The cocaine factory scene in Robocop (spoilers if you have not seen this film)

[Fambo Number Mive]

Robocop is my favourite film and I was thinking about the cocaine factory scene (spoilers for those who have not seen this film.)

When they all open fire on Robocop and it's clear that their bullets won't harm him, why do they just stand their and continue to shoot while he kills them one by one (aside from Joe and Clarence). Why not run? Is it some Mafia code of honour thing (I think that Sal's factory staff are all Mafia). Is it because they would be regarded as an undercover cop and shot anyway? Or because they'd be shot by Sal for running.

Even if the cocaine factory staff have reasons for not running, why doesn't Clarence, Joe and Steve run when they can see that their bullets won't hurt Robocop. Or if they can't run, at least surrender, especially as Dick Jones can bail them all out? Don't Joe and Steve know that Clarence is working for Dick Jones? I know Clarence's goons are utterly vile people but I do feel a bit sorry for the cocaine factory workers, what they are doing isn't very ethical but I suppose some of them are probably desperate for money.

I know that the mass killing has to happen for the story, but it does seem somewhat illogical for them all to stand their firing their guns while Robocop kills the majority of them one by one.

I presume he called the police to tell them to remove the dead bodies of the cocaine factory staff when he took Clarence and Joe to the police station (although we don't see Joe arrested, it's revealed he was let out of jail).

Also, how does Robocop's gun shoot two people at once just by the side vents opening up?

[greenman]

I mean its a pretty common hollywood cliche isnt it? people shooting at an enemy they obviously can't hurt I would say it isnt too bad here since the scene is fairly short so the crooks not picking up that they can't hurt him in a minute or so isnt that bad.

[Fambo Number Mive]

True but I would thought the fact he is killing them one by one would make them panic, usually when its people shooting at an enemy they can't kill it's something like Superman and a load of crooks shoot at him and he knocks them to the ground. If I was working in that factory I'd be out of there after the second or third corpse.

You do wonder about all the back stories in films like Robocop. Like how the Boddicker gang got together, what it would be like working in Sal's cocaine factory, when co-ed locker rooms were first introduced in Detroit police precincts etc.

[Blumf]

This guy was even slower on the uptake:


"Fuck Why me! Fuck Why me!"[nb] https://youtu.be/OyoDt6t33dw?t=80 [/nb]

[idunnosomename]

It's more the concept of a "cocaine factory" in the first place that concerns me

[Fambo Number Mive]

It may not be cocaine, looking online they just call it a "drug factory".

[13 schoolyards]

That machine they have dumping the cocaine into the vials is pretty crap, it's spilling powder all over the place

[greenman]

True but I would thought the fact he is killing them one by one would make them panic, usually when its people shooting at an enemy they can't kill it's something like Superman and a load of crooks shoot at him and he knocks them to the ground. If I was working in that factory I'd be out of there after the second or third corpse.

You do wonder about all the back stories in films like Robocop. Like how the Boddicker gang got together, what it would be like working in Sal's cocaine factory, when co-ed locker rooms were first introduced in Detroit police precincts etc.

There arent any real superman "bullet bounces off of his eye" moments though so you could argue they might be justifed in thinking shooting him up enough might work, it does actually work for the police latter in the film.

You could argue really that like the guy robbing the store its partly exposing the power fantasy of american gun ownership, people can't imagine anything standing against them.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Yes that's a good point, I don't know if the police are using different types of bullets or whether Robocop was already damaged from ED-209, but they did some damage whereas all the drug factory staff didn't damage him at all.

In the Roboverse I imagine they tested out his armour with different types of bullets - although I imagine they never expected him to get shot at by a police tactical team.

By Robocop 2 of course they sell missile launchers in high street shops and those don't seem to damage him, which I always felt a little hard to believe. Unless he'd somehow rolled out of the car and taken cover, but he's not very fast. Of course Robocop 2 was not as good a film as Robocop 2.

[checkoutgirl]

When they all open fire on Robocop and it's clear that their bullets won't harm him

Maybe they were trying to shoot him in the jaw, cheeks and any other bit of him not covered in bullet proof material. We all know he's practically bullet proof because we've seen the film, the henchmen in the factory haven't got that luxury. They have to learn on the job.

Has it been addressed yet, what happens when Robert Cop is shot in the face?

[Sebastian Cobb]

That machine they have dumping the cocaine into the vials is pretty crap, it's spilling powder all over the place

Police in Brazil found and siezed one recently:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK1jUrnK76I

[Replies From View]

Sometimes you just freeze to the spot because you can't think fast enough.  You ever had the bully at school swing his massive fist at you?  Well you didn't run away then, and that's because

Spoiler alert

you are a massive nonce

[close]

.


So that's two possible reasons right there and I vote for both of them.

[Replies From View]

That machine they have dumping the cocaine into the vials is pretty crap, it's spilling powder all over the place

All the stuff that spills on the floor isn't wasted - it just goes into whatever the teabag version of cocaine is.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Maybe they were trying to shoot him in the jaw, cheeks and any other bit of him not covered in bullet proof material. We all know he's practically bullet proof because we've seen the film, the henchmen in the factory haven't got that luxury. They have to learn on the job.

Has it been addressed yet, what happens when Robert Cop is shot in the face?

I get the feeling they've just stretched Murphy's skin over a titanium skull, so the skin would rupture, but the bullet would then ping back. Has he even got teeth?

[mothman]

All the stuff that spills on the floor isn't wasted - it just goes into whatever the teabag version of cocaine is.

And in the air! Really they'd all be high as kites, absolutely flying. Not reasonable to expect rational thought out of any of them.

[13 schoolyards]

Maybe they were trying to shoot him in the jaw, cheeks and any other bit of him not covered in bullet proof material. We all know he's practically bullet proof because we've seen the film, the henchmen in the factory haven't got that luxury. They have to learn on the job.

Has it been addressed yet, what happens when Robert Cop is shot in the face?

The comic that adapted Frank Miller's original (nuts) script for Robo 2 has a scene where a bad guy says "aim for his mouth - only way to kill him", so Detroit's criminals eventually figure that out.

Of course, the next page has Robo gunning everyone down, so guess it's easier said than done

[idunnosomename]

Maybe they make different drugs each day of the week. Like Bertha.

[Goldentony]

does anyone know what an actual cocaine factory looks like and if they nailed it in Robocop

[Uncle TechTip]

They've all got clothes on so that's wrong

[The Culture Bunker]

I get the feeling they've just stretched Murphy's skin over a titanium skull

The scene in the sequel where Murphy's widow visits him does seem to suggest as much, if I'm remembering it right.