Sylvester Stallone may be one of the most iconic movie stars of American history, the kind of hitmaker who can stack blockbusters so high that a few get lost in the shuffle. Not everything he touched turned into gold, but there is at least one film that managed to combine stellar action and hilarious social commentary without getting the credit it deserves.
Demolition Manwas a 1993 sci-fi action blockbuster starring the aforementioned Italian Stallion andBladestar Wesley Snipes. The film was the first feature film project for director Marco Brambilla, who has gone on to become a groundbreaking contemporary artist. He directed exactly one other feature film; it’s hard to believe, but the director ofDemolition Manhas gone on to almost exclusively create works of art fit for museums rather than movie theaters.
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Demolition Manis the tale of John Spartan, a classic hard-boiled cop on the edge, ripped straight froma dozen other action films. Spartan enjoys a nemesis relationship with an eccentric supervillain named Simon Phoenix, until his failed loose cannon attempt to resolve a hostage situation leads to tremendous collateral damage. Both cop and criminal are put on trial for the needless deaths of a bus full of people and the pair earn the same sentence, incarceration by cryogenic freezing. Decades later, Phoenix is thawed for a parole hearing but easily escapes his captors, leading the people of 2032 to unfreeze Spartan to hunt him down.
The pair are reborn into San Angeles, a repressive nanny state wherein anything considered harmful, from swearing to red meat, is against the law. The upside of this dictatorial regime is that violence has effectively ceased to be, but this causes the future cops to be unable to deal with the unfrozen criminal. Spartan mustdefeat his old nemesis, while adjusting to a future dedicated to the complete annihilation of everything he loves and stands for.
Obviously, the action is the draw here. It’s not really comparable to the modernJohn Wickaesthetic, nor to the superhero movie standard. The closest comparison would definitely be any given Schwarzenegger vehicle, fromCommandotoTotal Recall.Demolition Manis an action-comedy, but it really doesn’t mix the two terribly well. The two leads spit out one-liners around the pace most people breathe and perform feats of athleticism far beyond human capabilities. Both main characters are like cartoon re-edits of classic tropes; everything a fan of the genre would expect turned up to 11 to fantastic results. Buildings explode, sci-fi guns are thrown around with wild abandon and its bombastic presentation completely fits the over-the-top performances and the absurdist setting.
San Angeles' dictatorial public safety is matched if not outweighed by its overwhelmingly crass consumerism. Its radio stations play only brand-approved jingles, cabaret performers sing ads, and ironically, the film features one of the most flagrant examples of product placement ever.Taco Bell enjoyed a brand dealwith the film, being labeled the winner of the “Franchise Wars” and therefore being the only restaurant available in the city. Somehow it’s both a criticism and an example of mass-market advertising.
The film has its problems, even amongst all ofits cheesy 90’s glory. From the conceptual level, a film about a cop with a history of civilian casualties being the only thing that can save the world, exclusively due to his willingness to shoot and kill people has not aged well. In less serious issues, however, the story is one of the most predictable narratives in modern cinema. There are absolutely no surprises, every character does exactly what they seem to at first glance, from heroes to villains to comic relief to random extras. Its imagery, while fun to look at, steals a bit from everywhere and feels just a bit obvious in itscopying of other film’s homework. UltimatelyDemolition Manis silly, but that’s as much of a point of pride as it is one of condemnation for the film.
Films likeDemolition Manjust don’t come alongoften anymore; willing to combine the action blockbuster of the time with a bizarrely targeted social commentary. Despite the myriad of ways it shows its age, as a relic that hoped to depict the future,Demolition Manis still worth a look back. The film is available on Hulu and Amazon Prime.
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