RoboCop (2014)
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A critically injured detective is transformed into a cyborg police officer whose programming blurs the line between man and machine.
The story
In 2028, OmniCorp revolutionizes warfare by introducing robotic peacekeeping drones. CEO Raymond Sellars wants to market this technology to U.S. law enforcement, but the Dreyfus Act bans the use of domestic militarized drones. Sellars consults roboticist Dr. Dennett Norton on the viability of developing cyborgs with OmniCorp technology. A Detroit police detective, Alex Murphy, is selected after a car-bomb planted by crime boss Antoine Vallon leaves him critically injured. Norton persuades Alex's wife, Clara, to approve the procedure. Upon waking, Alex escapes after realizing his transformation, but Norton shuts him down and returns him to the lab.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2028, OmniCorp introduces robotic peacekeeping drones, but the Dreyfus Act bans domestic militarized drones. To bypass this, CEO Raymond Sellars works with Dr. Dennett Norton to create cyborgs. Detective Alex Murphy is selected for the procedure after being critically injured by a car-bomb. After a brief escape, Murphy is returned to the lab, where Norton reveals most of his body is gone, leaving only a cybernetic brain, respiratory organs, heart, and right hand. During training with Rick Mattox, a new subroutine is created to make Murphy efficient but less empathetic. After a public unveiling where RoboCop apprehends a fugitive, the public begins to support repealing the Dreyfus Act. Alex eventually overrides his programming to discover he was betrayed by dirty cops and the Chief of Police. He guns down crime boss Antoine Vallon and tracks down the corrupt officers. Sellars lies to Clara, claiming Alex died, but Norton helps Alex escape OmniCorp's lockdown. Alex eventually reaches the rooftop, overcomes his programming to kill Sellars, and is later rebuilt in Norton's lab to wait for his family.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- José Padilha
- Writers
- Joshua Zetumer · writer; Edward Neumeier · writer; Michael Miner · writer
- Cast and characters
- Joel Kinnaman · Alex Murphy / RoboCop; Gary Oldman · Dr. Dennett Norton; Michael Keaton · Raymond Sellars; Abbie Cornish · Clara Murphy; Jackie Earle Haley · Rick Mattox; Michael K. Williams · Jack Lewis; Jennifer Ehle · Liz Kline; Jay Baruchel · Tom Pope
- Genres
- cyberpunk; superhero; action; thriller; science fiction
- Themes
- man vs. machine; corporate greed; dehumanization; surveillance; identity
- Tone and mood
- dark; dystopian; action-packed; serious
- Premise and plot tags
- remake; cybernetic; police procedural; techno-thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1987 film
- Franchise connections
- RoboCop
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, being considered inferior to the original film, although the visual effects, the cast performances and the action sequences were praised.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film was delayed numerous times, and Padilha signed on in 2011.; Principal photography began in September 2012 in Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, with additional locations in Hamilton, in Canada, and Detroit in the United States.; To coincide with the home media releases, Detroit celebrated with "RoboCop Day" on June 3, 2014.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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