KNOCK OFF
It's no Double Team...
Saw this one at the dollar theater tonight, and...oh, my.
Double Team, the previous collaboration between Van Damme and apparently deranged Hong Kong director Tsui Hark, has been said to be a wild, wonderful mess. I agree, except for the mess part - there's nothing guilty about the pleasure I take in that film. There's just too much weird, goofy shit in it not to love, and I don't believe it's a mess for a moment - it all looks intentional to me. Knock Off is wild and wonderful (in its own weird-ass way), but it is, alas, a mess.
Whereas Double Team was at least a professional job with everybody giving it their all, KO largely looks amateurish, and the dialogue scenes (such as they are) look like Ed Woodian one-takes. Rob Schneider, who has yet to really translate his comic talent to the big screen, has some really lousy timing here, Lela Rochon's contribution is limited to her (admittedly alluring) cleavage, Van Damme is just Van Damme, and what the hell's Paul Sorvino doing in this? The movie's look is grainy and cheap, the effects are simultaneously subpar and overdone, and except for those (many) moments where Hark comes in to save the day, it just feels like nobody's even trying.
But yes, Hark does come in to save the day, with some seriously weird camera work, setpieces (the eel, the fruit), and absurdity upon absurdity that, yes, makes this film more entertaining than most.
I just find it kind of strange that this is the film that Van Damme picked to a) resurrect his career from a number of lousy decisions, and b) distract from his recent, publicized drug problems...when this film seems like it was made under the influence of crack, LSD, bug powder, whatever its makers could get their hands on. This is some weird, weird shit.
This is the kind of movie I'd hoped The Avengers to be. Maybe it's not that memorable, maybe it's not even good - but it's usually pretty interesting, despite its myriad flaws.