 | | Orion Pictures |
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In 2014, MGM released a remake of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 film “RoboCop.” I watched it this week, and to get to the point, it isn’t good. Where Verhoeven’s original is tight and streamlined — with a script that moves fast and doesn’t waste a moment — the remake is slow and bloated, more interested in its visual effects and action set pieces than theme, story or character. It is a generic blockbuster, more indebted to modern superhero films than to its predecessor. |
Having watched the remake, I thought it would be a good idea to rewatch the original, which I haven’t seen for several years. Paul Verhoeven, if you aren’t aware, is a Dutch director and screenwriter whose career spans the past 50 years. Most of his films were shot in the Netherlands. But for 20 years, from 1983 to 2000, he lived and worked in Hollywood. Each of his American films is a blend of social criticism and genre filmmaking, and “RoboCop” — his second English-language feature — is arguably his most potent work. |
The movie is violent, vulgar and schlocky. Our protagonist, played by Peter Weller, is introduced and killed within 20 minutes, graphically blown apart by a criminal gang. Another character, near the end of the film, is maimed by toxic waste and killed when a car hits him and he explodes. But this isn’t gratuitous violence; it exists in dialogue with story and theme. “RoboCop” takes place in a future Detroit where crime is out of control and the police are unable to restore order. A megacorporation “partners” with law enforcement, using the crisis to develop and sell new military equipment, including combat robots meant to take the place of beat cops. The company will clean up the streets, turn a profit and also clear the way for the construction of a luxury sector in the city. |
All of this is established quickly in the first act, and right away we see that this is a movie about neoliberalism — about the destruction of public goods for the sake of private gain, about the spread of capitalist relations to every aspect of our society. Of course, “RoboCop” isn’t a subtle movie. And so Verhoeven underscores all of this — as well as establishes his central point — with one of the most memorable sequences in the film: A senior executive at the company demonstrates one of these combat robots, asking another executive to threaten it with a gun. He obliges, and the robot responds accordingly, asking him to drop the weapon. But then it malfunctions and guns down the executive, sending him flying on top of a model of the new luxury development, blown apart and covered in blood and gore, which then stains the model. |
Here you have the message of the movie: Beneath the polish of modern capitalism lies unspeakable violence. And Verhoeven goes on to emphasize this by giving us the origins of the RoboCop, who is pitched by a rival executive as an alternative to those combat robots. To get the human body he needs, he arranges for those criminals to kill Weller’s character, Alex Murphy. Here again is the message: The gleaming wonders of capitalist technocracy — RoboCop is very cool! — cannot exist without profound and terrible suffering. |
Every scene and set piece serves to underline this theme of the film. And in Murphy’s journey to recover his personhood, we see that resistance requires one to see through the patina of “progress” and recognize the violence underneath. It’s no accident that by the end of the film, Murphy as RoboCop is no longer wearing his metallic headset and visor. |
There’s much more to say about this movie, but I’ll spare you my extended thoughts. It suffices to say that Verhoeven’s “RoboCop” remains extremely relevant in a world of police violence, mass deprivation, rampant inequality and unchallenged corporate dominance. He made a bet about where American society was headed, and unfortunately, he was right. |
I argued that President Trump is losing his race for re-election because he wants to fight over statues and monuments when the public wants someone to handle the pandemic. |
| With enough racist demagogy, Trump seems to think, he’ll close the gap with Biden and eke out another win in the Electoral College. But it is one thing to run a backlash campaign, as Trump did four years ago, in a growing economy in which most people aren’t acutely worried about their lives and futures. In that environment, where material needs are mostly met, voters can afford to either look past racial animus or embrace it as a kind of luxury political good. When conditions are on the decline, however, they want actual solutions, and the politics of resentment are, by themselves, a much harder sell. |
I also argued that the reason for the forced reopening of businesses and schools is to discipline workers and protect the wealth of owners, industry and heirs. |
| Workers are kept on edge — and willing to accept whatever wage is on offer — by the threat of immiseration. This, for politicians who back both big business and existing social relations, is a feature and not a bug of our economic system, since insecurity and desperation keep power in the hands of capital and its allies. Even something as modest as expanded unemployment benefits is a threat to that arrangement, as they give workers the power to say no to work they do not want. |
And I did a Twitter live chat, which you can watch here. |
Peter Beinart on the “one-state solution” for Israel in Jewish Currents. |
If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please consider recommending it to friends. They can sign up here. If you want to share your thoughts on an item in this week’s newsletter or on the newsletter in general, please email me at jamelle-newsletter@nytimes.com. |
 | | An Asiatic Lily from the garden.Jamelle Bouie |
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I’ve taken up macro photography while under quarantine and have begun by photographing as much as possible from my wife’s garden. This Asiatic Lily just opened up this morning. Other than some minor edits to improve clarity and contrast, I did little to alter the photo. |
Now Eating: Creamy Corn Pasta With Basil |
We have an herb and vegetable garden as well as a flower garden, and I’ve been trying to use as much basil as possible. This recipe was a good use of it and the mint. It’s fairly light and makes for a great summer lunch. Recipe comes from The New York Times Cooking section. |
- Fine sea salt
- 12 ounces dry orecchiette or farfalle
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 bunch scallions (about 8), trimmed and thinly sliced (keep the whites and greens separate)
- 2 large ears corn, shucked and kernels removed (2 cups kernels)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, more for serving
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, more to taste
- ⅓ cup torn basil or mint, more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- Fresh lemon juice, as needed
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Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until 1 minute shy of al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. |
Meanwhile, heat oil in large sauté pan over medium heat; add scallion whites and a pinch of salt and cook until soft, 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup water and all but ¼ cup corn; simmer until corn is heated through and almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, transfer to a blender, and purée mixture until smooth, adding a little extra water if needed to get a thick but pourable texture. |
Heat the same skillet over high heat. Add butter and let melt. Add reserved ¼ cup corn and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. (It’s OK if the butter browns; that deepens the flavor.) Add the corn purée and cook for 30 seconds to heat and combine the flavors. |
Reduce heat to medium. Add pasta and half the reserved pasta cooking water, tossing to coat. Cook for 1 minute, then add a little more of the pasta cooking water if the mixture seems too thick. Stir in ¼ cup of the scallion greens, the Parmesan, the herbs, the red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice to taste. Transfer to warm pasta bowls and garnish with more scallions, herbs, a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper. |
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