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Replicant A Review by |
Amongst all the hubbub in the news lately, and the popularity of the more conventional movie stars such as Denzel Washington (Training Day), you probably didn’t know that Jean-Claude Van Damme’s latest movie has finally hit US store shelves. I saw the film months ago thanks to the Hong-Kong DVD market, but as of October 16th even those without my vast resources can see a surprisingly good movie: Replicant.
Replicant stars, of course, Mr. Ass-Kicker himself Jean-Claude Van Damme. The plot of the movie has serial killer Edward Garrotte (Van Damme), also known as “The Torch” because of his penchant for setting his victims ablaze, running wild in Seattle. For the past three years he has been toying with Seattle detective Jake Riley (Michael Rooker, The 6th Day) and has remained just out of Riley’s reach. When Riley retires, he is approached by a secret government organization (National Security Force) to continue his pursuit of The Torch. Riley resists the position at first, but after being continually tormented from afar by The Torch, he agrees. "Three years trying to catch me--but you failed. You're a bad cop. Do you think killing will stop me? I'm going to keep on killing, asshole." What Jake Riley doesn’t count on is that part of the plan is that he will have to work with a clone of the very man that he is pursuing, or a “replicant.” The replicant is also played by Van Damme. Before you pass judgement and say, “wait a minute, hasn’t Van Damme already done this (Double Impact, Timecop)?” you should know that this film is a far cry from either of those films. In this case, Van Damme is playing two very different characters instead of twin brothers (Timecop) or the same character in different time periods (Timecop). The movie is directed by Hong Kong action director Ringo Lam, known for his series of “on fire” films, notably Prison on Fire. Despite being a $17 million production, Replicant seems surprisingly high budget and has an impressive overall flow. Van Damme does an outstanding job playing the replicant although he is given very limited dialogue to work with. Although I wish that the character of Garrotte (The Torch) would have been a little more developed, Van Damme also did an admirable job playing the less difficult of his two roles. Michael Rooker was less convincing in his role as a loose-cannon detective with a good-heart but a one-track mind. Rooker is more notably known for his roles as antagonists, such as in Rosewood, Days of Thunder, and The 6th Day, another clone film (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger). Let’s face it, with his gravelly voice and “you lookin’ at me?” facial features, he’s a natural bad guy and an less-than-believable protagonist. Setting the acting of this film to the side, there is also plenty of action. The opening scene is immediately captivating, showing one of Garrotte’s serial killings in action. Van Damme shows that he’s still got some of what made Bloodsport a martial arts classic, with the majority of the action being Van Damme (both as Garrotte and replicant) kicking the asses of anyone who gets in his way. As you can expect, there is a big Van Damme vs. Van Damme showdown to culminate to film that is worth the price of admission. Because the two characters are so different in personality as well as appearance, the fight is amazingly believable and with Ringo Lam and Jean-Claude Van Damme teaming up, it goes without saying that it is well choreographed. "I can read your mind!" The acting in Replicant is better than one would expect and the action is up to par with a Van Damme fan’s expectations. That said, this isn’t your typical Van Damme movie. There is a feeling to it… that just isn’t like any Van Damme film or any other film for that matter. This atmosphere is likely a result of director Ringo Lam’s input. He does a lot with a limited cast and budget with this film. It’s a shame that Replicant was not given more mainstream attention here in the United States. Jean-Claude Van Damme is often brushed aside as a no-talent actor who can only really succeed when he’s doing splits and spin kicks. I think that Replicant proves that he has much more in his repertoire and could be a box-office force if given the chance (and the right roles). Do yourself a service and instead of swallowing whatever Hollywood considers an action film these days (Mummy 2, Rush Hour 2), pick up this action DVD. Special Features:
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