Jean-Claude Van Damme sure believes in that adage of "the more Van Damme, the merrier". Also see "Maximum Risk" and "Double Impact" for examples of movies in which you got double the dose of Van Damme for your money. Here he plays both a sick serial killer, nicknamed The Torch, who has deep-seated mommy issues, and the result of a cutting-edge government program. This program creates genetic doubles of characters like The Torch for the purpose of getting inside their heads / memories / thought patterns. Or some such nonsense. The hard-driving former homicide detective put in charge of the child-like Replicant is grim-faced Jake Riley (Michael Rooker). Unsurprisingly, the Replicant has more of a sense of decency, so obviously he's not an *exact* copy of the psycho. Inevitably, the fight will be on.
Filmed in Canada, under the guidance of a capable director, Ringo Lam, who also worked with Van Damme on "Maximum Risk", this is rather routine entertainment, but it's watchable enough. Watching JCVD play these differing characters is basically fun, as it was in "Double Impact", and the martial arts / action icon clearly is enjoying himself as the psycho, decked out in greasy wig and leather jacket. Rooker typically adds some value with his usual patented coiled-spring intensity. The rest of the cast are so-so no-names, although Marnie Alton is delectable as your standard-issue "hooker with a heart of gold". JCVD fans need not fret, as you do get to see him strut his stuff in action and fight scenes, and it will create some amusement watching him attempt to delineate the mentally slow but good-hearted Replicant.
Overall, it's passable, although I'm sure it's far from Van Dammes' worst. It does go on for a bit (clocking in at 101 minutes), but there's still enough hard-edged violence and explosions to help combat short attention spans.
Six out of 10.
Filmed in Canada, under the guidance of a capable director, Ringo Lam, who also worked with Van Damme on "Maximum Risk", this is rather routine entertainment, but it's watchable enough. Watching JCVD play these differing characters is basically fun, as it was in "Double Impact", and the martial arts / action icon clearly is enjoying himself as the psycho, decked out in greasy wig and leather jacket. Rooker typically adds some value with his usual patented coiled-spring intensity. The rest of the cast are so-so no-names, although Marnie Alton is delectable as your standard-issue "hooker with a heart of gold". JCVD fans need not fret, as you do get to see him strut his stuff in action and fight scenes, and it will create some amusement watching him attempt to delineate the mentally slow but good-hearted Replicant.
Overall, it's passable, although I'm sure it's far from Van Dammes' worst. It does go on for a bit (clocking in at 101 minutes), but there's still enough hard-edged violence and explosions to help combat short attention spans.
Six out of 10.