This 115-minute commercial for Taco Bell is a Sylvester Stallone movie. That’s all you really need to know.
Set in the ultraviolent inferno of 1996 Los Angeles, Sly stars as John Spartan, a super-tough cop nicknamed “Demolition Man” because he can’t arrest anyone without destroying vast chunks of property.
When a diabolical psycho killer named Simon Phoenix (played by a bleached-blonde Wesley Snipes) hijacks a city bus, Spartan goes in to save the hostages and nab Phoneix. Spartan incinerates the killer’s HQ – and, unfortunately, the 30 innocent hostages inside.
Both Phoenix and Spartan are sentenced to 70 years and sent to their respective prison cells – which, in this case, are solid blocks of cryogenically frozen lucite, where they will undergo subliminal behaviour modification.
But when Phoenix is thawed out for his parole hearing in 2032, he busts out, killing people in the process.
This dismays the super-nice police in San Angeles (urban sprawl has merged LA and San Francisco), which is such a calm place that there hasn’t been an MDK (“murder-death-kill”) in 22 years.
The blissed-out cops are clueless, except for Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), whose fascination with the 20th century sparks an idea – to release Spartan from deep freeze to capture Phoenix.
Huxley introduces Spartan to a bland new world where swearing, sex, abortion, pregnancy without a licence, and spicy food are illegal, oldies radio stations play 1970s commercial jingles, and the swankiest restaurant in town is Taco Bell.
Overseeing all this is the governor, Dr Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne), who is so benevolent that you know he’s going to be a baddie.
Sly is on familiar turf here and handles the action with his usual aplomb. He also excels as the straight man in the movie’s comedic bits. Snipes is a worthy foil, giving the scenery-chewing sort of performance usually reserved for Bond villains. But he brings a hyperkinetic energy that plays perfectly off Stallone’s immovable sneer.
For some non-American releases, references to Taco Bell were changed to Pizza Hut since the former was virtually unknown in many countries outside the US at the time.
Detective John Spartan
Sylvester Stallone Simon Phoenix
Wesley Snipes Lt. Lenina Huxley
Sandra Bullock Dr Raymond Cocteau
Nigel Hawthorne Alfredo Garcia
Benjamin Bratt Chief George Earle
Bob Gunton Associate Bob
Glenn Shadix Edgar Friendly
Denis Leary Zachary Lamb (Young)
Grand L. Bush Zachary Lamb (Old)
Bill Cobbs Warden William Smithers (Young)
Mark Colson Warden William Smithers (Old)
Andre Gregory Captain Healy
Steve Kahan T.F.R. Officer
Paul Bollen Hopper
Don McGovern Helicopter Pilot
Pat Skipper Main Frame Computer (voice)
Adrienne Barbeau
Director
Marco Brambilla
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When a diabolical psycho killer named Simon Phoenix (played by a bleached-blonde Wesley Snipes) hijacks a city bus, Spartan goes in to save the hostages and nab Phoneix. Spartan incinerates the killer’s HQ – and, unfortunately, the 30 innocent hostages inside.
Huxley introduces Spartan to a bland new world where swearing, sex, abortion, pregnancy without a licence, and spicy food are illegal, oldies radio stations play 1970s commercial jingles, and the swankiest restaurant in town is Taco Bell.
For some non-American releases, references to Taco Bell were changed to Pizza Hut since the former was virtually unknown in many countries outside the US at the time.
Chief George Earle
