Paul Verhoeven Called RoboCop “The American Jesus”

Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven has long put social commentary front and center, and his most iconic film is the 1987 sci‑fi action classic RoboCop, which holds a 92 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The whole series, including the poorly received 2014 remake, is coming to Tubi in March.

In a 2014 oral history about the making of RoboCop, Verhoeven described the film’s central figure as "an American Jesus." He compared Alex Murphy’s death to a crucifixion and his rebirth as RoboCop to a resurrection, and said that the story’s violence fits that religious imagery.

There is even a moment in the film where Robo essentially walks on water. Verhoeven argued that the movie’s potency comes from a distinctively American glorification of violence, corporations and militarized police. Co‑writer Michael Miner placed the story in Detroit — what Miner called "the city destroyed by corporate America" — which turns the satire into a cartoonish but still recognizable version of the United States.

United States, Detroit

paul verhoeven, robocop, american jesus, alex murphy, detroit, corporate america, militarized police, violence, michael miner, tubi