Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 23, 1990 TAG: 9006230115
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The violent science-fiction satire is much more effective than the highly hyped "Total Recall." It does everything a good sequel should, even outpacing the original in some respects. And it overcomes the main flaw of sequels - staleness - with a quick pace, black humor and excellent stop-motion special effects.
The 1987 original was set in Detroit, a few years from now. A cop named Murphy (Peter Weller) was tortured and murdered by a vicious drug dealer. What little remained of him was revived and encased in a massive suit of computerized armor.
Omni Consumer Products, a private corporation contracted by the decaying city to handle police protection, paid for the experimental procedure. Thus transformed, Murphy became "RoboCop." Eventually, he discovered that executives at OCP were as guilty as the street thugs.
In "RoboCop 2" the situation has deteriorated further. A highly addictive new drug, Nuke, has infested the streets, and the Old Man (Dan O'Herlihy) in charge of OCP is trying to bankrupt the city so that he can take it over completely. The police force is on strike, but Robo and his partner Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen) are still on patrol, looking for Cain (Tom Noonan), the messianic Nuke dealer.
Without opening credits, the film launches straight into a fast sequence showing the brutality of the streets. Again, withering commercials and TV news stories are used to fill in the background of this dystopian future.
And OCP is still working on RoboCop 2 without success. The "improved" models keep killing the wrong people or committing suicide. But then Dr. Faxx (delightfully played by Belinda Bauer) comes up with a new idea: Why not put the brain of a psychopath inside a cyborg?
The story by Frank Miller and Walon Green moves logically and inventively, and director Irvin Kershner paces the action well. He doesn't let the furious speed of the action overpower the characters, who have a fair amount of depth. Some of the numerous shoot-outs go on too long, and, as in the original, the level of violence is high enough to repel some viewers. The film is far too strong for younger audiences.
Though stuntmen doubtless deserve credit for much of his performance, Peter Weller still does impressive work with only his jaw visible for most of the film. The conflict between the human and mechanically authoritarian sides of his resurrected personality is at the center of the story, and it works well. So does the strong wide-ranging comic subtext.
That sharp, intelligent edge could make "RoboCop 2" the sleeper hit of the summer.i
`RoboCop 2' An Orion release playing at the Salem Valley 8 (389-0444) and Valley View Mall 6 (362-8219). Rated R for graphic violence and profanity. Two hours long.
by CNB