RoboCop RoboCop RoboCop is a 1987 American cyberpunk action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, and Ronny Cox. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan, in the near future, "RoboCop" centers on police officer Alex Murphy (Weller) who is murdered by a gang of criminals and subsequently revived by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) as a superhuman cyborg law enforcer known as RoboCop. Themes that make up the basis of "RoboCop" include media influence, gentrification, corruption, authoritarianism, greed, privatization, capitalism, identity,
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