Demolition Man (1993)
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63% of critics liked it
(35 reviews) -
60% of users liked it
(188,607 ratings)
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… More 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, Rovi
- Directed By
- Marco Brambilla
- Written By
- Peter M. Lenkov, Robert Scott Reneau, Daniel Waters
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Oct 8, 1993 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
Ultimately the script's often sharp social satire is drowned out by the noise and confusion. It is also undercut by casting virtually all the psychopathically murderous criminals as minority-group members.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Nearly all the SF premises are accorded the status of Andrew Dice Clay one-liners -- which means that they, along with the characters, keep changing from one scene to the next.
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Emanuel Levy, Variety
A noisy, soulless, self-conscious pastiche that mixes elements of sci-fi, action-adventure and romance, then pours on a layer of comedy replete with Hollywood in-jokes.
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, Time Out
Forget your preconceptions, but not your brain cells and sense of irony.
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
Demolition Man is a significant artifact of our time or, at least, of this week.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Sylvester Stallone
as Sergeant John Spartan
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Wesley Snipes
as Simon Phoenix
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Sandra Bullock
as Lenina Huxley
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Nigel Hawthorne
as Dr. Raymond Cocteau
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Benjamin Bratt
as Alfredo Garcia
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Bob Gunton
as Chief George Earle
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Glenn Shadix
as Associate Bob
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Denis Leary
as Edgar Friendly
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Grand L. Bush
as Zachary Lamb "Young"
- Steve Kahan
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Paul Bollen
as TRF Officer
- Mark Colson
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Andre Gregory
as Warden William Smithers "Aged"
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John Enos III
as Prisoner
- Melinda Dillon
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Troy Evans
as Tough Cop
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Don Charles McGovern
as Prison Guard
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Bill Cobbs
as Zachary Lamb "Aged"
- Patricia Rive
- Anneliza Scott
- Dean Minerd
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Stephen Kahan
as Captain Healy
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Kristopher Logan
as Troubled Guy
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Paul Perri
as Squad Leader
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Susan Lentini
as TV Reporter
- Casey Wallace
- Trent Walker
- Chris Durand
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Brett Jones
as Museum Guard
- Lori Petty
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Dan Cortese
as Taco Bell Entertainer
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Pat Skipper
as Helicopter Pilot
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Lara Harris
as Taco Bell Patron
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Toshishiro Obata
as CryoCon
- Sam Nehira
- Claude Oatts
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Alex Chapman
as Taco Bell Scrap
- Brandy Ledford
- Joy Todd
- Rosemarie Lagunas
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Ken Baldwin
as Wasteland Scrap
- Ferne Cassel
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Michael Tennessee Lee
as Boggle Guard
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Jack Black
as Wasteland Scrap
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Carlton Wilborn
as Wasteland Scrap
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Brandy Sanders
as Fiber Op Girl
- Charles Glass
- Ben Jurand
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Billy Lucas
as CryoCon
- Sylvester Stollone
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Rhino Michaels
as CryoCon
- Dennis Leary
- Toshiro Obata
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Jesse Ventura
as CryoCon
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Vanna Bonta
as Computers
- Alex Ardenti
- Mark Atteberry
- Adrienne Barbeau
- Jennifer Darling
- Ric Drasin
- Mogens Eckert
- Robert Grasmere
- Bryan Hanna
- Paul Dion Monte
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Rob Schneider
as Erwin (uncredited)
- Stewart Skelton
- Kevin Ula Christie



