It’s Movie Villain Monday and today’s villain was suggested by several of you in the comments on Facebook.
It’s Simon Phoenix from Demolition Man (1993).
Who is Simon Phoenix?
Played by Wesley Snipes, Simon Phoenix is the ultra violent and un-merciful antagonist in the classic 90s movie about a cop (Sylvester Stallone) who’s brought out of cryo prison early (after being framed by Phoenix for a crime he didn't commit) to catch a dangerous criminal (Snipes). Both cop and criminal are released into a future where violence and crime has been seemingly eliminated.
Physical Appearance:
Sporting a blond hair do that Snipes hated (and shaved off as soon as filming was complete) Simon Phoenix is one of the 90s more memorable villains from a time when they made decent rewatch-able movies.
Trivia:
Snipes almost wasn’t Simon Phoenix!
Originally, Stallone wanted Jackie Chan to play the character, but the lovable martial arts star turned it down stating that Asian audiences don’t like it when an actor known for playing the hero starts playing evil characters. As much as I like Jackie Chan, personally I’m not sure he could’ve brought the same amount of menace to the character...
Taco Bell/Pizza Hut:
The food chain, Taco Bell features prominently in the movie, being referred to as the soul surviving restaurant chain after the “franchise wars”. On European releases of the film “Taco Bell” was dubbed “Pizza Hut” and the logos were changed because I t was believed Pizza Hut would be better known by European audiences. It’s a really obvious dub too!
“Damn, I’m possessed! Wonder if I can play the accordion too…”
Who shall I feature next week...?