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.

Interceptor takes a look at the most evil corporate parasites in living movie memory and comes up with a list of six. Here are the most dastardly, money-hungry and megalomaniacal enterprises in history. And if you think we’ve missed one – get yourself to the comments.

1: The Company: Aliens

Despite the fact that it already owns the whole planet and most of the known universe, The Company still wants more – and it’s willing to sacrifice every man, woman and child on Earth if it means it can sell more experimental bio-weapons to the colonial marines. Strangely, it persists in this business model against the odds. A company so terrible, it would hire the uncool one from My Two Dads to run its foreign offices.

2: Cloverleaf: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

The name may conjour up images of rolling Irish meadows, but don’t let the faint whistle of pipes and whiff o’ peat bogs put you off the scent. Cloverleaf is run by a murderous non-human entity so twisted; he actually thinks mini-malls are a good idea. Not only does he hate public transport – and private detectives – but the vile Judge Doom would happily kill Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouseand even a very, very cute shoe to destroy it.

3: BiffCo: Back to the Future Part II

No-one really knows what the sinister BiffCo actually does, but the hints are more than enough for it to rank among cinema’s most deliciously evil industrial conglomerates. Overgrown high-school bully Biff Tannen ploughs his ill-gotten gains into terrible schemes that appear to involve gambling, toxic waste, giving Lea Thompson breast implants and the frantic production of Velour Tiger-Skin upholstery. Compared to his interior decorating skills, bumping off local Sci-Fi authors is the least of Tannen’s crimes.

4: OCP: RoboCop

The Evil Corporation’s Evil Corporation. OCP are wantonly eeevil, lusting for money and power, and not giving a shit who they trample, kill or mutate in the process. A company so ruthless, the boss is even called Dick. Omni Consumer Products struts its diabolical stuff on the world stage, building dodgy reactors in the middle of rainforests, dispossessing the poor, shutting down the police and replacing them with sociopathic tank-cum-chickens and, of course, putting manic-depressive dead people and crazed drug addicts in charge of solid Titanium super-suits. It’s all in a day’s work for these paragons of rat-bastardry. The only company on the list to literally make employees piss their pants with fear and, while boardroom killings are a recurring theme here, none are quite as messy as OCP’s ED-209 debacle.

5: Cohaagen: Total Recall

Seemingly a wandering Ronin of a CEO, Cohaagen’s lack of any discernable company hasn’t stop him from engaging in high level corporate gittiness, seemingly for its own sake. While others on the list bow at the altar of profit, Cohaagen finds evil is its own reward. Building cheap domes and cultivating three-breasted hookers and psychic children is quite literally the tip of the iceberg for this conniving bugger, spending years exploiting his workers and alien technology alike. Would you work for a man who, despite being your best friend, would happily lobotomise you and demote you from VP to ‘Road Driller’ in order to get a job done? Just pipped to the top spot because of his generous benefits package – Sharon Stone in a pair of tiny Lycra shorts.

6: The Empire: Star Wars

OK, So the Empire isn’t exactly a publicly owned company, but it still manages to exhibit the very worst aspects of corporate culture. In between ruthless expansion and attempts to corner the intergalactic shipping trade, The Empire isn’t above a bit of micro-management; making people wear stupid high-button shirts even though they sit alone in a room pushing buttons all day. The only reward for hapless employees is the Death Star Disco, with it’s awesome EuroTrance light show and Bass system. Meanwhile, the boss roams the corridors, poking his respirator in where it’s not needed and offing members of the board if they disagree with his clap-trap, new age policies, all the while trying to build a GAP-esque identikit uniform fashion empire – something that the jumpsuit and waistcoat fashion pirates don’t take too kindly to. It’s Armani versus shabby chic on an interstellar level.

Following in the illustrious footsteps of Watch With Mothers, we at Slashing The Seats have recorded our first podcast!

We do our very best to stay on the topic of the best movie villains, however descend into the religious symbolism within Robocop, first year film students, a vast sci fi Scientologist / Conan conspiricy, and why Terminators have USB chips in their fingers.

It’s essentially around 45 minutes of slightly drunk Westcountry movie buffs talking amusing nonsense about films.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Don’t forget to rate and review!

In the first of a semi-regular series, we look at the supporting characters that make the movie. The underrated cult heroes who truly deserve the spotlight.

It’s no secret I’m a big Robocop fan. I quote the movie regularly and often inappropriately and have been known to shout down anyone who claims there is a better film. However, the eponymous cyborg isn’t the best thing in it. Not by a long shot. And not even ED-209 can hold a candle to one of the most amazing characters in action movie history – the one and only Clarence Boddicker.

Why is Mr Boddicker such a wonderful character?

I think it begins with the look. Most of the time the leader of a gang of corporate-backed psychotic bank robbers would be played by a big guy. Someone who can hold their own in a fight. Boddicker is played by Kurtwood Smith, who looks like an accountant. In my mind, I’ve created a backstory for him that explains his rise to leadership by bestowing on him utter ruthlessness and a massive psychotic streak that carries over into the movie.

His lines are amazing. From his preparing to throw one of his gang at a cop car with the sinister – ‘Can you fly Bobby?’ to the – apparently improvised – ‘Oooohhh, Guns! Guns! Guns! Tigers are playing to-night! Never miss a game’ which ends a standoff with fellow gang-leader Sal, he is endlessly quotable.

And what about how utterly cruel and amoral he is? One could argue – as I’m sure many first year film students have – that he is the ultimate creation of  greed and the corporation. The sadistic nature in which he kills Murphy is a shocking moment, but his enthusiasm almost turns the whole scene around, making the villains the guys you want to side with. You know the only reason he finishes Murphy off, with one of the best headshots in movie history, is to stop his annoying screams.

He has all the best toys. Ridiculously large guns, a car that gets really shitty gas mileage (but is HUGE) and grenades that look like futurist ornaments. His suits even make me want to reassess 80s fashion. He is suitably equipped for kicking ass and taking names and looking good doing it.

He almost beats Robocop too. Almost. Of course Robo has to win, but he gets totally wrecked doing it. And Boddicker has already killed him once. It’s only a lucky shot with a sharpened USB stick that puts Clarence away, spurting blood in massive arcs as he goes down, a suitably epic death for such a totally awesome character.

There have been few villains like Clarence Boddicker in cinema. They usually come in the Muscle-Bound Idiot or Expensive-Suited Overlord variety. Clarence transcends these stereotypes and creates one of the best-loved and most unusual badasses in action movie history.

BITCHES LEAVE!

Today is a good day for film fans.

It has been reported that the proposed remake of Katsuhiro Otomo’s seminal 1988 anime Akira hs been put on indefinite hold. According to rumor Akira would be moved to the US and star Leonardo DiCaprio, which in this bloggers humble opinion would have been akin to pissing on an entire form of film making.

And further to that, late breaking news suggest that Darren Aronofsky’s Robocop remake has been shoved back into development hell as he is off to direct Black Swan – a supernatural ballerina story, starring Natalie Portman. While Aronofsky is a talented director – I see no point in remaking a movie only 22 years old, which still looks excellent today.

More original films in production than unnecessary remakes can only be a good thing.