Reviews discussed the film's violent content. Ebert found ED-209 killing an executive to be "very funny", contrasting it with the Charlie Chaplin silent film "Modern Times" (1936), which finds humor in applying logic to a situation where it is irrelevant. He said the scene subverts expectations and puts the audience off guard because they no longer know what type of film they are watching. Wilmington found the violence to be presented with a "comic lunancy" that created experiences of sadism and poignancy in a single scene. Ricket said the violence made "The Terminator" seem like "Bambi" (1942). Other reviewers were more critical, including Kehr, who found it disturbing that the film drew comedy from extreme violence. He believed following the violence with a sarcastic remark to provide the audience with relief was a "mechanical and underhanded" way to elicit audience emotions. Walter Goodman said the story about corrupt corporations served as a thin excuse for violence. Wilmington said the violence would offend many, but was justified by the "modern nauseatic generic clichés it tears up". Graham found the violence had a "brooding agonized quality... as if Verhoeven were both appalled and fascinated" by it. Sterritt said that critical praise for the "nasty" film demonstrated a preference for "style over substance".