RoboCop (1987, USA) C-103m. *** D: Paul Verhoeven. Starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Michael Gregory, Paul Verhoeven. Effective action film, near the genre's pinnacle of the 1980s. Weller plays a cop who is almost killed then returns as RoboCop, half man, half robot, programmed to rid the near-future city of Detroit (soon to be renamed Delta City) of crime. Some tackiness (especially in some of the minor villains, the really bad guys are convincing) is forgotten in extremely violent, well-filmed bullett-riddling shoot-outs. Verhoeven cuts loose often enough. Fine score by Basil Poledouris provides emotional, dramatic angle. Monty Hellman reportedly directed parts of the second unit. R-rated version runs 102m. Followed by two sequels, a TV series and a mini series.