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Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt ... see more see more... , Bob Gunton , Glenn Shadix , Denis Leary , Grand L. Bush , Steve Kahan , Paul Bollen , Mark Colson , Andre Gregory , John Enos III , Melinda Dillon , Troy Evans , Don Charles McGovern , Bill Cobbs , Patricia Rive , Anneliza Scott , Dean Minerd , Stephen Kahan , Kristopher Logan , Paul Perri , Susan Lentini , Casey Wallace , Trent Walker , Chris Durand , Brett Jones , Lori Petty , Dan Cortese , Pat Skipper , Lara Harris , Toshishiro Obata , Sam Nehira , Claude Oatts , Alex Chapman , Brandy Ledford , Joy Todd , Rosemarie Lagunas , Ken Baldwin , Ferne Cassel , Michael Tennessee Lee , Jack Black , Carlton Wilborn , Brandy Sanders , Charles Glass , Ben Jurand , Billy Lucas , Sylvester Stollone , Rhino Michaels , Dennis Leary , Toshiro Obata , Jesse Ventura , Vanna Bonta , Alex Ardenti , Mark Atteberry , Adrienne Barbeau , Jennifer Darling , Ric Drasin , Mogens Eckert , Robert Grasmere , Bryan Hanna , Paul Dion Monte , Rob Schneider , Stewart Skelton , Kevin Ula Christie

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... read more read more...," 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

Flixster Users

60% liked it

188,607 ratings

Critics

63% liked it

35 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Marco Brambilla

Release Date: October 8, 1993

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DVD Release Date: September 30, 1997

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Stats: 6,613 reviews

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Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Stallone Sandra Bullock Sandra Bullock Wesley Snipes Wesley Snipes Demolition Man Wesley Snipes Wesley Snipes Sylvester Stallone Demolition Man Wesley Snipes Wesley Snipes
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Flixster Reviews (6,613)

  • sanjurosamurai
    December 22, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    really fun if not silly action flick.
  • blkbomb
    December 14, 2011
    blkbomb
    Zachary Lamb: Simon Phoenix is an old fashioned criminal. We need an old fashioned cop. 

    "The future isn't big enough for the both of them."

    Demolition Man is one of those weird movies that I can't decide whether I like or not. Parts at me shaking my head in disgust, mostly whe... read moren the characters talked, but in the end I wasn't angry with it at all. I, for the most part, enjoyed myself. The film is highly entertaining and has some cool ideas. It also has some extremely stupid and silly ideas too. Like the three seashells; I know it is supposed to be humorous, but really?  The action stars, Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes are a lot of fun to watch. When they are in their action sequences, they are at their best. When they talk, they are at their worst, but it is still somewhat fun because of how ridiculous they sound.

    Stallone plays a cop named Spartan, who has the nickname Demolition Man. The nickname comes from the cliche idea that he doesn't play by the rules. He destroys whatever he needs to. He has been trying to catch a ruthless killer, Phoenix, for some time now. When he finally does catch him, things still end up going wrong and he lands himself in prison too. Now prison isn't what we know it to be. Him and Phoenix are frozen in order to serve their sentence. While they are frozen, they are also give rehab. Not really sure how that works, but we'll go with it. Phoenix escapes custody during a parole hearing and starts going nuts on a now crime-less country thirty some years later. In this new country you can't curse or eat junk food. Anything unhealthy is illegal. In order to catch the madman, they unfreeze Spartan also. So from there it is a cat and mouse game.

    As much as I would like to describe just how bad this movie is, I can't. It was just too entertaining to talk badly about. Another saving grace for the film is a young Sandra Bullock. Damn was she hot back in the 90's. When she was asking Spartan if he wanted to have sex, I was yelling at the screen, "Yes!" She does give a pretty fun, if at times hard to watch, performance also. She plays a bored cop that loves old action movies and really wants to see some action. 

    I recommend watching Demolition Man if you can tolerate stupidness in the midst of great action. It doesn't reach the stupidity level of a movie like Cobra, which is a plus. 
  • ironclad1609
    June 16, 2011
    ironclad1609
    A bit of a guilty pleasure film from the time when Stallone was still a convincing action hero. The premise is actually quite fun: in the future villains are frozen for their crimes. And once crime is eradicated and one of the baddies wakes up, you need an old-fashioned cop. Of c... read moreourse that's a role for Stallone, who doesn't take himself or the world he is "born into" too seriously. Snipes also had obviously a lot of fun playing the bad guy. The humor works wonders for the film, while the action is more or less standards. It's the little details of this future world and the many references that make this film quite fun, after all.
  • 3niR
    December 7, 2010
    3niR
    Somebody put me back in the freeze

    Ah I wish I could know the method of using those three sea shells japanese smileys... read morerder='0'>.
    This movie tends to be a bit cliche (and I think that's why it's so underrated....no wonder). But it's not that bad. Watchable.
  • cosmo313
    August 22, 2010
    cosmo313
    This is a sadly maligned and underrated sci-fi action film. Don't get me wrong: it's not that great, but it's not that bad either. It deals with some cool and interesting concepts, and the action is just awesome. Unfortunately some people can't take it very seriously. Not that it... read more's supposed to be stone cold serious, but it's not just a brainless romp, either.
  • fb733768972
    July 7, 2010
    fb733768972
    The perfect action film from the year I was born:) I loved this movie from start to finish. Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock are the perfect addition to this movie, and act well to their broad talent. Never let's up on enjoyment, and dazzles with 2030's futur... read moreistic events. What an incredible movie is made of at it's top form.
  • ythelastman89
    May 16, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Just a great movie that knows exactly how to blend a small touch of satire and social commentary with great action and comedy. Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes are a great pair that know how to please viewers. It is just so unbelievably fun that you can't help but love it. Wh... read moreile Sandra Bullock didn't really work as a female lead, she still doesn't ruin the overall feel. I think it's basically what they were trying to attempt with the Judge Dredd movie and it worked wonderfully.
  • movieguru12
    November 13, 2009
    movieguru12
    Just another fantastic Stallone film. :) I love the acting chemistry between everyone especially between Stallone & Bullock. :)
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    Diabolical man! Oh, but I like Sandra Bullock. A star for her!
  • FireStormStudios
    September 16, 2009
    FireStormStudios
    Good futuristic sci-fi. I liked this movie a lot because of the actors and the hard hitting fight scenes. The interpretation of the future is also a nice touch.

View All Demolition Man Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel
July 25, 2010
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 mem... Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
April 30, 2008
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. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 30, 2008
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. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Demolition Man is a significant artifact of our time or, at least, of this week. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Demolition Man is sleek and empty as well as brutal and pointless. It feels computer engineered, untouched by human hands. A real pod movie.

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

In the end, that's all this film is: flames, flying bullets, and special effects. It could be worse, I suppose, but as long as people go into this film with their eyes open, there shouldn't be any sur... Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Basically, Demolition Man is a futuristic cop picture with slightly more imagination and wit than the typical example of the slash-and-burn genre. Full Review

Peter Canavese
September 5, 2011
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

Doesn't quite go far enough, instead settling for cheap gags and cheap thrills, but it tickles fairly well for a couple of hours of crashes and fireballs. [Blu-ray] Full Review

David Nusair
August 13, 2011
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a sporadically amusing yet pervasively underwhelming bit of early '90s cheese... Full Review

July 25, 2010
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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 fai... Full Review

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Facts

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    • Simon Phoenix: This is the best day of my life!
    • Simon Phoenix: You're dead Spartan.
    • Sergeant John Spartan: Speak for yourself!
    • Simon Phoenix: Where the god damn guns? [violation ticket appears] Fuck You! [violation ticket appears]
    • Sergeant John Spartan: WHAT THE HELL!? [violation ticket appears]
    • Sergeant John Spartan: So much for the seashells!
    • Dr. Raymond Cocteau: Be well.
    • Sergeant John Spartan: ...Be fucked.
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Demolition Man : Watch Free on TV

Demolition Man Trivia

  • Name the one and only restaurant that survived in "Demolition Man".  Answer »
  • Which film stars Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt and Wesley Snipes?  Answer »
  • An arch-criminal and supercop battle it out on a pacifist society's streets in this movie.  Answer »
  • This actor linked to all of these movies: Demolition Man Cliffhanger Get Carter Rocky Rocky 2  Answer »
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