Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4040 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-05-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Arabic
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Searching for new directions, Sylvester Stallone starred in this farcical, 1993 SF piece about an ex-cop (Stallone) freed from 36 years of forced hibernation to help catch a criminal (Wesley Snipes) who released himself from a similar incarceration. The futuristic story finds Los Angeles a sea of Taco Bells and enforced peace and within that satiric overview Stallone's character becomes a gun-toting fish out of water. The film plays like a live-action cartoon and while there is nothing particularly wrong with that, Demolition Man is a rather flat experience. The irony of a peaceable society that both requires and despises its bloody saviours has been captured far more profoundly in movies like Dirty Harry. Sandra Bullock costars. --Tom Keogh

Synopsis
San Angeles, a megalopolis stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego, is the futuristic utopia of the politically correct. Red meat, salt, sugar, smoking and sex have all been outlawed. This spells h-e-l-l for John Spartan, a 20th century cop revived to chase down a 20th century terrorist on the loose in this sterile paradise.

From the Back Cover
Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes go at it amid a dazzling cyber-future in this explosive hit. In 2032 arch-criminal Simon Pheonix (Snipes) awakens from a 35-year deep freeze in CryPrison to find a serene, nonviolent Los Angeles ready for the taking. Unable to deal with Pheonix's brutal 1990s style, officials seek and old-fashioned cop to fight old-fashioned crime. They revive Sgt. John Spartan (Stallone), unjustly serving a CryoPrison sentence because of his last encounter with Pheonix. Sandra Bullock and Benjamin Bratt (TV's Law and Order) also uphold the law in this "terrific mix of action and humour" (Jon Siegel, Good Morning America/ABC-TV).

Customer Reviews

Stallone Goes Sci-Fi!
His career faultering somewhat, Sylvester Stallone decided to try somthing new and branched out into the realmes of sci fi, this being his first attempt, 'Judge Dredd' in 1995 being his second. While most people including some of the fans shunned it, i personally think that it is a breety good film all round. It's a typical Stallone film, with plenty of guns, explosions, a bad guy, and of course a hero which is Stallone himself in the form of John Spartan.

John Spartan is a cop who has been on the trail of master criminal Simon Phoenix for two years, and when he finally does catch him, the building that they are in blows up killing thirty or so innocent people. Of course Spartan is blamed for the incident, resulting in him being incarcerated in a cryogenic prison for thirty odd years.

Finally he is released in the next century, in the year 2032 where the world is very different. All harmful things have been made illegal; smoking, drinking, contact sports, and even salt etc, sex has become a non contact affair as well (much to the dismay of Spartan) and people even recieve criminal credits for swearing, somthing that Spartan (and phoenix) get a lot of.

The reason for his early release is so that he can once again catch Phoenix who has escaped from the cryogenic facility and is causeing havok in the streets of the new San Angeles (San Dieago and LA have merged). None of the police force can handle him and only the outmoded ways of John Spartan and the help of Lenina Huxley to show him the new ways, can save the city from certain peril.

Stallone is perfect in his role as the tough 'old fashioned' cop who is released from Cryosleep to help the new SAPD. A blonde Wesly Snipes is also brillaint in his role as the heartless criminal Simon Phoenix who starts a meaningless rampage through the city. Originally Stallone wanted Jackie Chan to play this role, however he turned it down as he did not like playing bad guys.

However both stars work very well together, producing some very exciting fight scenes, Snipes being a black belt, and Stallone's experience from the Rocky films helping them. In fact Wesley Snipes was so fast on camera that the producers had to ask him to slow down as he was too much of a blurr.

Of course, lets not forget Sandra Bullock who replaced Lori Petty after a few days filming, and is very well suited to her role as Lenina Huxley, and helped to bring that vital mixture of comedy into the film with her studies of the past. Both her and Stallone work well on-screen together with the scene in her apartment being a great laugh. Benjamin Bratt played Alfredo Garcia who is named after the Sam Pekinpah Film, 'Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia' from 1974.

As regards to the extras on this DVD, unfortunately there are none what so ever bar scene selection, interactive menus and subtitles, theres not even a trailer. This is a shame as a featurette or a behind the scenes documentary would have been nice for some of the die hard fans. However for the time being we'll just have to make do with the wonderful film itself.

Overall though, 'Demolition Man' is brilliant action packed movie, just what you would expect from a Stallone, or even a Wesley Snipes movie. A treat for fans of both stars or just action and/or sci-fi fans in general and with just the right mixture of comedy and action i highly recommend it to all!

Action with Irony
When this movie was released, it went head-to-head with Slys old rival Arnie, and his 'Last Action Hero'. Sly won. Not only with box office, but with the critics too. Where Arnie's effort was far too souless, the real joy in DM is the irony and comic elements. Watching Sly's traditional screen persona get shot down and ridiculed at every turn, must have been terrific fun for him. The action is good, the story is ok. Its the design and small ideas that win through. The 'no contact' sex helmets, the music charts being old commercial jingles and, best of all, the President Schwarzenegger Memorial Library (not as ridiculous these days!!).
All very clever and witty. Sly is terrific, relaxed and cool. Sandra looks like heaven and its a great piece of intelligent escapism. Give it a go.

Funny, Underrated Film
I loved this film. Stallone's comments upon finding out about Arnold Scwarzenegger's having been president are comic. Dennis Leary is good as the leader of the underground rebel movement and Wesley Snipes is absolutely spot on as the completely amoral and psycopathic baddie. The film sparkles with loads of comic lines and Sandra Bullock's character's trying to use 20th Century sayings and getting them wrong is priceless. Well worth watching.