Demolition Man
Rent & Buy
In 1996, brash L.A. detective John Spartan and maniac killer Simon Phoenix are both sentenced to decades in a cryogenic prison as punishment for a rescue mission gone wrong. When Phoenix escapes 36 years later to wreak havoc on the future, Spartan is awakened to capture his nemesis the old-fashioned way.
What critics thought
DivisiveContemporary critics were sharply divided: the satire landed for some and felt like a distraction or a cop-out for others, with the action sequences themselves also splitting the room. The gap between the majority of critics finding something to enjoy and the specialist press largely dismissing it as derivative noise is the defining tension around the film — one that audiences, then and since, have been more willing to forgive.
“Some sharp social satire is almost undermined by excessive explosions and careless casting.”
Richard Schickel·Time
“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.”
Emanuel Levy·Variety
“sleek and empty as well as brutal and pointless.”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“if it's the promise of overwrought violence that lures people into theaters, I suspect it will be the quieter scenes—the ones with a pretense of wit—that keep them satisfied.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“The pleasant surprise about Demolition Man is that both the script, and Stallone, are funny; the film blends big-budget action and tongue-in-cheek humor in the way that Last Action Hero tried, and failed, to do.”
TV Guide
Genres
Crime, Action, Science Fiction
Cast & Crew
Marco BrambillaDirector
Sylvester StalloneJohn Spartan
Wesley SnipesSimon Phoenix
Sandra BullockLt. Lenina Huxley
Nigel HawthorneDr. Raymond Cocteau
Benjamin BrattAlfredo Garcia
Rob SchneiderErwin
Bob GuntonChief George Earle
Glenn ShadixAssociate Bob
Denis LearyEdgar Friendly
Bill CobbsZachary Lamb - Aged
Grand L. BushZachary Lamb - Young
Pat SkipperHelicopter Pilot
Elliot GoldenthalComposer
Daniel WatersWriter
Peter M. LenkovWriter
Alex ThomsonCinematographyDemolition Man
In 1996, brash L.A. detective John Spartan and maniac killer Simon Phoenix are both sentenced to decades in a cryogenic prison as punishment for a rescue mission gone wrong. When Phoenix escapes 36 years later to wreak havoc on the future, Spartan is awakened to capture his nemesis the old-fashioned way.
What critics thought
DivisiveContemporary critics were sharply divided: the satire landed for some and felt like a distraction or a cop-out for others, with the action sequences themselves also splitting the room. The gap between the majority of critics finding something to enjoy and the specialist press largely dismissing it as derivative noise is the defining tension around the film — one that audiences, then and since, have been more willing to forgive.
“Some sharp social satire is almost undermined by excessive explosions and careless casting.”
Richard Schickel·Time
“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.”
Emanuel Levy·Variety
“sleek and empty as well as brutal and pointless.”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“if it's the promise of overwrought violence that lures people into theaters, I suspect it will be the quieter scenes—the ones with a pretense of wit—that keep them satisfied.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“The pleasant surprise about Demolition Man is that both the script, and Stallone, are funny; the film blends big-budget action and tongue-in-cheek humor in the way that Last Action Hero tried, and failed, to do.”
TV Guide
Genres
Crime, Action, Science Fiction
Cast & Crew
Marco BrambillaDirectorSylvester StalloneJohn SpartanWesley SnipesSimon PhoenixSandra BullockLt. Lenina HuxleyNigel HawthorneDr. Raymond CocteauBenjamin BrattAlfredo GarciaRob SchneiderErwinBob GuntonChief George EarleGlenn ShadixAssociate BobDenis LearyEdgar FriendlyBill CobbsZachary Lamb - AgedGrand L. BushZachary Lamb - YoungPat SkipperHelicopter PilotElliot GoldenthalComposerDaniel WatersWriterPeter M. LenkovWriterAlex ThomsonCinematographyRent & Buy