With most of Van Damme's films, you know what you're going to get. Action, fights, a bare minimum of plot. The same can be said of this film, but it actually rises above being just another Van Damme vehicle and becomes something quite extraordinary, thanks to the work of Hong Kong director Tsui Hark, famed for his stylistic films such as A Chinese GHOST STORY. Hark brings a sense of unreality and circus to the film, as scene after scene is full of people shooting, shouting and punching each other.
There's just so much going on all the time, this film leaves you feeling tired, drained, and maybe a little bit confused. The plot twists and turns into new directions every ten minutes; it starts off like FACE/OFF, then it turns into THE PRISONER, then it looks like MAXIMUM RISK, and finally it turns into sheer comedy with the climax taking place at the Colosseum. The film is full of over-emphasis, with small weaponry making machine gun noises, villains flying through the air, and Van Damme doing his usual stunt work. The case with this film is that there are some good scenes linked by much boring, listless exposition. Take, for instance, the hotel room scene where Van Damme is attacked by a ninja warrior who uses a switchblade between his toes. The scene is classic, breathtaking in fact, but as soon as the action dies down we're left in muddled territory, dragged sluggishly down by the bad acting on display here from the three main stars.
Van Damme is his usual wooden self, and we don't expect anything else from him by now. Yes, he can fight, but no, he cannot act. Dennis Rodman, a tall basketball star with bright green hair, is good for a laugh, but as soon as the novelty wears off you soon see straight through the image and that he is, in fact, being himself, and not really acting at all. Mickey Rourke is suitably beefed-up in his role as the arch nemesis. He looks the part, and is in fact one of Van Damme's worthier opponents, here's a guy who has a real motive and who looks pretty damn tough as well.
Much of the fun comes from watching various villains being kicked, shot and thrown through windows (courtesy of Rodman, who treats his opponents as if they're mere basketballs!). The dynamite level is high for this film, as just about everything explodes, and the whole thing is about sheer spectacle. It's decidedly offbeat too. For instance, where else would you see a colony of cyber monks, surfing the net in their rundown monastery? Or witness a climax where Van Damme kickboxes a tiger, while Rodman drives a moped through a minefield while carrying a baby along in a basket, while Rourke runs around half-naked and watches? It's wacky, certainly, and that's why I enjoyed it. Don't expect anything amazing (let's face it, if you've seen Van Damme's other work, then you'll know what you're getting), but this entry is different enough to work.
There's just so much going on all the time, this film leaves you feeling tired, drained, and maybe a little bit confused. The plot twists and turns into new directions every ten minutes; it starts off like FACE/OFF, then it turns into THE PRISONER, then it looks like MAXIMUM RISK, and finally it turns into sheer comedy with the climax taking place at the Colosseum. The film is full of over-emphasis, with small weaponry making machine gun noises, villains flying through the air, and Van Damme doing his usual stunt work. The case with this film is that there are some good scenes linked by much boring, listless exposition. Take, for instance, the hotel room scene where Van Damme is attacked by a ninja warrior who uses a switchblade between his toes. The scene is classic, breathtaking in fact, but as soon as the action dies down we're left in muddled territory, dragged sluggishly down by the bad acting on display here from the three main stars.
Van Damme is his usual wooden self, and we don't expect anything else from him by now. Yes, he can fight, but no, he cannot act. Dennis Rodman, a tall basketball star with bright green hair, is good for a laugh, but as soon as the novelty wears off you soon see straight through the image and that he is, in fact, being himself, and not really acting at all. Mickey Rourke is suitably beefed-up in his role as the arch nemesis. He looks the part, and is in fact one of Van Damme's worthier opponents, here's a guy who has a real motive and who looks pretty damn tough as well.
Much of the fun comes from watching various villains being kicked, shot and thrown through windows (courtesy of Rodman, who treats his opponents as if they're mere basketballs!). The dynamite level is high for this film, as just about everything explodes, and the whole thing is about sheer spectacle. It's decidedly offbeat too. For instance, where else would you see a colony of cyber monks, surfing the net in their rundown monastery? Or witness a climax where Van Damme kickboxes a tiger, while Rodman drives a moped through a minefield while carrying a baby along in a basket, while Rourke runs around half-naked and watches? It's wacky, certainly, and that's why I enjoyed it. Don't expect anything amazing (let's face it, if you've seen Van Damme's other work, then you'll know what you're getting), but this entry is different enough to work.
