3. Robocop (1987)
Paul Verhoeven's Robocop is a film that is not only violent, but relevant even today. Set in the near future, policeman Alex Murphy is transferred to Old Detroit with little to no hope for maintaining and semblance of order. On the trail of one of Detroit's most wanted, everything goes horribly wrong and Alex is murdered point blank in on of the most gruesome scenes I've personally seen to date. Left in barely recognizable condition, Alex is rushed to an intensive care unit only to become lost in an electronic labyrinth of steel and wires, courtesy of Omni Consumer Products. OCP is a corporate entity that runs most of Detroit and has plans on creating a twenty four hour, robotic policeman in Murphy, and rebuilding the city from the ground up. When regaining bits of his memory, Murphy takes it upon himself to find those that killed him and take revenge. If that sounds incredibly violent, it is. If that sounds by the numbers, I assure you, it isn't. What made Robocop relevant to the times was that it tackled hot button issues such as gentrification, poverty, drug use, extortion, mainstream media, and corporate fascism. It's satirical to the end and that was the intent. There are several news clips and commercials interwoven throughout that not only take you out of the film, but are a direct response to the advertising industry of the time. What makes the film work is the use of satire. It was able to provide a social commentary amidst all the violence and chaos. It was a violent film for violent times and I feel it tried to raise an awareness in its viewing audience. I would argue that the question the film raises by the end is whether or not a violent society is the product of mass media outlets and world news? The answer to which, can be speculated simply by paying attention to the world around you.