THE FUTURE ISN’T BIG ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF THEM.
In 2032, violent criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) is thawed from his cryogenic sleep for a parole hearing, but escapes; desperate for help, the police also thaw John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), Phoenix’s arch-nemesis, a cop sentenced for manslaughter. A futuristic action movie with a sense of humor, even if it is depicting a dystopia where a new high-tech but deeply moralistic and autocratic society has emerged after a major earthquake in California. Having two 1990s antagonists clash in this world is a fun idea, but the movie is undermined by a thin script and formulaic showdowns.
1993-U.S. 115 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Marco Brambilla. Cast: Sylvester Stallone (John Spartan), Wesley Snipes (Simon Phoenix), Sandra Bullock (Lenina Huxley), Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt, Bob Gunton… Denis Leary, Jack Black, Jesse Ventura, Rob Schneider.
Trivia: Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jackie Chan were allegedly considered for the lead roles. Lori Petty was first cast as Huxley, but later replaced by Bullock.
