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Directed By
Marco Brambilla
Written By:
Daniel Waters, Robert Reneau, Peter M. Lenkov
Cast:
Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt, Bob Gunton, Glenn Shadix, Denis Leary, Pat Skipper, Steve Kahan, Andre Gregory, Grand L. Bush, John Enos III, Mark Colson, Paul Bollen, Mark Colson
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Demolition Man (1993)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
February 24th, 2009
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'Demolition Man' was a childhood favorite; I watched it numerous times on VHS, for whatever reason, and it was one of the 90s Stallone flicks that was turned into an awful video game, along with Cliffhanger and Judge Dredd. This is a slick, entertaining action film, set in a futuristic Los Angeles, now renamed San Angeles, after being merged with San Diego and Santa Barbara following a massive earthquake in 2010. The movie starts in 1996, with Stallone as renegade cop John Spartan, who relentlessly pursues his nemesis, flamboyant psychopath Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), who has taken hostages and stashed them inside a warehouse. After a relatively brief battle, Spartan captures Phoenix and carries him out as the warehouse explodes; the hostages are still inside, and Spartan's recklessness gets him convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and put in cryogenic stasis for 36 years, along with Phoenix.
They both reawaken in 2032; Phoenix escapes during his parole hearing, and wreaks havoc, the police are unable to deal with him, since they have renounced violence and do not even carry guns anymore. Spartan is the only person capable of stopping Phoenix. San Angeles is a sanitary, well-mannered metropolis, where everything is rigidly governed by the corrupt Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne), who has introduced behavioral controls to keep the citizenry firmly in his grasp, and under constant surveillance. This is a society modeled after Orwell and Aldous Huxley; peace and security at the expense of individual liberty. Crime is practically non-existent, but many things have been declared illegal; types of food considered bad for you (like meat and salt), physical contact with other humans, and profanity (machines dispense tickets for every curse word).
Toilet paper has been replaced by some kind of seashell contraption, high-tech apartments that are voice activated, cars that drive themselves, nice amenities, but Spartan obviously prefers what he is most familiar with, and his excessive methods, necessary to deal with the situation at hand, cause him to clash openly with Chief George Earle (Bob Gunton), while earning the admiration of Lt. Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), who has learned martial arts from watching Jackie Chan movies, and collects memorabilia from the 20th century, which her colleagues find strange. There is an underground movement opposing Cocteau, led by Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary); Cocteau has essentially wired Phoenix to hunt down Friendly and kill him. A romance blossoms between Spartan and Huxley; he discovers that she is repulsed by kissing and intercourse (which she refers to as "fluid exchange", prohibited because it can lead to the spread of venereal disease and other problems), favoring instead virtual sex, that stimulates the brain in the same manner as sexual arousal.
Huxley speaks robotically, her vocabulary filled with various neologisms, confusing common phrases ("take this job and shovel it", for instance) and while she stringently follows the rules of her department and society at large, she is willing to break them from time to time, and is bored by the lack of crime, desiring an existence that is more exciting and unpredictable. Bullock was a lot better in Speed, and had better chemistry with Keanu Reeves than she does with Stallone. This is, however, one of Stallone's more engaging performances.
Not good by any measure, but he does exactly what is required of him, and convincingly delivers his multiple one-liners(and amusing observations), including a particularly humorous tirade that really sends that verbal morality monitor into a frenzy. Snipes makes for an effective villain, though I could never take Phoenix seriously, maybe it was that ridiculous yellow hair. Spectacular stunts, lots of loud explosions, terrific visual effects, an imaginative futuristic setting, even a thrilling chase sequence; these elements are what make 'Demolition Man' worthwhile.
Nice supporting roles from Hawthorne, Glenn Shadix as Cocteau's effeminate, overweight associate, Gunton as the uptight Earle, and Leary, as the motor-mouthed Friendly. I was personally offended, though, by the shameless promotion of Taco Bell, the only restaurant chain to emerge victorious from the so-called franchise wars, unrealistically beating out McDonalds and standing alone in 2032 as the only example of fine, high-class dining. I hate Taco Bell with a passion, and find most of its food to be utterly disgusting. My perception is never likely to change.
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 | Tim
Feb 24, 2009 9:27 PM
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| I love this movie as well...still watch it from time to time....I thought Snipes was hilarious in this film. |
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