Directed by: Marco Brambilla
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Bob Gunton, Nigel Hawthorne, Denis Leary, Glenn Shadix
Demolition Man is a rare blend of action and satire which is thought-provoking in its amusing way. The movie posters promised a showdown between Sylvester Stallone's John Spartan and Wesley Snipes' Simon Phoenix, both of which were held in a cryogenic prison and thawed out years later to face each other and a society which is now foreign to them. Simon is thawed out first and goes on a crime spree in a docile Los Angeles of the future where violence has been eradicated and people are ticketed for swearing.
Spartan, a cop unjustly convicted of murder while chasing Phoenix in the past, is unfrozen by a reluctant police chief (Gunton) and partnered with an eager Leona Huxley (Bullock) to track down Phoenix. Lurking from the sewers with his followers is Edgar Friendly (Leary), who is targeted as public enemy number one by the shadowy Raymond Cocteau (Hawthorne), creator of the Los Angeles of the future. Cocteau, of course, is up to something more sinister while carrying on a calm facade.
A movie like Demolition Man wouldn't be called Demolition Man without its share of fights and chases, but I also enjoyed the fish-out-of-water aspects of Spartan (and to a lesser degree Phoenix) in dealing with a society where violence is non-existent. Spartan could adjust once he rids the world of Phoenix, but Phoenix would go stir crazy. Where Demolition Man earns higher marks is how it's able to be slyly fun while having something to say about violence and freedom of choice. Those who expected a mere action picture will be in for a surprise.
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