Robocop 2 (1990)

Sequel to the 1987 Robocop: famous comic book writer/artist Frank Miller (Daredevil and The Dark Knight Returns) contributed the screenplay, emphasizing dark satire, mostly in regards to child criminals. As before, crime is out of control in the environment of this near-future and Robocop (Peter Weller reprising) has his mechanical hands full, still teamed with Nancy Allen as officer Lewis. Also back is Dan O'Herlihy as the head of the ambitious corporation OCP, which now owns the whole city government, not just the police force. The new criminal is Cain (the usually creepy Tom Noonan), a radical drug dealer who - whose brain - ends up in the body of a super robot (also perhaps the actual 2nd Robocop referenced in the title). Another one is Hob (Gabriel Damon), a kid who is more ruthless and more sharp than all the other criminals. This aims for the same dark comedy as the first film but is much less elegant and simply crude in its efforts, a surprise considering the director, Irwin Kershner, who I figured would have tempered the usual extremes employed by Paul Verhoeven. There was one more in the film series, the delayed Robocop 3 in 1993, without Weller, followed by a short-lived TV series. Then, a remake in 2014. BoG's Score: 6 out of 10