RoboCop (franchise) The franchise has made over US$100 million worldwide and a fourth installment, a remake serving as a reboot titled "RoboCop," was released in February 2014. RoboCop is a 1987 American cyberpunk action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, "RoboCop" centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop". The film features Peter Weller, Dan O'Herlihy, Kurtwood Smith, Nancy Allen, Miguel Ferrer, and Ronny Cox. In addition to being an action film, "RoboCop" includes larger themes regarding the media, resurrection, gentrification, corruption,
RoboCop hideouts reflecting this concern. Massive unemployment is prevalent, being reported frequently on the news, as are poverty and the crime that results from economic hardship. Director Paul Verhoeven, known for his heavy use of Christian symbolism, states in the documentary "Flesh and Steel: The Making of RoboCop" (featured on the "RoboCop" DVD) that his intention was to portray RoboCop as a Christ figure. This is represented in: Murphy's horrific death (read: crucifixion); his return (read: resurrection) as Robocop; the showdown with Clarence Boddicker at the steel mill, which finds RoboCop trudging through ankle-deep water (this creates the illusion of him