342. Robocop

Title: Robocop
Genre: Acton, Crime, Sci-Fi
Year: 2014

Summary: In 2028, multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of military "robot soldier" technology, supplying the US Military with mechanical men that are used overseas. OmniCorp wants to sell their products for use in civilian law enforcement in the United States but public opinion, embodied by the Dreyfus Act, prevents this. OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) asks his marketing team, in conjunction with scientist Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman), to create a new law enforcement product by combining man and machine that he believes can be "sold" to the American public. They begin looking for a permanently injured policeman to act as the core of their prototype.

Police detective Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) and his partner, Jack Lewis (Michael K. Williams), attempt to arrest crime boss Antoine Vallon (Patrick Garrow), unaware that he has contacts inside the DPD. When Lewis is hospitalized and Alex is nearly killed after Vallon has a bomb planted in his car, Norton picks Alex for the RoboCop program and, with consent from Alex's wife, Clara (Abbie Cornish), has him outfitted with the RoboCop body and software. Alex at first rejects his current condition, but is convinced by Norton to be strong for his wife and son. Rick Mattox (Jackie Earle Haley), OmniCorp's military tactician, is skeptical of Alex's abilities, saying he will never be as efficient as a fully mechanical robot. Alex proves this true by operating at a slower rate than the drone counterparts due to his natural hesitation when making judgements in the field. In order to make Alex perform better, Norton tampers with his brain, making him believe that his tactical decisions are his own when he is actually executing programs.

While preparing for a public press conference to unveil RoboCop, Alex is emotionally overwhelmed and has a seizure while Norton is uploading the police database (including his own homicide's footage) information into his brain. Pressed for time, Norton alters Alex's brain chemistry, lowering his dopamine levels until he no longer displays any emotions. Under control, Alex attends the press conference, where he ignores his waiting wife and son, and efficiently apprehends a criminal in the crowd. RoboCop is a public-relations success, and drastically reduces the crime rate in Detroit. Public opinion on the Dreyfus Act begins to turn. Norton is told to prevent Alex from seeing his wife and son.

Clara manages to confront her husband as he is leaving the station, telling him about his son, David (John Paul Ruttan), having nightmares. Alex leaves, but then overrides his programming and detours from his current case to go to his house. He reviews the CCTV footage of his accident and realizes that David saw his body and was traumatized. Alex pursues Vallon for revenge. When Alex arrives at his hideout, Vallon nearly succeeds in killing him but is finally shot by Alex. At the station Alex kills one of the corrupt cops and arrests the other. When Alex is about to arrest the Chief of Police, who was one of Vallon's contacts, Mattox shuts him down by remote control and has him taken back to OmniCorp.

Sellars decides to spin this turn of events to his advantage, via television presenter Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson), who thanks RoboCop for revealing the fallibility of the police, and points out that drones are incorruptible. A repeal of the Dreyfus Act goes underway, with votes overwhelmingly in support of the repeal. Clara goes to the press and angrily demands to see her husband. Sellars, seeing Alex is no longer useful and fearing that the truth of what has been done to him will be exposed, orders Mattox to kill him. Norton reaches the lab first and revives Alex, telling him everything. Alex, feeling betrayed, goes after Sellars.

Sellars has the OmniCorp building shut down and armed with drones. Alex gains entry with the help of his former partner Lewis and other police officers. Lewis shoots Mattox while Alex reaches the roof, where Sellars is waiting for a helicopter and has Clara and David as hostages. Alex's programming prevents him from arresting Sellars, but he manages to overcome it and shoots, killing him.

OmniCorp's parent company, OCP, decides to review the drone and RoboCop program. Alex's body is rebuilt in Norton's laboratory, and then he waits for Clara and David, who are coming to visit him. The President vetoes the repeal of the Dreyfus Act based on the testimony of Norton, who confesses everything they had done in the RoboCop program (though Pat Novak claims the confession is a government fabrication).