In this critical analysis, I will discuss the "I Didn't Kill Him" scene from I, Robot. In 2035, Chicago Police technophobic homicide detective Del Spooner heads the investigation into the apparent suicide of leading robotics scientist Dr. Alfred Lanning. Unconvinced of the motive, Spooner's investigation into Lanning's death reveals a trail of secrets and programs within the USR (United States Robotics) company and suspicions of murder. Little does he know that his investigation will lead him to discover a greater threat to humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Then he joins hands with a robot named Sonny to help save the human race. Despite Detective Spooner's hatred towards robots (due to past events that made him realize that robots are no good since when he had a car accident they saved him and not a little girl since she had a better chance of living) . He and Sonny find a way to work together. Sonny is able to portray human emotions. This is what sets it apart from other robots. This is one of the main reasons why he and Detective Spooner are able to work together in an alliance as Sonny will understand (to some extent) why Detective Spooner is driven to do the right thing. At the beginning of the "I Didn't Kill Him" scene, Detective Del Spooner winks at his boss before entering the interrogation room. Sonny is seen sitting in the center of the room with only a table in front of him, he is also surrounded by armed police on both sides. This leads the audience to think that he is extremely dangerous since they are already in position and ready to shoot as soon as Sonny steps out of line. This also creates fear and suspense for the audience as Sonny's portrayal is seen as unpredictable and harmful. When Detective Spooner enters the room, he places photos of the dead scientist, Dr. Lanning, on the table, hoping that Sonny will give an idea or a confession about how or what happened to Dr. Lanning, however it's almost as if Sonny isn't paying attention to these photos. as his curiosity takes over, which then when asked to answer leads him to ask a question about Detective Spooner's wink towards his boss. His curiosity is probably as innocent as a child's as he doesn't seem to understand the amount of trouble he might be in, but yet it fuels his fascination with human interaction and trying to figure out what the gesture means. Detective Spooner then decides to respond in a way that will bring the conversation back to the investigation by saying "it's a sign of trust." The use of the word trust indicates a firm belief that is powerful and sacred to us as human beings as it is. It's in our nature to trust someone in order to work, have a relationship or friendship, etc. Once this trust is broken, we begin to distance ourselves and protect ourselves. We as the audience already know how much trust Detective Spooner has for these robots, which is little to none. So we know (or think we know) that due to Detective Spooner's hatred of robots, this interrogation will not end well simply because of mistrust. As the scene continues, we see that Sonny seems to express human emotions such as fear as he says "I was scared" when Spooner asks him why he was hiding at the crime scene. This also illustrates childish behavior and human behavior as children tend to hide when they are afraid. Sonny also refers to Dr. Lanning as "my father", which shows his attachment towards his "maker". Unlike the other robots, Sonny has a name, which he gives to him.
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