RoboCop’s most revealing line isn’t the one fans usually quote

When RoboCop hit cinemas in 1987, Paul Verhoeven’s satirical depiction of a future where corporate America is fueled by greed and violence stunned audiences. The film — Verhoeven’s first American blockbuster hit — earned a 92% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and launched sequels, TV shows, action figures and video games.

Peter Weller leads an ensemble that includes Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith and Miguel Ferrer. The screenplay by Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner brims with memorable lines, from RoboCop’s "Dead or alive, you’re coming with me" to the Bixby Snyder punchline, "I’d buy that for a dollar!" Yet the film’s emotional center arrives when the cyborg confronts his dead human identity.

In near-future Detroit, Omni Consumer Products takes over the police force, ED-209’s demonstration goes wrong, Bob Morton proposes an alternative, and officer Alex Murphy is gunned down, his remains grafted into the RoboCop project as flashes of his family and death begin to surface.

robocop, paul verhoeven, 1987, peter weller, alex murphy, ed-209, omni consumer, bixby snyder, detroit, nancy allen