Knockback, Episode 272 | RoboCop (Patreon)

Paul Verhoeven's 1987 dystopian sci-fi film RoboCop is considered more and more of a classic the further we get from its release year. Indeed, a lot of the ongoing revision pertaining to RoboCop has to do with its subject matter: Mega-corporations, militarism, the use of police force, and a mighty thick layer of satire that heavily lampoons American culture, past and present alike. On the outside, Peter Weller's portrayal of the titular mechanized law enforcement officer is merely a piece of cinema history due to its visually-iconic protagonist. But between the seams are strings to pull at that bring audiences to deeper and darker places, taking a gory allusion to post-modernity to a whole new level. Can robots think and feel? Well, RoboCop sure can.