Robocop (2014)

Genre: Crime/Sci-fi

Directed: Jose Padilha

Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Samuel Jackson and Michael Keaton.

Running: 118 mins

At the hands of greedy Hollywood and lazy ideas, no movie is safe from being thrown into that big pile of remakes that cinemagoers know all too well. It is fair to say that modern directors in most cases, the up and coming, are the most gutsy when it comes to revisiting a cult classic such as Robcop. There are many reasons a director may pick up such a poisoned chalice but the legitimate reason is money. For fans of the original it is quite nonsensical but for the neutral and more importantly the younger demographic it is destined to find, it is clever and ultimately extremely rich. Way before remakes and Gothic robots was a time when director Paul Veroeven challenged James Cameron’s Terminator in 1987. Paul crafted his own futuristic tale of a dystopic Detroit bowing to the presence of a man in a machine who, considering the era and rating of the movie, it wouldn’t hesitate in blowing your head off – the violence was ripe and that is what signified 80′s cinema.

Twenty seven years down the line Jose Padilha directs a Robocop movie that is clearly modernised to suit the criteria of 21st century blockbuster; it’s visually teasing, not very action packed but sticking with the original plot respectively.

The year is 2028 and technological conglomerate Ominicorp is fighting for robotic protection on the streets of Detroit. At the centre of this debate is Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton). Having inherited billions from his military robots overseas, for Raymond, America’s fight against such prospect is a hard pill to swallow. He is hell-bent on altering a machine based authority that citizens can look up to with trust and support. We are consistently reminded of the need for such placement through Pat Novak (Samuel Jackson) who asks the question; “Why is America so Robophobic”? This is supposed to create a giggle or two.

On the other side of the not-so gritty city is our protagonist Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnamen). Murphy is a family man and a respected cop. Unfortunately for Murphy his eagerness to put certain criminals behind bars results in a car bomb which explodes at close range. Shattered and burned to a crisp, the decision of Murphy’s last breath is down to his distraught wife Clara (Abbie Cornish). She is given a life changing decision by Omincorp; seek benefit in society by creating a robotic hero, or let Murphy die a hero’s death. Thanks to Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) Raymond Sellar’s vision for a safer city pays off as Murphy awakens inside robotic armour.

This is a remake with little evidence as to why the city of Detroit is so ridden with scum that it needs such authority. I mean Detroit has never looked so clean. It is weak in its story, lacking any such motive as to why the town needs a saviour. It depends on the monologue from Samuel Jackson’s Pat Novak to keep you informed and to remind you why America needs this and how pro-American his own status is. Pat Novak, like Tom Pope (Jay Bruchel) and the arrogant Rick Mattox (Jackie Earl Haley) are the comedic twist to this drunken CGI fest. For instance Rick, who continues to call Murphy Tinman, plays the Wizard of Oz favourite “If I only had a heart” over a training montage.

Joel Kinnamen as Robocop can do no wrong. The scenes which show him interacting with his family are almost sympathetic. Murphy is aware of his new body from the second he awakens which opens the door for some quality time as Robodad. I cannot help but be appalled as to why Robocop’s suit is black? And what felt more ironic is that a former Batman requested it! We are teased from the beginning with the vintage metal outlook but hey, as a remake is the poison chalice, if you steer too close to the original or too far, you’re criticised. So yes, Robocop’s transformation to gothicbot should be criticised. He looks and moves more like the robotic ninjas from Robocop 3.

The overall movie is lethargic and timid with its characters. This underwhelming story involves more crocodile tears than The Notebook. It bleeds us dry with attempted emotion forgetting the purpose of the franchise; it lacks the action necessary to support its title and very little can be said for Joel Kinneman other than he played a robot. But hey, it is better than Robocop 3

Nitpicking aside, Robocop is entertaining in parts with a little bit of nostalgia. It lacked the necessary action that the original gave us, along with the grit and the memorable villain. I enjoyed the last 15 minutes, not because it ended, but because Robocop finally grows a pair of metal ones!

Lawless

Director John Hillcoat must have pulled some serious strings to reel in what appears to be a phenomenal cast representing what we hoped would be a fantastic film.

Set in Virginia, County Franklin is home to the richest and poorest minorities. While parts of New Orleans is struggling within an era of the great depression, the Bondurant family run a bootlegging operation; a profitable alcohol business which proves to be the backbone to the family's financial survival and an income of reputation from the locals. Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy) is the eldest of three brothers who not only keeps the operation running, but the discipline of his screwball brother Howard (Jason Clarke) and Jack (Shia LaBeouf).

While Forrest is the "silent but deadly" type and Howard a demented alcoholic, Jack is singled out as one with an emotionally detached personality and a liability to their operation. But it is when the town is greeted with a new face that the folks associated with the Bondurant family are put under scrutiny to spill the beans on the operation. Introducing Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), the devil of Virginia, who sees an opportunity in the Bondurant's alcohol business revealing a corruptness to his dark personality.


With one eye on Charlie's demands, Forrest is caught up with new barmaid Maggie (Jessica Chastain) who is set on proving her loyalty to Forrest, and something more. As Deputy Charlie is hell bound on destroying the towns alcohol advantage, apprentice Jack is trying to balance an ambition of two sides; to prove his own worth for out of town gangster Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman), and to convince his love to upper class lady, Bertha (Mia Wasikowska).

So as things quickly escalate, it is when Charlie and his cohorts of the law begin to use physicality in order to send a message to Forrest and co who remain stubborn under the pressure of the task force, leading to unnecessary violence and a clash of emotions. Jack, who metamorphose into a cocky somewhat brave new character following his association with Frankie, the result of his mind frame can either help rid Charlie's devious activities, or jeopardise everything the family have worked for.

Based on factual events, the screenplay is well represented while the director had a variety of actors to nit-pick and blend with the right scene and their credentials. Unfortunately, besides from the quality within the cast, the only actor who stood out in this was Guy Pearce, who gave a haunting performance and took the portrayal of sadistic drama to another level. What is introduced and eventually closed as a fairy tale book, the seriousness of Pearce's on screen ambiance makes this flick seem more serious than I think the director had intended. Besides from a complete focus of darkness, Tom Hardy has still yet to disappoint as his grunting be-wildered character is fun to watch and yet again scripted to add that touch of comedy to the story, something he does quite well.

Lawless shys from straight up gun-slinging at times offering a refreshing element when it dies down. It reveals the balance of two potential relationships; with Forrest appearing sceptical of Barmaid Maggie and Jack dangling from the legs of a girl that would be classed out of his league.

Shia Lebeouf is quite convincing as the rookie within the troubled family and although I am a fan of some of his work (Transformers only, not 2, defo not 3), he offers nothing other than a mediocre performance that could have been the result of having very little to represent. His character was left unexplored. However the biggest let down of Lawless was the cameo appearance from Gary Oldman. Whether that was down to actors choice I don't know, but you embrace his onscreen presence at the littlest chance the film offers.

Lawless gets a pass for portraying an emotional story that will always be memorable in terms of it being factual based, even if you do wonder how factual the telling actually is. The fact it is based on some sort of event does convince us to sit and watch it, but for other reasons such as a fictional element, the plot would still appear weak. Like many movies of this genre, the premise will try to win you over by re-tracing its steps with violent scenes. The violence does come every so often and when it does it hits hard, avoiding Quentin Tarantino's slapstick red sauce and more realistic gore, all at the hands of Pearce's character.

I expected much more in terms of a better plot and smarter dialogue. It appeared every time a dull moment was upon us, the film felt the need to dive in with over the top violence. Guy Pearce is the vigilante and is suspect to the result of the scenes you will most likely remember; the violent ones. He sticks out for that reason because his dialogue and on screen portrayal alone will be the only motive behind anyone classing this movie one of the best of 2012. But is that fair? on the bases of one actors performance? maybe not, but the proof is on the screen.

Overall; Entertaining to say the least with a back-forward love story, but without Guy Pearce, the plot and over all characters would have no impact when it comes to the award cabinet...Factual or not!

7/10