Verhoeven’s Double Feature of Violence

As a male adult in my early-30′s who was born and raised in the United States, I have seen/been subjected to (take your pick) a large array of movies that, according to the MPAA “…may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously.”  For me, the master of this type of film is none other than director, Paul Verhoeven who is not even a US native, but a son of the Netherlands!  With this weeks NR theme being, “Bring the Pain” I thought it appropriate to highlight two of Verhoeven’s “best” (and I use the term loosely and more in reference to box office dollars versus actual content) films.

In 1987, Verhoeven hit the cinema with the over the top, ultra-violent “Robocop” Part man.  Part machine.  All cop. I recall with clarity seeing the commercials and posters at the local theatre for this film and was determined to figure out how to watch it.  It wasn’t until a year later, however, when it came out on video that I was able to take a gander without my parent’s interference.  My 10 year old mind was (upon reflection) not ready to watch Alex Murphy get brutally shot up and dismembered by a bunch of crazed hooligans.  It left quite the impression and the thought that “Wow, they can do some crazy make-up effects these days.”  You might think that Murphy’s horrific death was the most violent part of the movie, but from that scene forward, Verhoeven just ratches up the violence meter.  Who can forget the scene where Robocop takes down the would-be rapist by putting a round in the assailants breadbasket?!  Or when one of Alex Murphy’s original killers gets tossed into some toxic waste and starts to melt?  As violent and bloody as Robocop was, Verhoeven was just priming the pump for his next Hollywood endeavor that would feature our very own “Governator.”

1990 brought with it not only “Hammer Pants” but also Verhoeven’s sci-fi life on Mar’s epic “Total Recall” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger which taught us, if nothing else, that that trying to live on Mars sucks…unless you’re looking for an irradiated, martian hooker.  Why does life suck on the red planet?  Because the government will go with the lowest bidding contractor when making your atmosphere bubbles, thus allowing radiation to disfigure you.  Also, the government will cover up the existence of an alien artifact that will actually allow the planet to have a breathable atmosphere.  But like a porn movie, we’re not here to talk about the plot.  We’re here to talk about the body count, and boy does Verhoeven deliver!  Immeasurable amounts of Mars cops get taken out.  A rat, sentient cab and various sundry scientist get to meet the reaper.  Plus a random goon gets used as a handy meat shield.  Don’t believe me?

Despite all of Verhoeven’s hard work during this time, in the end, it is Charlie Sheen who ends starring in “the bloodiest movie of all time.”

Robocop gets an NR rating of:

3/5 - Might be worth a try...

Whereas Total Recall gets an NR rating of:

1/5 - Basic shite.