In the far (?) future, Susan Tyrell has banned all guns in an unknown city. The city’s main bad boy, Richard Grieco, doesn’t like that. When a brave police officer is brutally killed by the out-of-control gang of ruthless hooligans, technology is brought in to revive her as… Robocop. No, wait. The Demolitionist. Really rolls off the tongue. The police officer? Baywatch babe Nicole Eggert. Who will win in this futuristic battle of the 90s? Only the 93-minute running time will tell.
The film’s premise is very much a rip-off of “Robocop, but the end results are completely different. “The Demolitionist” embraces the 90s “the future will be cyberpunk” vibe popular throughout the decade, culminating in “The Matrix,” along with the female action hero lead, which was rare outside of straight-to-video films and James Cameron directed sequels. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Xena,” Lara Croft and Gena Davis in “The Long Kiss Goodnight” all came after this film.
“The Demolitionist” was directed by special make-up effects artist Robert Kurtzman, who also directed one of my all-time favourites “Wishmaster.” Kurtzman is a legend who has worked on classic films like “Night of the Creeps,” “Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors,” “Misery,” “Darkman,” “Tremors,” “From Dusk till Dawn,” I could literally go on for another hundred titles. Like in “Wishmaster,” his connection to the horror genre oozes out of every scene with most roles being filled either by a familiar face or someone who has worked behind the scenes. Along with the 90s hotties, we have Jack Nance, Heather Langenkamp, Sarah Douglas, Peter Jason, Bruce Abbot, Tom Savini and more.
If a movie has an evil mayor portrayed by Susan Tyrell, you know you are in for a good time. That’s the exact level of over-the-top you can expect throughout the film. It’s a load of fun. Doesn’t hurt that I’ve been madly in love with Nicole Eggert since I saw her first when she made a guest appearance in “She Super Mario Bros. Super Show!“ She was only 17 then but I was 5 so it evened out.
