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113-574: Original plans for the project called for twin towers, with the second tower rotated 90 degrees from the original, to be built across the garden on an adjacent lot, but with the collapse of the Texas oil , banking and real estate industry and the savings and loan scandal of the 1980s, the project was never completed. The building was designed by the Pei Cobb Freed & Partners , Henry N. Cobb , Harry Weese Associates , and WZMH Architects , and

226-543: A wood-burning stove in the living quarters. However, the panels were removed in 1986, reportedly for roof maintenance, during the administration of his successor, Ronald Reagan . A speech Carter gave in April 1977 argued the oil crisis was " the moral equivalent of war ". In November 1979, Iranian revolutionaries seized the American Embassy, and Carter imposed an embargo on Iranian oil. In January 1980, he issued

339-547: A "certain liability   ... it sounds like ' Robby the Robot ' or Gobots or something else. It's nothing like that." The campaign began three months before the film's release, when 5,000 adult-oriented and family-friendly trailers were sent to theaters. Orion promotions director Jan Kean said that children and adults responded positively to the RoboCop character. Miguel Ferrer recalled a theater audience laughing derisively at

452-612: A "killer" aesthetic. Davies was influenced by killer whales and a United States Air Force LTV A-7 Corsair II . He approached the design with modern American aesthetics and a corporate-design policy that he believed prioritized looks over functionality, including excessive and impractical components. He did not add eyes, thinking that they would make ED-209 more sympathetic. The fully-articulated fiberglass model took four months to build, cost $ 25,000, stood 7 feet (2.1 m) tall, and weighed 300 to 500 lb (140 to 230 kg). The 100-hour work weeks took their toll and Davies minimized

565-495: A few members of the Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries ( OPEC ), which made record profits. Under the new Iranian government, oil exports later resumed but production was inconsistent and at a lower volume, further raising prices. Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations, under the presidency of Mana Al Otaiba , increased production to offset most of the decline, and by early 1979 the overall loss in worldwide production

678-555: A few thousand dollars for the script rights and $ 25,000 between them for the rewrite. They were entitled to eight percent of the producer profits upon release. Davison's contacts with puppeteers, animators, and practical effects designers were essential to Verhoeven, who had no prior experience with them. The producers discussed changing the Detroit setting, but Neumeier insisted on its importance because of its failing auto industry. The connection between Clarence Boddicker and Dick Jones

791-511: A fiberglass helmet. Moving sections were joined with aluminum and ball bearings. The costume is supported by an internal harness of hooks, allowing for sustained movement during action scenes. Seven costumes were made, including a fireproof version and costumes depicting sustained damage. Reports on their weight vary from 25 to 80 lb (11 to 36 kg). RoboCop's gun, the Auto-9, is a Beretta 93R with an extended barrel and larger grip. It

904-502: A fiberglass skull containing a blood squib and explosive charge. The articulated head was controlled by four puppeteers, and had details of sweat and blood. A fan motor attached to the body made it vibrate, as if shaking in fear. The charge in the skull was connected to the trigger of Smith's gun by wire to synchronize the effect. Emil's melting mutation was inspired by the 1977 science-fiction film The Incredible Melting Man . Bottin designed and constructed Emil's prosthetics, creating

1017-456: A foam-latex headpiece and matching gloves that gave the appearance of Emil's skin melting "off his bones like marshmallow sauce". A second piece, depicting further degradation, was applied over the first. Dupuis painted each piece differently to emphasize Emil's advancing degradation. The prosthetics were applied to an articulated dummy to show Emil being struck by Boddicker's car. The head was loosened so it would fly off; by chance, it rolled onto

1130-604: A great production designer or a great RoboCop costume – not both. William Sandell was hired. Monte Hellman directed several of the action scenes. RoboCop was filmed primarily on location in Dallas , with additional filming in Las Colinas and Pittsburgh . Verhoeven wanted a filming location which suggested the near future. Detroit was dismissed because it had many low buildings, many brownstones and Victorian -style buildings. Neumeier said that it

1243-522: A loyal customer base . A year after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Japanese manufacturers surpassed Detroit's production totals, becoming first in the world. Indeed, the share of Japanese cars in U.S. auto purchases rose from 9 percent in 1976 to 21 percent in 1980. Japanese exports would later displace the automotive market once dominated by lower-tier European manufacturers ( Renault , Fiat , Opel , Peugeot , MG , Triumph , Citroen ). Some would declare bankruptcy (e.g. Triumph, Simca ) or withdraw from

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1356-472: A mixed impact on the United States. Richard Nixon had imposed price controls on domestic oil as a result of the 1973 oil crisis. Since then, gasoline price controls had been repealed, but those on domestic oil remained. The Jimmy Carter administration began a phased deregulation of oil prices on April 5, 1979, when the average price of crude oil was US$ 15.85 per barrel ($ 100/m ). Starting with

1469-535: A more machine-like character), before settling on a sleek aesthetic inspired by the work of Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama . Verhoeven admitted his unrealistic expectations after reading Japanese science-fiction manga ; it took him a while to realize it, which contributed to the costume delay. The scope of the RoboCop costume was unprecedented, with its design and construction exceeding cost and schedule. The costume took six months to build with flexible foam latex, semi-and completely-rigid polyurethane , and

1582-509: A re-release of the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ($ 7.5   million) and the horror sequel Jaws: The Revenge ($ 7.2   million), both of which were also in their first week of release. RoboCop retained the number-one position in its second weekend with an additional gross of $ 6.3   million, ahead of Snow White ($ 6.05   million) and the debuting comedy Summer School ($ 6   million). It

1695-433: A replacement; because the costume was designed for Weller, however, he was encouraged to mend fences. Mime Moni Yakim helped Weller to develop a slower, more deliberate way of moving. Weller's experience in the costume was worsened by the warm weather, which made him sweat off up to 3 lb (1.4 kg) per day. Verhoeven began taking prescription medication to cope with stress-induced insomnia, and he filmed scenes under

1808-558: A robot bursting into a meeting and killing everyone. Miner described the film as "comic relief for a cynical time" during the presidency of Ronald Reagan , when economist " Milton Friedman and the Chicago Boys ransacked the world, enabled by Reagan and the Central Intelligence Agency . So when you have this cop who works for a corporation that insists 'I own you,' and he still does the right thing—that's

1921-678: A sparkling compound were fired from an air gun at RoboCop to create the effect of ricocheting bullets. Bottin was tasked with designing the RoboCop costume. He researched the Star Wars character C-3PO and its stiff costume, which made movement difficult. Bottin was also influenced by robot designs in Metropolis (1927), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), and several comic-book superheroes. He developed about 50 designs based on feedback from Verhoeven (who pushed for

2034-456: A student video by aspiring director Michael Miner. The pair met and discussed their similar concepts: Neumeier's RoboCop and Miner's robot-themed rock music video . In a 2014 interview, Miner said that he also had an idea called SuperCop . They formed a working partnership and spent about two months discussing the idea and two to three months writing together at night and over weekends, in addition to their regular jobs. Their collaboration

2147-420: A villain was "about a gazillion times more fun than playing the good guys". Jones, he said, has no compassion and is an "evil [son of a bitch]". Miguel Ferrer was unsure if the film would be successful, but was desperate for work and would have accepted any offer. The Old Man was based on MCA Inc. CEO Lew Wasserman , whom Neumeier considered a powerful and intimidating individual. Television host Bixby Snyder

2260-651: A windfall profit tax on oil companies. While the regulated price of domestic oil was kept to $ 6 a barrel, the world market price was $ 30. In 1980, the U.S. government established the Synthetic Fuels Corporation to produce an alternative to imported fossil fuels. When the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil increased 250 percent between 1978 and 1980, the oil-producing areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Wyoming, and Alaska began experiencing an economic boom and population inflows. According to one study, individuals who were between

2373-413: Is murdered by a gang of criminals and revived by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products as the cyborg law enforcer RoboCop . Unaware of his former life, RoboCop executes a campaign against crime while coming to terms with the lingering fragments of his humanity. The film was conceived by Neumeier while working on the set of Blade Runner (1982), and he developed the idea with Miner. Their script

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2486-668: Is on the brink of social and financial collapse. Overwhelmed by crime and dwindling resources, the city grants the mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) control of the Detroit Police Department . OCP senior president Dick Jones demonstrates ED-209 , a law-enforcement droid designed to supplant the police. ED-209 malfunctions and brutally kills a volunteer, allowing ambitious junior executive Bob Morton to introduce OCP's chairman ("the Old Man") to his own project: RoboCop . Meanwhile, police officer Alex Murphy

2599-441: Is shot to death by ED-209), and Lee de Broux as cocaine warehouse owner Sal. Mario Machado and Leeza Gibbons play news hosts Casey Wong and Jess Perkins, respectively, and television-show host Bixby Snyder is played by S. D. Nemeth. Angie Bolling and Jason Levine appear as Murphy's wife and son. RoboCop director Paul Verhoeven makes a cameo appearance as a dancing nightclub patron, producer Jon Davison provides

2712-479: Is shown by a stop-motion puppet of Cox, animated by Rocco Gioffre. The limited development time forced Gioffre to use a foam-rubber puppet with an aluminum skeleton instead of a better-quality, articulated version. It was composited against Mark Sullivan's matte painting of the street below. ED-209's murder of OCP executive Mr. Kinney was filmed over three days. Kevin Page's body was covered with 200 squibs, but Verhoeven

2825-497: Is transferred to the Metro West precinct. Murphy and his new partner, Anne Lewis, pursue notorious criminal Clarence Boddicker and his gang: Emil Antonowsky, Leon Nash, Joe Cox, and Steve Minh. The gang ambushes and tortures Murphy until Boddicker fatally shoots him. Morton has Murphy's corpse converted into RoboCop, a heavily armored cyborg with no memory of his former life. RoboCop is programmed with three prime directives: serve

2938-589: The Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas and The Dubai Fountain . The building was designed as a large, multi-faceted prism. Its various slanted sides cause the building to have a completely different profile from all directions. The sibling tower, AMLI Fountain Place, consists of 367 residential units above nine stories of parking. Its architect, Page Southerland Page, Inc., intended its exterior design to echo that of

3051-711: The Carter Doctrine , declaring: "An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States". Additionally, as part of his administration's efforts at deregulation, Carter proposed removing price controls that had been imposed by the Richard Nixon administration before the 1973 crisis. Carter agreed to remove price controls in phases. They were finally fully dismantled in 1981 under Reagan. Carter also said he would impose

3164-542: The Deep Ellum neighborhood. One explosion was larger than anticipated; actors can be seen moving out of the way, Smith had to remove his coat because it was on fire, and the actors involved received an additional $ 400 in stunt pay. The Shell gas station that explodes was in the Arts District , where local residents unaware of the filming called the fire department. The scene was scripted for flames to modify

3277-970: The Dodge St. Regis which met the CAFE fuel economy mandates passed in 1978. Detroit's response to the growing popularity of imported compacts like the Toyota Corolla and the Volkswagen Rabbit was the Chevrolet Citation and the Ford Fairmont . Ford replaced the Ford Pinto with the Ford Escort and Chrysler, on the verge of bankruptcy , introduced the Dodge Aries K . GM was having unfavorable market reactions to

3390-458: The 1979 crisis. On July 15, 1979, President Carter outlined his plans to reduce oil imports and improve energy efficiency in his "Crisis of Confidence" speech (sometimes known as the " malaise " speech). In the speech, Carter encouraged citizens to do what they could to reduce their use of energy. He had already installed water tank heating solar panels on the roof of the White House and

3503-639: The Asian models, which were mass-marketed and had a lower manufacturing cost as opposed to British and West German brands). Moreover, the rising value of the Deutsche mark and British pound resulted in the transition to the rise of Japanese manufacturers as they were able to export their product from Japan at a lower cost, resulting in profitable gains (despite accusations of price dumping ), and were now more widely available in North America and developing

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3616-671: The Citation and introduced the Chevrolet Corsica and Chevrolet Beretta in 1987 which sold better. GM also replaced the Chevrolet Monza , introducing the 1982 Chevrolet Cavalier which was better received. Ford experienced a similar market rejection of the Fairmont and introduced the front-wheel-drive Ford Tempo in 1984. Detroit was not well prepared for the sudden rise in fuel prices, and imported brands (primarily

3729-621: The Gulf of Mexico. By 1986, daily worldwide demand for oil dropped by 5 million barrels but, non-OPEC production rose by an even-larger amount. Consequently, OPEC's market share reduced from 50 percent in 1979 to 29 percent in 1985. At the time, Detroit's "Big Three" automakers ( Ford , Chrysler , GM ) were marketing downsized full-sized automobiles like the Chevrolet Caprice , the Ford LTD Crown Victoria and

3842-543: The Iranian revolution, the price of crude oil rose to $ 39.50 per barrel ($ 248/m ) over the next 12 months (its all-time highest real price until March 3, 2008). Deregulating domestic oil price controls allowed U.S. oil output to rise sharply from the large Prudhoe Bay fields, while oil imports fell sharply. Although not directly related, the near-disaster at Three Mile Island on March 28, 1979, also increased anxiety about energy policy and availability. Due to memories of

3955-539: The Media Breaks, but "TJ Lazer" was directed by Neumeier. RoboCop ' s violent content made it difficult to receive an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which restricted the film to viewers over 17 unless accompanied by an adult. It initially received the more-restrictive X rating , limiting the film to those over 17. Although some reports suggest it

4068-840: The OCP Tower during a board meeting, revealing the truth behind Morton's murder. Jones takes the Old Man hostage, but the Old Man fires Jones, nullifying Directive 4. RoboCop shoots Jones, causing him to crash through a window to his death. The Old Man compliments RoboCop's shooting and asks his name. He replies, "Murphy." In addition to the main cast, RoboCop features Paul McCrane as Emil Antonowsky, Ray Wise as Leon Nash, Jesse D. Goins as Joe Cox and Calvin Jung as Steve Minh, members of Boddicker's gang. The cast also includes Robert DoQui as Sergeant Warren Reed, Michael Gregory as Lieutenant Hedgecock, Felton Perry as OCP employee Donald Johnson, Kevin Page as OCP junior executive Mr. Kinney (who

4181-503: The OCP Tower, but Directive 4 is activated: a fail-safe measure to neutralize RoboCop when he acts against an OCP executive. Jones admits his culpability in Morton's death and releases an ED-209 to destroy RoboCop. Although he escapes, RoboCop is attacked by the police force on OCP's order and is badly damaged. He is rescued by Lewis, who brings him to an abandoned steel mill to repair himself. Angered by OCP's underfunding and short-staffing,

4294-531: The OCP boardroom scene in which RoboCop calls himself Murphy, another scene revealed that Lewis was alive in a hospital before showing RoboCop on patrol. The latter scene was thought to lessen the former's triumphant feeling, and was removed. Verhoeven wanted the in-film Media Breaks to abruptly interrupt the narrative and unsettle the viewer. He was influenced by Piet Mondrian 's art, which featured stark black lines separating colored squares. Peter Conn directed many of

4407-663: The Renaissance Tower relegated Fountain Place to its current spot at fifth on the list. On September 24, 2009, the FBI arrested 19-year-old Hosam Maher Husein Smadi of Jordan for an alleged attempt to bomb the skyscraper. Smadi was living and working in Italy, Texas , and had been under FBI investigation for some time. Fountain Place was the headquarters of Tenet Healthcare until 2020. Tenet Healthcare announced in 2008 that it

4520-559: The RoboCop costume. Verhoeven emphasized violence throughout the film, making it so outlandish that it became comical. Censorship boards believed that it was too extreme and several scenes were shortened or modified to receive an acceptable theatrical rating . RoboCop was a financial success upon its release in July 1987, earning $ 53.4   million. Reviewers praised it as a clever action film with deeper philosophical messages and satire, but were conflicted about its extreme violence. The film

4633-552: The RoboCop costume; it was thought that Schwarzenegger would look like the Michelin Man or the Pillsbury Doughboy . Others were reluctant because their face would be largely concealed by a helmet. Davison said that Weller was the only person who wanted to be in the film. The low salary he commanded was in his favor, as were his good body control from martial-arts training and marathon running and his fan base in

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4746-662: The U.S. market, especially in the wake of grey market automobiles or the inability of the vehicle to meet DOT requirements (from emission requirements to automotive lighting). Many imported brands utilized fuel-saving technologies such as fuel injection and multi-valve engines over the common use of carburetors . The overall fuel economy of cars in the United States increased from about 15 miles per US gallon (16 L/100 km; 18 mpg ‑imp ) in 1979 to 18 mpg ‑US (13 L/100 km; 22 mpg ‑imp ) by 1985 and 20 mpg ‑US (12 L/100 km; 24 mpg ‑imp ) by 1990. This

4859-521: The United States in 1979 was only 3.5 percent less than the record set for oil sold the previous year. A telephone poll of 1,600 American adults conducted by the Associated Press and NBC News and released in early May 1979 found that only 37 percent of Americans thought the energy shortages were real, nine percent were not sure, and 54 percent thought the energy shortages were a hoax. Many politicians proposed gas rationing . One such proponent

4972-811: The X-rated cut, and audiences laughed less at the R-rated version. According to Verhoeven, people "love seeing violence and horrible things". The film is 103 minutes long. Basil Poledouris composed the film score after working with Verhoeven on Flesh + Blood . The score combines synthesizers and orchestral music, reflecting RoboCop's cyborg nature. The music was performed by the Sinfonia of London . The special-effects team, led by Rob Bottin , included Phil Tippett , Stephan Dupuis , Bart Mixon and Craig Davies . The effects were very violent because Verhoeven believed that that made scenes funnier. He compared

5085-636: The actors, however, but was too engrossed in filming to be sociable. Cox and Allen spoke warmly of Verhoeven. Weller spent his time between filming with the actors who played his enemies (including Smith, Ray Wise and Calvin Jung), who maintained healthy lifestyles that supported Weller in his training for the New York City Marathon . A number of locations in and around Dallas were used in production. An office in Renaissance Tower

5198-641: The ages of 15 and 18 during the 1979 oil crisis were substantially less likely to use cars once they were in their mid-30s. In response to the high oil prices of the 1970s, industrial nations took steps to reduce their dependence on the Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil. Electric utilities worldwide switched from oil to coal, natural gas, or nuclear power. National governments initiated multibillion-dollar research programs to develop alternatives to oil and commercial exploration developed major non-OPEC oilfields in Siberia, Alaska, North Sea, and

5311-595: The brutality of Murphy's death to the crucifixion of Jesus , an effective way to evoke sympathy for the character. The scene was filmed at an abandoned auto-assembly plant in Long Beach, California , on a raised stage that allowed operators to control the effects from below. To show Murphy being dismantled by gunfire, prosthetic arms were cast in alginate and filled with tubing that could pump artificial blood and compressed air. Weller's left hand, attached to his shoulders by velcro and controlled by three operators,

5424-410: The car's hood. The effect was completed with Emil's liquified body (raw chicken, soup, and gravy) washing over the windscreen. The same dummy stands in for RoboCop when he is crushed by steel beams (painted wood). Verhoeven wanted RoboCop to kill Boddicker by stabbing him in the eye, but it was believed the effort to create the effect would be wasted due to censorship concerns. Dick Jones's fatal fall

5537-569: The core of the film." Neumeier and Miner conceived the in-universe news and advertisement "Media Breaks" that appear throughout RoboCop , and a spec script was completed by December 1984. The first draft of the script, RoboCop: The Future of Law Enforcement , was given to industry friends and associates in early 1985. A month later, Neumeier and Miner had two offers: one from Atlantic Releasing and another from director Jonathan Kaplan and producer Jon Davison with Orion Pictures . An experienced producer of exploitation and B films such as

5650-402: The detail of ED-209's feet, since he did not think they would be shown. The model was later used on promotional tours. Davies spent another four months building two 12-inch (30 cm) miniature replicas for stop motion animation. The two small models allowed scenes to be animated and filmed more efficiently, which saved time in completing the 55 shots needed in three months. Tippett was

5763-421: The firm of I. M. Pei as well as landscape architects Dan Kiley and Peter Ker Walker to create the waterscape of Fountain Place (at Allied Bank Tower) in Dallas , Texas . The project showed the first use of WET's patented open-jointed paving in a fountain where shots of water appear from the openings in the plaza's surface. After completion of Fountain Place, WET went on to design other notable fountains such as

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5876-534: The government fixed short-term disruptions and by end of November the output came back to almost normal level. On January 16, 1979, the Shah of Iran , Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , and his wife, Farah Pahlavi , left Iran at the behest of Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar , who sought to calm the situation. After the departure of the Shah, Ayatollah Khomeini became the new leader of Iran . The rise in oil prices benefited

5989-414: The increasing aggression of American financial services in response to growing Japanese influence and the popularity on Wall Street of The Book of Five Rings , a 17th-century book about how to kill more effectively. Neumeier also believed that Detroit 's declining automobile industry was due to increased bureaucracy. ED-209's malfunction in the OCP boardroom was based on Neumeier's office daydreams about

6102-461: The influence. He often choreographed scenes with the actors before filming. Improvisation was also encouraged, because Verhoeven believed that it could produce interesting results. Smith improvised some of his character's quirks, such as sticking chewing gum to a secretary's desk and spitting blood onto the police-station counter: " 'What if I spat blood on the desk?'   ... [Verhoeven] got this little smile on his face, and we did it." Neumeier

6215-479: The largest oil producer in the world, and oil from the North Sea and Alaska flooded the market. In November 1978, a strike consisting of 37,000 workers at Iran's nationalized oil refineries reduced production from 6 million barrels (950,000 m ) per day to about 1.5 million barrels (240,000 m ). Foreign workers left the country. However, by bringing navy personnel into crude oil production operations,

6328-441: The lead ED-209 animator, assisted by Randal M. Dutra and Harry Walton. Tippett conceived ED-209's movement as "unanimal"-like, as if it were about to fall over before catching itself. To complete the character, the droid was given the roar of a leopard. Davison provided a temporary voiceover for ED-209's speaking voice, which was retained in the film. RoboCop contains seven matte effects, mainly painted by Gioffre. Each matte

6441-518: The movie Blank Check . Exterior shots of the building are seen in the USA Network TV series Queen of the South . AMLI Fountain Place is a 562 ft. (171 m) residential skyscraper that neighbors Fountain Place. It was designed by architecture firm Page. In 2019 it was under construction, and had been projected to be completed in 2020. The project was first proposed in 2016, to remove

6554-428: The nature of humanity, personal identity, corporate greed and corruption, and is seen as a rebuke of the era's Reaganomics policies. Its success created a franchise : the sequels RoboCop 2 (1990) and RoboCop 3 (1993), children's animated series, live-action television shows, video games , comic books , toys, clothing and other merchandise. A remake was released in 2014. In a near-future dystopia , Detroit

6667-443: The oil shortage in 1973 , motorists soon began panic buying, and long lines appeared at gas stations, as they had six years earlier. The average vehicle of the time consumed between two and three liters (about 0.5–0.8 gallons) of gasoline an hour while idling, and it was estimated that Americans wasted up to 150,000 barrels (24,000 m ) of oil per day idling their engines in the lines at gas stations . The amount of oil sold in

6780-699: The onset of the Iran–Iraq War , oil production in Iran fell drastically. Iraq's oil production also dropped significantly, triggering economic recessions worldwide. Oil prices did not return to pre-crisis levels until the mid-1980s. Oil prices after 1980 began a steady decline over the next 20 years , except for a brief uptick during the Gulf War , which then reached a 60% fall-off in the 1990s. Mexico , Nigeria , and Venezuela 's major oil exporters expanded their production during this time. The Soviet Union became

6893-686: The original office tower, calling to mind the planned but never realized twin tower. Upon its completion, it was the tallest skyscraper built in Dallas since the Chase Building. At the time of its opening, it was the second tallest building in the city, behind Bank of America Plaza. However, upon completion of the Comerica Bank Tower and the Chase Tower, it fell to fourth-tallest. The post-completion addition of an antenna spire to

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7006-499: The parking space on Fountain Place's west side. The project will also be the first project since the proposed Ross Perot Tower to occupy the parking lot. The original design called for twin buildings of Fountain Place, however because of the oil crisis/decline, the twin was never built. The twin building was projected to be built parallel to the parking lot. AMLI Fountain Place has brought in 367 apartments that rise 46 stories. 1979 energy crisis A drop in oil production in

7119-409: The parody Airplane! (1980), Davison said that he was drawn to the script's satire. He showed Neumeier and Miner films—including Madigan (1968), Dirty Harry (1971), and Mad Max 2 (1981)—to demonstrate the tone he wanted. After Orion greenlit the project, Neumeier and Miner began a second draft. Davison produced the film with his Tobor Pictures company. Neumeier and Miner were paid

7232-554: The police database to identify Emil's associates and review Murphy's police record. He recalls further memories while exploring Murphy's former home, his wife and son having moved away after his death. Elsewhere, Jones gets Boddicker to murder Morton as revenge for Morton's attempt to usurp his position at OCP. RoboCop tracks down Boddicker's gang. After a shootout, RoboCop brutally interrogates Boddicker until he admits to working for Jones. He cannot kill Boddicker as that would violate his prime directives. RoboCop attempts to arrest Jones at

7345-403: The police force goes on strike; Detroit descends into chaos as riots break out throughout the city. Jones frees Boddicker and his remaining gang, arming them with high-powered weaponry to destroy RoboCop. Boddicker's men are quickly eliminated at the steel mill, but Lewis is badly injured; RoboCop, trapped under steel girders, kills Boddicker by stabbing him in the throat. RoboCop confronts Jones at

7458-470: The project at Culver Studios ' Mansion House . Verhoeven wanted to direct it as a serious film; Neumeier gave him comic books to explain the tone they wanted, including 2000 AD with the character Judge Dredd . Neumeier and Miner wrote a third draft based on Verhoeven's requests, working through injuries and late nights; the 92-page revision included a subplot about a romantic affair between Murphy and Lewis. After reading it, Verhoeven admitted that he

7571-597: The public trust, protect the innocent, and uphold the law. A fourth prime directive, Directive 4, is classified. Assigned to Metro West, RoboCop is hailed by the media for his brutally efficient campaign against crime. Lewis suspects that he is Murphy, recognizing the unique way he holsters his gun (a trick Murphy learned to impress his son). After experiencing a nightmare of Murphy's death during maintenance, RoboCop encounters Lewis, who addresses him as Murphy. While on patrol, RoboCop arrests Emil, who recognizes Murphy's mannerisms, which furthers RoboCop's recall. RoboCop then uses

7684-447: The role, but did not want to be involved with another special effects-laden film or play a "psychopath" after working on Extreme Prejudice (1987). Robert Picardo also auditioned for the role. Ronny Cox had been stereotyped as playing generally nice characters, and said that this left the impression that he could not play more masculine roles. Because of this, Verhoeven cast him as the villainous Dick Jones. Cox said that playing

7797-402: The scene with a polarized lens filter . RoboCop's mechanical recharging chair was designed by John Zabrucky . The OCP boardroom model of Delta City was made under the supervision of art director Gayle Simon. The film's police cars are 1986 Ford Taurus models painted black. The Taurus was chosen because of its futuristic, aerodynamic styling for the vehicle's first production year. The car

7910-474: The science-fiction genre after his performance in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984). Verhoeven said he hired him because "his chin was very good". Weller spent months working with mime Moni Yakim, developing a fluid movement style with a stiff ending while wearing an American football uniform to approximate the finished costume. Weller said that working with Verhoeven

8023-443: The second-unit director position in order to direct Deadly Weapon (1989); Orion executive Barbara Boyle suggested Paul Verhoeven—who had been praised for his work on Soldier of Orange (1977) and his first English-language film, Flesh+Blood (1985)—for director. Verhoeven looked at the first page and rejected the script as awful, stalling the project. Boyle sent Verhoeven another copy, suggesting that he pay attention to

8136-427: The shooting schedule, but it denied Weller the month of costume rehearsal he had expected. Weller was frustrated with the costume; it was too cumbersome for him to move as he had practiced, and he spent hours trying to adapt. He struggled to see through the thin helmet visor and interact with (or grab) objects while wearing the gloves. Weller fell out with Verhoeven and was fired, with Lance Henriksen considered as

8249-561: The sign to read "hell"; Davison approved it, but it does not appear in the film. Miner called it a disappointing omission. The nightclub was the former Starck Club. Verhoeven was filmed demonstrating how the clubbers should dance, and used the footage in the film. Other Dallas locations included César Chávez Boulevard , the Reunion Arena and the parking lot of the Crescent . The final battle between RoboCop and Boddicker's gang

8362-469: The street in 2007. In 2020, Omnichannel Insurtech company Integrity Marketing Group renovated and moved into 12 floors becoming the building’s largest tenant. In seasons 10–14 of Dallas , exterior shots of the building were used for the offices of Bobby Ewing's Petro Group Dallas, which later became Ewing Oil . The building can be seen in some scenes in the 1987 science fiction movie RoboCop . The building's dancing fountains were used for scenes in

8475-515: The subtext. Verhoeven was still uninterested until his wife Martine read it and encouraged him to give it a chance, saying he had missed the "soul" of the story about someone losing his identity. Not fluent in English, Verhoeven said that the satire did not make sense to him; the scene that attracted his attention was RoboCop returning to Murphy's abandoned home and experiencing memories of his former life. Davison, Neumeier and Verhoeven discussed

8588-737: The trailer, which he found disheartening. Models and actors in fiberglass RoboCop costumes made appearances in cities throughout North America. The character appeared at a motor-racing event in Florida, a laser show in Boston, a subway in New York City, and children could take their picture with him at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Los Angeles. An incomplete version of the unrated film was screened early for critics, which

8701-522: The voice of ED-209, and director John Landis appears in an in-film advertisement. Smith's partner, Joan Pirkle, appears as Dick Jones's secretary. RoboCop was conceived in the early 1980s by Universal Pictures junior story executive and aspiring screenwriter Edward Neumeier . A fan of robot-themed science-fiction films, Star Wars , and action films, Neumeier had developed an interest in mature comic books while researching them for potential adaptation. The 1982 science-fiction film Blade Runner

8814-473: The wake of the Iranian revolution led to an energy crisis in 1979. Although the global oil supply only decreased by approximately four percent, the oil markets' reaction raised the price of crude oil drastically over the next 12 months, more than doubling it to $ 39.50 per barrel ($ 248/m ). The sudden increase in price was connected with fuel shortages similar to the 1973 oil crisis . In 1980, following

8927-419: The wrong film reel . The MPAA also objected to a scene of a mutated Emil being disintegrated by Boddicker's car, but Verhoeven, Davison and Orion refused to remove it because it consistently received the biggest laughs during test screenings. Verhoeven made the violence comical and surreal, and believed that the cuts made the scenes appear more (not less) violent. He said that his young children laughed at

9040-431: Was Harry Hughes , Governor of Maryland , who proposed odd-even rationing (only people with an odd-numbered license plate could purchase gas on an odd-numbered day), as was used during the 1973 Oil Crisis . Several states implemented odd-even gas rationing, including California , Pennsylvania , New York , New Jersey , Oregon , and Texas . Coupons for gasoline rationing were printed but were never actually used during

9153-420: Was added at Orion's suggestion. Kaplan left to direct Project X (1987), and finding his replacement took six months; many prospects declined because of the film's title. The project was offered to David Cronenberg , Alex Cox , and Monte Hellman ; Hellman joined as second-unit director . Miner asked to direct, but Orion refused to trust a $ 7   million project to an untested director. He declined

9266-465: Was after the 1988 merger of Wells Fargo that the building became known as Fountain Place, becoming the only major skyscraper in Dallas not to lend its name to the occupying bank. The top two levels of Fountain Place are occupied by Dallas Architecture Firm, Rouch Architects. Fountain Place also serves as Region 6 headquarters for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency . Hunt Oil operated out of Fountain Place until they built new headquarters across

9379-497: Was also a union city, making it more expensive to film there. Detroit made a brief appearance in nighttime, stock aerial footage at the beginning of the film. Chicago was dismissed for aesthetic reasons, New York City for high costs, and California because according to Davison, Orion wanted to distance itself from the project. Dallas was chosen over Houston because it has modern buildings and older, less-maintained areas where explosives could be used. The filming schedule in Dallas

9492-437: Was completed in 1986. The building was named for the array of 172 dancing fountains in the plaza at its base with a fully automated water show as the centerpiece. The fountains were an extreme undertaking and the first concept of their kind on such a large scale. WET Design company was brought in to facilitate the project; it was the company's first major project since the founders left Disney to team up. WET collaborated with

9605-420: Was designed to explode in a controllable way so it could be easily put back together for repeat shots. The right arm was jerked away from Weller's body by a monofilament wire . A detailed, articulated replica of Weller's upper body was used to depict Boddicker shooting Murphy through the head. A mold was made of Weller's face using foam latex that was baked to make it rubbery and flesh-like, and placed over

9718-499: Was filmed at a steel mill in Monessen , outside Pittsburgh. Filming ended in late October 1986. An additional $ 600,000 budget increase was approved by Orion for post-production and the music score, raising the budget to $ 13.7   million. Frank J. Urioste was the film's editor. Several pick-up shots were filmed during this phase, including Murphy's death, RoboCop removing his helmet, and shots of his leg holster. After

9831-523: Was filming on the Warner Bros. lot behind Neumeier's office, and he unofficially joined the production to learn about filmmaking. His work there gave him the idea for RoboCop : "I had this vision of a far-distant, Blade Runner –type world where there was an all-mechanical cop coming to a sense of real human intelligence". He spent the next few nights writing a 40-page outline. While researching story submissions for Universal, Neumeier came across

9944-478: Was his main reason for choosing the role over appearing in King Kong Lives (1986). Stephanie Zimbalist was cast as Murphy's partner Anne Lewis, but dropped out because of contractual obligations to Remington Steele (which had been canceled in 1986, but was revived because of its popularity). Her replacement, Nancy Allen, thought the film's title was terrible but found the script engrossing. Allen

10057-424: Was initially difficult because they did not know each other well, and had to learn how to constructively criticize each other. Neumeier was influenced to kill off his main character early by the psychological horror film Psycho (1960), whose main character was killed early in the film. Inspired by comic books and his experience with corporate culture, Neumeier wanted to satirize 1980s business culture. He noted

10170-400: Was intended to feature a customized interior that would show graphical displays of mug shots, fingerprints, and other related information, but the concept was considered too ambitious. The 6000 SUX driven by Boddicker and others was an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme , modified by Gene Winfield and based on a design by Chip Foose . Two working cars were made with a third, non-functional one that

10283-444: Was known for her long blonde hair, but Verhoeven wanted it cut short so the character was not sexualized. Her hair was cut eight times before the desired look was achieved. Allen undertook police-academy training for her role, and sought advice from her police lieutenant father. Verhoeven encouraged her to act masculine and gain weight, which she accomplished by quitting smoking. Kurtwood Smith auditioned for Boddicker and Jones. He

10396-399: Was known mainly for television work, had not had film success, and saw RoboCop as a B-film with potential. The character was scripted to wear glasses so he would look like Nazi Party member Heinrich Himmler . Smith was unaware of this, and interpreted it as the character having an intelligent and militaristic front to conceal being a "sneering, smirking drug kingpin". Ironside was offered

10509-454: Was made with a sheet of aluminum behind it to create reflective detail. RoboCop's vision was created with hundreds of ink lines on acetate composited over existing footage. Several attempts had to be made to get the line thickness right; at first, the lines were too thick or too thin. Assuming that thermographic photography would be expensive, Kuran replicated thermal vision using actors in body stockings painted with thermal colors and filmed

10622-411: Was modified to fire blank bullets , and vents were cut into the side to allow for multi-directional muzzle flashes with every three-shot burst. To budget for ED-209's development, Tippett developed preliminary sketches and hired Davies to design the full-scale model which was constructed with the help of Paula Lucchesi. Verhoeven wanted ED-209 to look mean, and thought that Davies' early designs lacked

10735-582: Was moving from the northern suburban areas of Dallas to Fountain Place due to high gasoline prices and the revitalization of downtown Dallas . Trevor Fetter, the company's then president and chief executive, credited the Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail and the concept of an urban location for his decision to move to Downtown Dallas. Fountain Place contains many financial institutions and offices including Wells Fargo. Originally cited as First Interstate Tower or Allied Bank Tower, it

10848-476: Was nine weeks, but it soon became clear that it would take longer. Based on filmed footage, Orion approved the schedule extension and a budget increase to $ 13.1   million. The weather fluctuated during filming; Dallas in summer was often 90 to 115 °F (32 to 46 °C), and the weather in Pittsburgh was frigid. RoboCop's costume was not finished until some time into filming. This did not impact

10961-509: Was nominated for several awards, and won an Academy Award and a number of Saturn Awards . RoboCop has been critically reevaluated since its release, and it has been hailed as one of the best films of the 1980s and one of the greatest science fiction and action films ever made. The film has been praised for its depiction of a robot affected by the loss of humanity, in contrast to the stoic and emotionless robotic characters of that era. RoboCop has continued to be analyzed for its themes such as

11074-556: Was on set throughout filming and occasionally wrote additional scenes, including a New Year's Eve party after seeing some party-hat props and a news story about the Strategic Defense Initiative platform misfiring. Verhoeven found Neumeier's presence invaluable, because they could discuss how to adapt the script or location to make a scene work. Verhoeven gained a reputation for verbal aggression and unsociable behavior on set; Smith said that he never yelled at

11187-455: Was one factor leading to the subsequent 1980s oil glut . RoboCop RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller , Nancy Allen , Daniel O'Herlihy , Ronny Cox , Kurtwood Smith , and Miguel Ferrer . Set in a crime-ridden Detroit in the near future, RoboCop centers on police officer Alex Murphy (Weller) who

11300-556: Was painted on masonite . Gioffre supervised on-site filming to mask the camera where the matte is inserted, and remembered having to crawl out from a five-story-high ledge to get the right shot of the Plaza of the Americas. The burnished steel RoboCop logo was developed using photographic effects that supervisor Peter Kuran based on a black-and-white sketch from Orion. Kuran created a scaled-up matte version and backlit it. A second pass

11413-536: Was predicted to be a sleeper hit . It received positive feedback before release, including a positive industry screening (considered a rarity) and pre-release screenings that demonstrated the studio's confidence in the film. Marketing the film was considered difficult. For the Los Angeles Times , Jack Mathews described RoboCop as a "terrible title for a movie that anyone would expect an adult to enjoy". Orion head of marketing Charles Glenn said it had

11526-464: Was predicted to dominate the theaters but many other films were expected to perform well, including the action adventure Ishtar , the comedies Harry and the Hendersons , Who's That Girl and Spaceballs , the action film Predator and sequels such as Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and The Living Daylights , the latest James Bond film. With the musical La Bamba , RoboCop

11639-431: Was purchased in early 1985 by producer Jon Davison on behalf of Orion Pictures . Finding a director proved difficult; Verhoeven dismissed the script twice because he did not understand its satirical content, until he was convinced of its value by his wife. Filming took place between August and October 1986, mainly in Dallas , Texas. Rob Bottin led the special-effects team in creating practical effects , violent gore and

11752-418: Was refused an R-rating eleven times, Verhoeven said that the number was actually eight. The MPAA took issue with several scenes, including Murphy's death and ED-209 shooting an executive. The violent scenes were shortened and Media Breaks were added to help lighten the mood; Verhoeven recalled that one reviewer was confused by their jarring appearance in the film, and complained that the projectionist had used

11865-516: Was released in the United Kingdom without cuts, which the BBFC justified by the comic excess of the violence and the clear line between the hero and villains. RoboCop began a wide North American release on July   17, 1987. During its opening weekend, the film earned $ 8   million from 1,580 theaters—an average of $ 5,068 per theater. It was the weekend's number-one film, ahead of

11978-485: Was roughly four percent. The war between Iran and Iraq in 1980 caused a further 7 percent drop in worldwide production and OPEC production was surpassed by other exporters such as the United States as its member nations were divided amongst themselves. Saudi Arabia, a " swing producer ", tried to gain back the market share after 1985, increasing production and causing downward pressure on prices, making high-cost oil production facilities less profitable. The oil crisis had

12091-439: Was the fourth-highest-grossing film in its third weekend with a gross of $ 4.7   million, behind La Bamba ($ 5.2   million) and the debuts of the horror film The Lost Boys ($ 5.2   million) and The Living Daylights ($ 11.1   million). RoboCop never regained the number-one spot, but remained in the top ten for six weeks. By the end of its theatrical run, the film had grossed about $ 53.4   million and

12204-413: Was unconventional for an action film. Glenn reasoned that critics who favored Verhoeven's earlier work would appreciate RoboCop . Feedback was generally positive, providing quotes for promotional material and making it one of the best-reviewed films of the year up to that point. The week before release saw the introduction of television commercials and limited theatrical screenings for the public. The film

12317-498: Was unhappy with the result and brought him back months later to re-shoot it in a studio-built recreation of the board room. Page was again covered in over 200 squibs and plastic bags filled with spaghetti squash and fake blood. Page described intense pain as each squib detonation felt like a punch. In the cocaine-warehouse scene, Boddicker's stuntman was thrown through glass panes rigged with detonating cord to shatter microseconds before he hit. Gelatin capsules filled with sawdust and

12430-598: Was used for the OCP interior of; the company's exterior is Dallas City Hall , modified with matte paintings to appear taller. The OCP elevator was that of the Plaza of the Americas . The Detroit police station's exterior is Crozier Tech High School ; its interior is the Sons of Hermann hall, and city hall is the Dallas Municipal Building . Scenes of Boddicker's gang blowing up storefronts were filmed in

12543-615: Was used when the vehicle exploded. The 6000 SUX commercial features a plasticine dinosaur animated by Don Waller and blocked by Steve Chiodo . Industry experts were optimistic about the theatrical summer of 1987 (June–September). The season focused on genre films—science fiction, horror, and fantasy—that were proven to generate revenue, if not industry respect. Other films—such as Roxanne , Full Metal Jacket and The Untouchables —were targeted at older audiences (over age 25), who had been ignored in recent years by films targeted at teenagers. The action comedy Beverly Hills Cop II

12656-554: Was written as an Americanized, more-extreme version of British comedian Benny Hill . Radio personality Howard Stern was offered an unspecified role, but turned it down because he thought the idea was stupid (although he later praised the finished film). Principal photography began on August 6, 1986, on an $ 11   million budget. Jost Vacano was the cinematographer , after working with Verhoeven on Soldier of Orange . Verhoeven wanted Blade Runner production designer Lawrence G. Paull , but Davison said he could afford either

12769-493: Was wrong and returned to the second draft in search of a comic-book tone. Six to eight months were spent searching for an actor to play Alex Murphy / RoboCop. Arnold Schwarzenegger , Michael Ironside , Rutger Hauer , Tom Berenger , Armand Assante , Keith Carradine and James Remar were considered. Orion favored Schwarzenegger, the star of their recent success The Terminator (1984), but he and other actors were considered too physically imposing to be believable in

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