Plot
The plot of this action film begins in 1996, with Los Angeles in a violence-crazed conflagration. One of the LAPD's most notorious cops, John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), known as "the demolition man," is in hot pursuit of blonde-haired psychopath Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), who is so nasty he even kills sometimes just because he feels cranky. John captures Simon, but not before Simon kills innocent hostages. John is blamed for the deaths of the hostages, and both he and Simon are cryogenically frozen to remove their brand of ultra-violence from a society that is simply just too violent. The film shifts to the future world of 2032, where Los Angeles has become a megalopolis called San Angeles. There is no poverty, Arnold Schwarzenegger was (at one time) president of the United States, and Taco Bell is the sole survivor of the Franchise Wars. Into this peaceful and bland society, Simon is summarily defrosted by reigning benevolent dictator Dr. Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne) to have Simon murder Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary), the leader of a group of underground rebels. But Cocteau bites off more than he can chew when the melted-down Simon proceeds to go on a murder-and-looting spree. Reluctantly, Cocteau defrosts John to hunt down his old adversary. As John adjusts to self-driving cars and having sex wearing helmets, he pairs up with Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), a bored cop with a nostalgic fascination for 20th-century culture. ~ Paul Brenner, RoviReview
Two years before Sylvester Stallone tried his hand at a real comic-book franchise with the somewhat dreadful Judge Dredd, he'd already hit the nail on the head with Demolition Man, an action romp that has a kind of outrageous playfulness that is inherently tied to the comic format. Sly knows exactly how to pull off this material and does so with the help of a star-studded supporting cast that includes Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt, and another charming performance from Sandra Bullock. Clocking in at completely over-the-top speed is Wesley Snipes, whose Simon Phoenix villain might as well be The Joker for all intents and purposes. Though set in the future, the flick does seem a bit dated, if only because of Denis Leary's old rehashed ramblings that tend to take one out of the movie's universe. Still, with the film's satirical nods to a politically correct utopia where Taco Bell rules all and government machines bill citizens for cursing, the filmmakers had more on their mind than just big explosions and one-liners (which they gratuitously threw in as well). For a shoot-'em-up to work on that kind of level while still being a pleasingly fun time at the movies it must command some sort of respect -- though not that much, since it is, after all, just Demolition Man. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, RoviCast
- Sylvester Stallone - Sergeant John Spartan
- Wesley Snipes - Simon Phoenix
- Sandra Bullock - Lenina Huxley
- Nigel Hawthorne - Dr. Raymond Cocteau
- Benjamin Bratt - Alfredo Garcia
Credit
Walter Paul Martishius - Art Director, Tony Munafo - Associate Producer, Joy Todd - Casting, Ferne Cassel - Casting, Jacqueline George - Co-producer, James Herbert - Co-producer, Steven Fazekas - Co-producer, Bob Ringwood - Costume Designer, Louis D'Esposito - First Assistant Director, Marco Brambilla - Director, Stuart Baird - Editor, Steven J. Bratter - Executive Producer, Aaron Schwab - Executive Producer, Faye Schwab - Executive Producer, Craig Sheffer - Executive Producer, Elliot Goldenthal - Composer (Music Score), Tim Cooney - Musical Direction/Supervision, Sting - Songwriter, Scott Eddo - Makeup, David Snyder - Production Designer, Alex Thomson - Cinematographer, Tom Priestley Jr. - Cinematographer, Howard Kazanjian - Producer, Michael Levy - Producer, Jeffrey Silver - Producer, Joel Silver - Producer, Carl Stensel - Set Designer, Mark Poll - Set Designer, Natalie Richards - Set Designer, Etta Leff - Set Designer, Alec Gillis - Special Effects, Michael J. McAlister - Special Effects, Tom Woodruff, Jr. - Special Effects, Kimberly K. Nelson - Special Effects, Jim Halty - Stunts, Steve Picerni - Stunts, Charlie Picerni - Stunts, Pete Antico - Stunts, Charlie Picerni - Stunts Coordinator, Robert Scott Reneau - Screen Story, Peter M. Lenkov - Screen Story, Steven E. de Souza - Screenwriter, Robert Scott Reneau - Screenwriter, Daniel Waters - Screenwriter, Peter M. Lenkov - Screenwriter, Robert Gould - Set Decorator| Demolition Highway (1996 Film), Demolition High (1996 Film) | |
| Demolition University (1997 Film), Demon (1926 Film) |
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