When the original Robocop hit the big screen, i was four years old. When i first seen the film on VHS, i was still way too young to understand most of it. I did not fully "get" the humor and the violence level could make my mother blush. As a film (that i watched over and over) if had a profound effect on my image of the city i lived. Detroit was not hipster central when i was growing up and the idea of someone making a movie based on my city seemed extra bad ass. Cops were still hero's to my generation and the Ford Taurus had not yet turned into a beige rental car. It was a classic white hat vs black hat western with an urban cocaine filled twist.


Many years later, Robocop was the first Blu-ray i ever owned. The conversion from film was flawless and the old school animatronic special effects actually looked good, in some ways more convincing than the CGI of today. The movie held up over time and all was good with the world.

The story of Robocop essentially plays out as a political wet dream, especially in light of current events. Detroit is really broke and the crime rates have really gone awry. Large corporations now have vested interest in revitalizing the city....but those pesky residents keep getting in the way. Robocop in reality is played by a black guy named Kevyn Orr, Detroit's emergency manager. His job? Make the city whole again while keeping the residents and his bosses happy. Sound Familiar? Hopefully we don't play this story out exactly like the movie and no one gets shot in the hand.