There are superheroes whose names are known throughout the world. Among them are Batman, Man of Steel, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk and, of course, Robocop. The character is familiar to all fans of the fiction genre from small to large. The theme of his appearance and adventures was repeatedly raised in the cinema, and, probably, we will see more than one project with his participation. In four militants that appeared at different times on the screen, the actors of the film “Robocop” change, but the plot line remains almost identical.
Robocop
Robocop, or robot policeman - is a fictional character known to the whole world, included, according to the magazine "Fantasy World", in the top three of the "most-most robots." It was his image that laid the foundation for a series of fantastic films of the same name. According to the authors' idea, it was created on the basis of the human central nervous system of police officer Alex Jay Murphy from Detroit, who died during the assignment. The corporation that created it says that the robot does not have consciousness and claims ownership of it. His actions are limited by three main aspects: to comply with the law, to protect the innocent and to serve society, which echoes the three laws of A. Azimov's robotics .
Paul Verhoeven Movie
The first version of the fantastic action movie, shot by the famous director from the Netherlands, premiered in 1987. Robocop (actor Peter Weller) was a great success, won the IFC award, one Oscar and two nominations, as well as 8 more prestigious film awards. The budget of the picture amounted to 13 million dollars, and box office - 53.4 million. The wide popularity of the film and commercial success led to the creation of sequels (there are now 4 tapes), animated series, comics, video games, television series, etc.
A completely finished tape in 1987 received an age rating of 18+ due to the abundance of violent scenes and the amount of blood. This situation almost put an end to the rolling expectations of the director, and he went to remount, reducing the number of cruel moments. The final version was 16+ qualified. This film can rightfully be called "Robocop 1". The actors involved in the project are not so well known to the modern audience. Participation in the first part of the franchise for many of them was a high point.
About the plot
The action of the fantastic action movie takes place in the near future. The dark streets of Detroit are swept by a wave of violence. The government is making a deal with a commercial enterprise that pledges to debug the work of the police and the municipality. However, she was not interested in rebuilding Detroit, but in its complete replacement with the so-called "city of the future", completely subject to the corporation. Initially, the streets should be cleaned of criminals and for this the company offers a robot. As a biological (human) basis, they use the body of police officer Alex Murphy, who was killed on a mission.
Starring performers
Peter Weller is the first actor to play robocop (stills from the movie in the photo above). He graduated from the University of North Texas and then the Academy of Dramatic Arts, after which he began his career in theater. played in more than 50 films, but it was Robocop that brought him the most popularity. After shooting the second part of the franchise, he was supposed to participate in the third. However, the actor refused, as he was extremely dissatisfied with the script of the previous film. Now he is actively teaching at the University of Syracuse at the Department of Literature and Fine Arts, and he is also broadcasting the program “How Empires Was Created” on the historical channel.
As a result of P. Weller’s refusal, actor Robert John Burke, known to the audience for the role of Bart Bass in the TV series “Gossip Girl”, officer Zmuida from the “Soprano Clan”, Patrick Leary from “The White Collar”, and others fell into the third part of the Robocop franchise.
Joel Kinnaman, an American actor of Swedish descent, was invited to participate in the remake of the 1987 film directed by Jose Padilla. He is known to a wide audience for his participation in the films “Easy Money”, “Suicide Squad”, “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and the television series “Murder”.
The film "Robocop": role actors (1987)
The role of co-worker Alex Murphy, police officer Ann Lewis in the trilogy about the robocop was played by the American film actress Nancy Ann Allen. The most famous projects with her participation are “Puncture” and “Carrie”. Three times she was nominated for a Saturn Award, including as the best actress in the movie Robocop and the best supporting actress in the final part of the trilogy.
The role of the cold-blooded and soulless vice president of OCP Richard Dick Jones was played by the popular American television actor, guitarist and singer Ronnie Cox.
In addition, such actors as Kertwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Paul McCrain, Ray Wise, Calvin Yang, etc. took part in the film. Many of them continued to work in the second and third parts.
The film of Jose Padilla
A remake of the popular science fiction film was taken by the Brazilian director. The "skeleton" of the plot remained virtually unchanged, but still has some differences from the first Robocop tape. The main actor, as already mentioned, this time Joel Kinnaman. In addition to him, negotiations were held with Russell Crowe, Michael Fassbender and Matthias Schonarts.
Unlike its predecessor, the 1987 release, the film received very mixed reviews from critics and did not have the same stunning success at the box office.
About the plot
The head of a large corporation wants to use robots in the police service instead of ordinary people. However, this proposal is disapproving of the general public and does not take place in the Senate. Then the board of the company comes to the decision to create something new and revolutionary, a product that would combine the capabilities of the human brain and advanced developments in the field of robotics. To do this, invite the brilliant scientist D. Norton. Together they look through the police chronicles in search of a suitable candidate.
In the remake, Alex Murphy also dies, but this time a different method was chosen - the criminals put explosives into his car. In addition, the main character got a family.
However, over time, scientists realize that it is difficult to combine the human mind and feelings with the coolness of the machine. In the film, the theme of this internal struggle is more open, when the brain does not cope with the load and it is necessary to oppress some of his feelings, causing suffering to relatives and to Alex himself.
Robocop: Actors and Roles (2014)
Unlike the original movie in the remake, the protagonist does not have a partner, but a partner Jack Lews performed by Michael C. Williams.
The role of the wife of Alex Murphy Clara was performed by Australian actress Abby Cornish (photo above). She is familiar to the domestic audience primarily from the films “Good Year”, “Candy”, “Bright Star”, “Fields of Darkness”. The role was offered to Rebecca Hall, but she refused, among the applicants were also Jessica Alba, Kate Mara and Keri Russell.
The brilliant scientist Dr. Dennett Norton on the screen is embodied by a world famous celebrity - British actor, producer, director and musician Gary Oldman. He is known for his amazing skill in transforming from an absolute villain to a positive character.
Two more world-class stars in the movie Robocop are actor Michael Keaton (CEO of the story corporation) and Samuel L. Jackson (as Pat Novak).