Released in 1993, “Demolition Man” is an oddly mature film for a sci-fi actioner and Sylvester Stallone at his most mature and vulnerable. It features a bevy of actors—most notably Benjamin Bratt and a pre-“The Net” Sandra Bullock—and mixes flat-out action with social satire. The film’s main talent is Wesley Snipes, who cackles and murders his way through this film as the ultimate sadistic terrorist. But underneath all the action and futurism (“Demolition Man” takes place in a society where all crime is unheard of and the police are irrelevant), Director Marco Brambilla’s picture is earnest social commentary. Police, society, and politicking are all criticized in equal measure. And under it all, it’s a thoroughly enjoying action film to boot.
“Demolition Man” follows Detective John Spartan (Stallone), getting its title from the way the media and superiors criticize the detective for how he handles his police work. Spartan typically destroys whole structures, and the film’s opening—as he tracks Snipes’ Simon Phoenix—is so over the top, it likely used up 1/3rds of the film’s SFX budget. There’s also a hysterical part later in the film as an archive video shows him carrying a rescued, kidnapped child, the media questioning why he needed to destroy a $7 million dollar megaplex when the girl’s ransom was only $25,000. But the film starts in 1996, and in like most dystopian pictures, the city (here L.A.) is a war zone. Before Spartan lands to try and apprehend Phoenix, one cop jokes, “I can’t believe they used to land commercial airplanes here.” The future is bleak, and needs Spartan’s touch.
Action-Packed and Sci-Fi
Spartan is—of course—set up by Phoenix to take the fall for the deaths for 30+ hostages, which lands him a 40-year sentence in a cryo-prison. Phoenix is there too, of course. However decades later in 2032—in a zero-crime society run by Dr. Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne)—Phoenix wakes up and escapes, murdering, looting, and menacing. The unprepared police force (who haven’t dealt with a violent criminal, ever) wake up Spartan to attempt to stop Phoenix. It’s the standard trope the ‘90s did so well, and is no less deserving here.
This is nothing new, but, refreshingly, “Demolition Man” is not built solely on bravado and shootouts (though they’re there), but upon Spartan’s inability to fit into this pristine and sanitized reality. There’s zero crime. The police cars are self-drive (mostly) and the police precinct contains little but deer-in-the-headlight looks from cops who wouldn’t know what to do if an old lady jaywalked, let alone a violent perp attacked. Dispensers on the wall doll out 1-credit fines every time someone curses. Salt, sugar, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.—anything that’s bad for you—is illegal. Needless to say, Spartan racks up about a year’s worth of fines the second he opens his mouth.
The highlights of the film are Stallone (unusually vulnerable and sensitive here), Snipes (who’s clearly having a blast playing this sociopath), and Sandra Bullock, who plays a young officer named Lenina Huxley who’s always been yearning for action. Her whole office is decorated in “20th century” motif, she idolizes Spartan and ‘90s heroes like Jackie Chan, and has a poster of “Lethal Weapon 3” on her office wall. She has a spunky attitude and catches the chagrin of her superiors by “wishing there was something to do.” Alongside her, the other cops relish their peaceful existence, telling each other to “be well” and use words like “golly” on a regular basis.
A ‘Utopia’ Meets Reality
“Demolition Man’s” funniest bits come from these ill-prepared cops trying to approach and detain Phoenix as he’s destroying property after a hoard of ‘Murder/Death/Kills’—modernity’s code for “homicide.” They have no guns, only these glowing blue rods that can render someone unconscious, if only they had the bravado to try and use them. In one hilarious retort, one cop mutters, “We’re police officers! We’re not trained to handle this kind of violence!” And later, as one cop utilizes what looks like an AI device that tells him how to approach the criminal more aggressively, “Demolition Man” is taking huge comedic takedowns of inept police.
Yet it’s all done in good fun. And the major unpinning here is that Spartan knows, deep down, these people are living in some kind of fascist and controlled society. A scene where he scolds the cops for beating up on a group of rebels living below the street for just stealing something to eat is more empathetic than we usually see from Stallone. And given that the actor has gone on record saying “Demolition Man” is a “great action film… ahead of its time.” The contrast of Phoenix—who hurts people for fun—and Spartan—who only does it when he needs to—is apropos. And the scenes between Spartan and Huxley are comic gold as she misspeaks common tough-guy sayings (“take this job and shovel it”) and attempts to seduce him in one hilariously awkward sequence.
Some Unsuspected Takeaways
But what works most of all is the stoicism that Stallone carries. There are shootouts and action sequences, and Spartan gets his ass kicked by Phoenix, who was up-trained with futuristic skillsets and augmented with super strength. Snipes is acting over-time here, appearing both comical and menacing as the sadistic criminal. He sports a wardrobe that looks more like something a kid would wear to an arcade, alongside a blonde, absurd haircut that doubtless inspired Dennis Rodman’s looks in the years to come. Yet you never once think Phoenix doesn’t mean business. Of course, there’s a plot twist and some corrupt politicking and machinations here, but that’s better left to discover if you haven’t seen the film.
As stated, though, this is a Stallone-show and one of his best. He’s not morose and outcast (“First Blood”) nor comically out of his element (Stop or My Mom Will Shoot”). He’s a cop that grew up in a violent society that viewed it as necessity. Some fun cameos line the movie (the best comedian Denis Leary), but the overarching message of “Demolition Man” is understanding. Amidst high-octane shootouts and explosions (the budget was $57 million), there’s a desire to find common ground that’s oddly touching. It’s fun to watch Stallone save the day. But the film’s close—as he tries to mediate between the old and the new and help people to get along—is a welcome addition I didn’t see coming. And aside the film’s action, meta humor, and comedy, “Demolition Man” is a fun ‘90s romp that’s better than its Box Office return would have you believe.
