8 MAN (1992)
Do "Robocop ripoffs" count as a subgenre? I'm reorganizing my VHS collection, and I need to know where to put R.O.T.O.R. No, actually, today's movie was only partially inspired by Alex Murphy. Based on an anime and a manga, 8 Man tells the story of a cop who is gunned down on duty. His remains may have been perforated with lead (or an alloy of zinc and copper; some metalhead I am), but the police chief believes that he is a perfect candidate for an experimental scientific procedure. Yes, a supercop is born. The department he works for contains seven subdivisions, so he is dubbed 8 Man. It should be noted that this b-machine takes just as many cues from Ultraman and other Kyodai Hero crusaders as it does from Robocop, but the similarities are hard to miss. Still, apart from a couple of squibs here and there, this is no bloodbath.
The 83-minute running time is deceptive. While the film does start with zippy action sequences, it takes awhile to get to the pith of the plot. Efforts are made to establish a love triangle. I wasn't feeling it, but to be fair, I don't feel human emotions. In a sense, I could relate to our protagonist. There is a steel rod affixed to the lower half of my spine. Scoliosis be damned, I tell people that I was gunned down on duty. Back on topic! The lion's share of 8 Man is nothing but nighttime exteriors, and it's constantly raining. I mean, it's coming down in sheets. Credit director Yasuhiro Horiuchi for making everything cinematic and streamlined. All in all, this was an acceptable way to spend a Friday night. The climactic showdown between dueling 8 Men is fun, although I didn't have much investment in the outcome.
Superior to Robocop 3, yet inferior to R.O.T.O.R. Recommended to fans of 8 Mile and The Hateful Eight. Oh, and Octaman.
Image taken from the arcade game, a side-scroller published in 1991 for the Neo Geo MVS.
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