers for justice.”
Wearing RoboCop’s heavy armour and providing the human side is actor Joel Kinnaman. The actor says he was attracted to play the role of Alex Murphy after meeting with Padilha.
“José described his vision – his philosophical and political ideas that could fit inside the concept of RoboCop,” says Kinnaman. “You could use that concept to talk about a lot of other interesting things. He wanted to make a fun action movie that discusses philosophical dilemmas that we will face in the very near future. And I wanted to be a part of that.”
Joining Kinnaman are Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Samuel L. Jackson.