Demolition Man (1993)

A police officer is brought out of suspended animation in prison to pursue an old ultra-violent nemesis who is loose in a non-violent future society.

Director:

Marco Brambilla

Writers:

Peter M. Lenkov (story), Robert Reneau (story)

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock

1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	John Spartan
Wesley Snipes	...	Simon Phoenix
Sandra Bullock	...	Lenina Huxley
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Dr. Raymond Cocteau
Benjamin Bratt	...	Alfredo Garcia
Bob Gunton	...	Chief George Earle
Glenn Shadix	...	Associate Bob
Denis Leary	...	Edgar Friendly
Grand L. Bush	...	Zachary Lamb - Young
Pat Skipper	...	Helicopter Pilot
Steve Kahan	...	Captain Healy
Paul Bollen	...	T.F.R. Officer
Mark Colson	...	Warden William Smithers - Young
Andre Gregory	...	Warden William Smithers - Aged
John Enos III	...	Prisoner (as John Enos)

Storyline

Frozen in 1996, Simon Phoenix, a convicted crime lord, is revived for a parole hearing well into the 21st century. Revived into a society free from crime, Phoenix resumes his murderous rampage, and no one can stop him. John Spartan, the police officer who captured Phoenix in 1996, has also been cryogenically frozen, this time for a crime he did not commit. In 2032, the former cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Barbara have merged into peaceful, utopian San Angeles. Unable to stop him with their non-violent solutions, the police release Spartan to help recapture Phoenix. Now after 36 years, Spartan has to adapt himself to the future society he has no knowledge about.

---

Plot Keywords:

year 2032 | totalitarianism | censorship | cyberpunk | cryonics | 

---

Taglines:

The world's most dangerous cop. The world's most ruthless criminal. The 21st Century isn't big enough for both of them.

---

Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for non-stop action violence, and for strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Behavior control of criminals was also in A Clockwork Orange (1971), a favorite movie of director Marco Brambilla.

---

Goofs

The display on John Spartan's cryogenic reads, "August 3, 2032", which will fall on a Tuesday. Later that same day, Huxley says to Warden Smithers, "It's a beautiful Monday morning".

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Zachary Lamb - Young: Remember when they used to let commercial airlines land in this town?
Helicopter Pilot: Yeah. Well, I don't understand where we're going, or why the hell we're bothering anyhow.

---

Alternate Versions

The original theatrical, home video and television prints had the 1984 Warner Bros. logo with the 1989 Time Warner Entertainment byline at the beginning, but however, Current prints instead using the 1998 Warner Bros. logo with the 2003 TimeWarner byline plastering over. Both prints have retained the 1992 closing Warner Bros. logo at the end of the film.

---

Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: Old vs. New: Cinderella (2016)

---

Soundtracks

Good Things From The Garden
Written by Bernie Saber and Robert Noel
Courtesy of The Pilsbury Company
Produced by Anthony Marinelli
Performed by Dan Cortese

User Reviews

Weird, It's A Satirical Action Movie

Sgt. John Spartan (Stallone) is a tough cop for a tough age and Simon Pheonix (Snipes) is a nasty and violent criminal. When Stallone finally catches his man, he is found guilty of killing a group of innocent civilians at the same time; and they are both given sentences in the new cryo-prison. When Simon Pheonix escapes into a new world in the year 2032, the police have no way of dealing with such a vicious arch-criminal so they re-animate John Sparton, and so it begins.

I simply love the way the future is portrayed in this film, it is a wonderfully satirical crime free environment where the humans have become ultra-placid geeks under the new regime. Sandra Bullock and Nigel Hawthorne are the two main police-persons that we see and they are brilliantly funny in their performances.

Demolition man is as funny as it is action packed and although it's pretty shallow, it is still great fun to watch.

7/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Demolition Man

Filming Locations:

Park Place Office Campus - 3345 Michelson Drive, Irvine, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$57,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,262,432, 10 October 1993

Gross USA:

$58,055,768

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$58,055,768

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (4 channels)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1