... Whilst never in the same league as Schwarzanegger, Stallone and Willis, the Muscles from Brussels did endure some success in the early nineties where he worked with some wily action director's (Roland Emmerich, John Woo and Peter Hyams) and where some of his films (Timecop, Nowhere to Run, ... Read review
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Production Year: 2006 - Science Fiction - Director: James Hawes - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri, Penelope Wilton, David Tennant, Billie Piper
Production Year: 2008 - Science Fiction - Director: Doug Liman - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Hayden Christensen
A review by clownfoot on Time Cop April 23rd, 2004
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Liked it
Story
Satisfactory
Characters / Performances
Satisfactory
Special Effects
Standard
How does it compare to similar films?
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Enjoyable stuff, easy on the brain cells, good action scenes
Disadvantages:
Not the best film you're ever likely to see, some duff plot flaws in time - travel logic
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Whilst it has become increasingly easy to laugh at Jean Claude Van Damme's recent spate of terrible, self-absorbed movies, lumping his films in the same category with Steven Segal as mindless action-fests starring non-actors, this assessment is not always fair. This negates the fact that at one time he was a box-office action hero with a decent reputation. Whilst never in the same league as Schwarzanegger, Stallone and Willis, the Muscles from Brussels did endure some success in the early nineties where he worked with some wily action director's (Roland Emmerich, John Woo and Peter Hyams) and where some of his films (Timecop, Nowhere to Run, Sudden Death, Universal Solidier, Kickboxer) were actually well-crafted, fast paced adventures. Indeed Van Damme's more recent straight to video atrocities illustrates the man as a parody of his former self.
Hyams, an old pro at science fiction, directs Van Damme in Timecop producing one of his more solid and capable performances. He plays Max Walker, a Washington D.C. cop whose life is shattered when his wife (Mia Sara - Legend, Ferris Bueller's Day Off), is brutally murdered and his home destroyed by a mysterious group of thugs carrying exotic weapons. Ten years later Walker is recruited into a secret time enforcement agency - the perfection of time travel brings with it new opportunities for criminals and the government sets up a special police force to ensure the new technology isn't abused. Walker is the best 'temporal agent' around, but the timecops are being phased out by cuts in funding, directed by a committee headed by Senator/Presidential candidate McComb (the wonderfully hammy Ron Silver). Walker suspects McComb may be 'using' time to his own advantage and, jumping to the past, Walker finds evidence that confirms these fears. However upon his return, the world has changed -'President' McComb is now running things, and Walker's own past is about to be erased!
While the time-travel logic is mostly flawed (both The Terminator and Back to the Future dealt with the concept more intelligently) leading to a few obvious plot holes, Timecop maintains such a frenzied fast pace that the viewer can easily ignore them, and simply enjoy the film as a ridiculous action adventure. Hyams is no Kubrick. Even an infusion of the great man's DNA wouldn't guarantee his next flick would rise above mediocrity. But so what? Hyams doesn't aspire to creative or intellectual brilliance, instead making films at his own pace and at his own level of artistic integrity. Many may frown upon such ungilded simplicity yet, for my money, Timcop achieves exactly what it sets out to do. Certainly no cerebral rush, but honest, solid entertainment. Hyams delivers his requisite quota of high kicks per dollar and exploding blood capsules per reel. And with Van Damme as the figurehead, he has a recognisable 2-D hero for the audience to cheer all the way.
Van Damme is actually rather good in the lead, combining his signature martial arts moves with a characterization that captures some depth and feeling. It's a believeable performance (considering what happens at the beginning of the film), illustrating a rarley seen dark and cynical side, almost brooding with intensity (I said almost, though)! Of course where Van Damme excells is with the fight sequences. Whilst not as amazing as the high kicks of Jackie Chan or Jet Li, the action sequences serve their purpose admirably. The kitchen fight is an obvious stand-out. A small confined fighting area, fairly brutal and well choreographed, it provides the Van Damme fans with exactly what they want - multiple angled camera shots of the same high kick destroying an opponent and the inevitable Van Damme splits!
The remainder of the cast also provide solid performances! Ron Silver gets away with a hammy rendition of Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber as the Presidential candidate who will do anything to get what he wants. Slimey and brutal in equal measure, he brings a presence to the film not often found in a Van Damme flick. Perhaps the single most outstanding performance comes from Bruce McGill as Walker's boss Matuzak. Sarcastic and bullish, he brings a light comic relief in a general buddy, buddy way through his verbal sparring with Van Damme (not that Van Damme says much)! Unfortunate that he doesn't get more screen time.
Whilst the end of the film is unfortunately telegraphed early on in the movie - there is little rarley to complain about Timecop! It's far from a masterpiece, but if you like your no-brainer action films, with quintessential one-liners, fast-paced action, a driven pragmatic plot showing off the lead actors physical presence, enemies that serve merely as punching bags and a conclusion you can guess - then this is highly entertaining, unoriginal guff!
Overall - This is not a fantastic film! However it does exactly what it says on the tin! A workable plot, good sense of excitement with some solid action sequences and a nice streak of wit running throughout results in a film that is miles above the straight to video rubbish Van Damme's been condemning audiences to recently. No doubt thanks to the solid direction of Peter Hyams, by all means this is one of Van Damme's superior films.
Director: Peter Hyams
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme .... Walker Mia Sara .... Melissa Ron Silver .... McComb Bruce McGill .... Matuzak Gloria Reuben .... Fielding
Certificate: 18 (Violence, language and one unnecessary sex scene)
Advantages: None really. Disadvantages: A typical Van Damme movie
...set in a world where time travel is possible, but, for some strange reason it has to be policedagainst nasty people who want to change history. This film completely ignores any and all theories on time travel and makes it so that the only way history is changed is if it effects our hero JCVD. Good old Claude is upset because a corrupt politician went back in time to kill his wife (you never really find out why), and he wants to go back and stop him. ... ...is against the law. After this the plot of the evil politicia is revealed in that he is trying to get together moeny by changing what he did in the past to fund his campign to be President. Its that simple. The movie is a prime example of a vehicle to show off Claudes one talent 'Kick boxing'. All his movies seem to have this motivation. All in all a bad film. Trust me, don't even try to enjoy it. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Good idea for a film. Disadvantages: Bad directing and storyline.
...The film ends abrubtly and quite disappointingly with little more than a push needed to eliminate the bad guy.
The film needed a big change to increase its performance and although the idea wasn't crazy we would hope that the time traveling equipment was a little more fashionable. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: good if you have ninety minutes to kill Disadvantages: you can guess most of the plot
...I have just finished watching Exit Wounds, which is really just another Steven Segal movie (without his pony tail) where he beat up lots of people with some great entertainment value, in this one he plays a cop (Orin Boyd) who keeps on getting on the wrong side of his various police chiefs (including throwing the vice president in the river and attempting to arrest an undercover officer) and ends up at the bottom of the police ladder as a traffic cop.
Then he is given a chance and a new partner and starts to investigate corruption in the police precinct after the stations drugs are stolen from piper tech in a raid, which he believes is an inside job. From this you could probably guess the rest of the plot.
If you enjoy the action genre you will enjoy this film but it is not really worth going out of your way to see as it is pretty...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: It has Denzel Washington in it Disadvantages: Very run-of-the-mill
...I found this movie, "The Bone Collector" a sad disapointment considering the Oscar winning talent within the film, coming fron American actors and actresses such as film leads Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington, who are both charismatic thespians with enough talent to overflow such a movie, but neither do that well with a stilted script and an ever so slightly lame storyline. The stale sounding idea behind the movie is yet another unlikely cop duo - this time a trendy new cop brimming with enthusiasm for the job is assigned to a case with veteran cop, Washington, a quadraplegic, and they must, yawn, beat the clock to find the killer before he strikes again....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Great action, stunts and acting Disadvantages: none
...This is Bruces second outing as John McClane the New York cop that is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. This time he is fighting a highly organised group of terrorists in Washington Dc's Dulles International Airport. This leaves the door open for plenty of huge explosions and insane stunts but it is great. There are some particularly good shootouts and there is even agood twist in the plot that comes as a surprise. The acting is once again great from Bruce and all the suporting actors too. This is superb entertainment and is well worth a look....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
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