Demolition Man.

Review #1504: Demolition Man.

Cast: 
Sylvester Stallone (Sergeant John Spartan), Wesley Snipes (Simon Phoenix), Sandra Bullock (Lieutenant Lenina Huxley), Nigel Hawthorne (Doctor Raymond Cocteau), Benjamin Bratt (Officer Alfredo Garcia), Denis Leary (Edgar Friendly), Bill Cobbs (Zachary Lamb), Bob Gunton (Chief George Earle), and Glenn Shadix (Associate Bob) Directed by Marco Brambilla.

Review: 
"I'm not handsome in the classical sense. The eyes droop, the mouth is crooked, the teeth aren't straight, the voice sounds like a Mafioso pallbearer, but somehow it all works."

There is a strange undeniable appeal to the films of Sylvester Stallone, one must admit. No matter how good or bad the material is (star or director/writer), there is a certain appeal to how he handles himself that has made him an interesting presence in film for over four decades, with Rocky (1976) and First Blood (1982) proving to be highlights that hold iconic status that stand well for themselves despite varying quality of further sequels. To accompany him as the second lead is Wesley Snipes, who had first expressed an interest in theatre and dance before being discovered for acting, which led to his debut in Wildcats (1986) and an eventual breakthrough in Major League (1989). The genesis of the film came from first-time writer Peter M. Lenkov, who took inspiration from the Lethal Weapon films along with an interest in cryogenics to make a spec script that was originally just a straight action film pitch. Several other writers would come in to do re-writes (with three credited in Lenkov, Robert Reneau, and Daniel Waters, as the former two did the story and the screenplay alongside Waters), while others such as Fred Dekker did un-credited re-writes (such as suggesting the opening scene in the past); Waters (writer of the considerably inferior satire Heathers) worked a span of roughly over two weeks to shift it from straight-action to one with attempt at humor, and Brambilla joined in helping with the script after being brought in as director, which would be his first directorial effort in film after a career spent doing television commercials (although this is his only major production, he is generally known for his video art installations).

It figures that a film involving peace without expression could prove so amusing. We aren't exactly living in a society like the one presented in the film, but there sure are a few itching similarities, particularly when it comes to the way we treat expression and government overreach (thankfully we have not done something as drastic and possibly ill-advised as trying to defund the police-I mean reduce them to not deal with violent crime), although at least spicy foods being banned is something I can live with. How could I resist such a strange little action film like this? It might prove as one of the best dumbest films one could ever watch, making a spectacle of itself within the confines of interesting action films from the era that work far better than it should because of its cast and execution. Stallone seems quite at home within the confines of a macho fish-out-of-water hero that rises above what might have been a leaded block of wood with a lesser actor (after all, Steven Seagal was originally thought of for the role) with a decent sense of timing and energy that one could expect from him. Snipes proves just as worthy as the other side of the coin, confident in madcap anarchy that is given time to let himself out of control with zippy lines. Bullock proves worthy in a early prominent role that lends a bit of cheeriness as the nostalgia-struck counterpart to Stallone that lends a hand for a few amusing moments. Hawthorne is adequate as the carefully-controlled peace man for the film while Leary proves exactly what one could expect of a cynic with the world on his mind. It has a decent pace of 115 minute that balances a wry sense of the future with some fun action moments that never seems dated or out-of-step with delivering entertainment worthy of curiosity as a feature of the time for another time.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.