In the violent crime fuelled Los Angeles of 1996, Simon Phoenix (Snipes), a convicted crime lord, is captured and sentenced to frozen in cryogenic imprisonment for his crimes. John Spartan (Stallone), the police officer who captured Phoenix in 1996, has also been cryogenically frozen, alas for a crime he did not commit.
Fast forward to 2032, where the former cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Barbara have merged into peaceful, utopian ‘San Angeles’. A place where crime is non-existent. A computer error enables Phoenix to escape his imprisonment into a society where police are no longer equipped to deal with violent crime. He restarts his murderous rampage and it seems as though there is no one to stop him.
Unable to apprehend Phoenix with their non-violent solutions, the police release Spartan to help recapture the criminal. Now after 36 years, Spartan has to adapt himself to the future society he has no knowledge about. Cue all manner of comedy and carnage.