Slashing The Seats

That’s right, we’re taking another look at a side-character who, despite their limited screen-time really helps to make the movie a great one. This time we’re going to plumb the hidden, brooding depths of Emil M. Antonowsky, better known as “the guy who gets melted with toxic waste” in Robocop!

Hey, isn’t that doctor Romero from ER?

It sure is!

But he’s not Romero yet, at this stage in his career the fantastic Paul McCrane is still struggling to find footing in Hollywood, and is quite happy to settle for minor roles in dystopian sci-fi robot movies. But as we will see, his talent shines through, and he is able to bring a striking ability and depth to even these more modest roles.

Looking then at Robocop, I want to draw attention to one scene in particular: When the police force goes on strike, the streets break into chaos and widespread violence and looting quickly sweep the city. Against this backdrop we find Mr Antonowsky, sat on the street, watching his favourite TV show playing in an electrical store’s window-display.

When our buddy Emil notices that people a way down the street are smashing windows and looting the contents, he gets up, walks over to his own window, and smashes the glass. “Ah” we think smugly to ourselves – “that criminal type is going to make off with that telly. He probably plans to flog it down the market or throw it at a baby or something even more evil.” But if you assumed that you’d be wrong. Our buddy Emil smashes the window, then returns to where he was sitting to watch the TV – now with sound thanks to the massive hole in the glass. Here he sits, pleased as punch, laughing along with the show – a picture of happiness. Once his buddies arrive he becomes a different person, and he switches over to his crazy-bad-ass-likes-the-big-guns persona. But we know the truth, that he’d rather just be mooching around watching some TV.

This is such a sweet little scene that it’s hard not to start ascribing all sorts of traits to the character. I see him as having been a smart but apathetic child, who fell into the crime world just because it was there, and he was pretty good at it. He’s introverted, happiest when he’s by himself but capable of working in a team. He doesn’t share his companions’ lust for carnage, destruction and material gain, but because he’s an intelligent man he can understand why some people are attracted to these things.

Given the opportunity to make a quick buck he’d rather sit with a drink by himself and enjoy his terrible sketch-comedy. Seeing as scenes like this – where a character is given a little private screen time to really develop in front of the audience – are so rare in Robocop, it probably makes him the deepest and most complicated character in the whole film.

To sum up: it kinda sucks when he is burned alive in toxic waste and then run over.

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