MovieChat Forums > Demolition Man (1993) Discussion > The Biggest plot hole

The Biggest plot hole

posted 3 years ago by avortac4 (3665)
4 replies | jump to latest

This movie tells us many things, but among the two most important ones are:

- The police are inept, almost impotent, bad at their jobs, weak and ineffective
- People that want to be free live underground

Now, how do you reconcile those two facts?

WHY would these rag-tag freedomlovers or rebels, or whatever you want to call them, need to go underground, when the government has NO POWER over people, because police can't do anything?

They could just waltz into the city hall, kidnap or dethrone the 'bossman' and live happily ever after.

WHO would resist them? Who would offer them any kind of fight? Those police sticks are so ineffective, this kind of a group could take over anything easily, including the police offices.

Why are the people SO afraid at these impotent cops that they somehow have to live underground?

THIS MAKES NO SENSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

(I am tired of movies not making sense, but it's especially annoying when it's such a BIG part of the plot that the police are basically impotent)

[–] strntz (11249) 3 years ago

The underground folks were just non-conformists, not warriors. Sewer hippies if you will. Maybe all they needed was a leader. Edgar Friendly himself said he was no leader, just a guy trying to feed his comrades.

If you really want to question this silly but fun film, my question would be why the underground swill didn't just leave San Angeles entirely instead of living underground - no takeover of the city required.. There was no mention of anywhere in the U.S. except San Angeles that was Cocteuized. Surely they could pick up and move to another town, city, state, Mexico, or Canada, or wherever. Further, if the underground scum bothered Cocteau so much, why didn't he buy them air fair out of Dodge. In any case, I would think Cocteau would have assisted them in leaving.

Actually, although it had no range, the glow rod was effective in close, particularly if the perp was standing in water.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Good point

[–] twinA (4827) 3 years ago

November 30, 2021 Tuesday 7:55 PM ET

Society in 'Demolition Man' uses corruption as a means of influence instead of violence as an exercise of power. Leadership in San Angeles is a house of cards, where if the rulers are taken out, then everything bottoms out with it too.

Any present hierarchy or rank structure is simply to mask the incredible lack of representation by the people. The society in question has ideologically tricked itself into thinking everything is okay, and is in no direct need of meaningful change; incompetency is a welcomed feature or trait, not a pesky bug.

Complacency can only be pointed out by an outsider, which is Stallone's character, as well as the viewers themselves watching the film. Not to mention Wesley Snipes' time-frozen, yet equally self-driven wayfarer.

~~/o/

[–] Sandman81 (1503) 3 years ago

I don't think the people living in the sewers wanted to take control of San Angeles. They just didn't want to live in such a mind-controlled society. So, they chose to live in the sewers and do what they want. The only reason they ever went above was because they needed to steal food. And occasionally they wanted to mess with them with some graffiti.

Cocteau told the people of San Angeles that the people in the sewers were evil, and Edger Friendly was a terrorist that wanted to take over and destroy their city. But like he said, he was just a guy who just wanted to live the way he wanted to live, and occasionally had to steal food.

Edger Friendly