In 2028, OmniCorp, once again based in a crime-ridden Detroit, supplies the Pentagon with a variety of robots (tellingly called "drones") for its world-wide policing activities, including the streets of Tehran. Indeed, the Pentagon seems to be in charge of policing worldwide; everywhere, that is, except the "robo-phobic" United States, where it's illegal to put a gun in the hands of a machine.
But OmniCorp's head man, ruthless master-marketer Raymond Sellars (a solid, well-cast Michael Keaton) has an idea: Put a man inside the machine, someone with feelings and a conscience that people can relate to, can trust to do the right thing. The RoboCop program is born and given to top researcher and developer Dr. Dennett Norton (a superb Gary Oldman), who really does have a conscience. The cop chosen is Alex Murphy (Swedish actor Joel Kinneman), a straight-arrow crime fighter going after corruption who was critically injured in a crime syndicate's bomb blast. Abbie Cornish as Alex's wife is both supportive and steely as the situation requires.
Throughout development and testing, it's always the human element that gets in the way of progress it seems, from the shock Alex feels when he wakes up mostly machine, through the feelings that overwhelm him when the crime history of Detroit is downloaded into his memory. On OmniCorp's side, however, we see the opposite problem: a lack of feeling and a pursuit of profit at the top that leads to real evil being done.
"RoboCop" cost a reported $100 million to make, and looks it. The production is beautifully designed, the special effects are superb, and informational screen overlays are clear, logical, and easy to grasp. Brazilian director José Padilha, a top award recipient back home for "Elite Squad," does a fine job with a top-drawer cast, although several action sequences were uninspired, sometimes confusing. In general the pacing is fine, and the fan boys should be happy.
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