RoboCop 2 (1990)
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A cyborg law enforcement officer must battle a corporate conspiracy and a new drug epidemic while facing a high-tech mechanical successor.
The story
In a dystopian Detroit facing bankruptcy, the conglomerate Omni Consumer Products (OCP) plans to foreclose on public property to develop 'Delta City.' To facilitate this, OCP deliberately underfunds the police, leading to a rise in crime and the spread of a new drug called 'Nuke.' RoboCop remains on duty, plagued by memories of his past life as Alex Murphy. While OCP attempts to develop a 'RoboCop 2' to replace human officers, RoboCop must navigate the escalating violence caused by crime boss Cain and his lieutenant, a teenage boy named Hob.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Detroit is facing bankruptcy, allowing Omni Consumer Products (OCP) to plan the 'Delta City' project by intentionally underfunding the police. This leads to a crime wave fueled by a drug called 'Nuke,' sold by crime boss Cain and his lieutenant, Hob. While RoboCop struggles with his human memories, OCP tries to create a 'RoboCop 2' using the brains of legally dead officers. When these subjects fail, psychologist Juliette Faxx begins screening death row inmates, eventually selecting the Nuke-addicted Cain. After RoboCop is ambushed and repaired, Faxx reprograms him with restrictive directives. RoboCop eventually clears these and raids Cain's hideout, leaving Cain in a coma and Hob in control of the drug empire. Faxx implants Cain's brain into a new cyborg body to create RoboCop 2. Hob offers to cover the city's debt in exchange for drug leniency. RoboCop 2 kills everyone at a meeting except the mayor and Hob. At a ceremony for Delta City, RoboCop 2 goes berserk. RoboCop eventually defeats the machine by ripping out its brain. OCP uses Faxx as a scapegoat for the disaster.
- First release year
- 1990
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Irvin Kershner
- Writers
- Frank Miller · screenplay; Walon Green · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Peter Weller · RoboCop; Nancy Allen · Anne Lewis; Daniel O'Herlihy · Hob; Tom Noonan · Cain; Belinda Bauer · Juliette Faxx; Gabriel Damon · Hob
- Genres
- science-fiction; action
- Themes
- American capitalism; corporate power; militarization; humanity vs. technology; masculinity
- Tone and mood
- cynical; ultraviolent; nihilistic
- Premise and plot tags
- cyberpunk; cyborgs; brain transplantation; illegal drug trade; corporate conspiracy
- Franchise connections
- RoboCop
- Content notes
- child death
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with praise for its special effects and action but criticism for its lack of focus on the human story and its handling of the child villain.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 31% · review count: 140; Metacritic · score: 42 · review count: 22
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Science Fiction Film · Nominated; Saturn Award · Best Performance by a Younger Actor · Nominated; Saturn Award · Best Special Effects · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in Houston.; RoboCop made a guest appearance at WCW's pay-per-view event Capital Combat.; The film's plot predicted Detroit filing for bankruptcy in the future.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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