The second teaming of Jean-Claude Van Damme and director Ringo Lam after the underrated MAXIMUM RISK is an extremely violent tale with a neat twist which makes it akin to both THE BONE COLLECTOR and Schwarzenegger's recent THE SIXTH DAY, as it mixes both science fiction and horror elements into an otherwise action-orientated plot. Hong Kong legend Ringo Lam shoots his movie with style and his typically hard-edged action scenes don't disappoint here, from the acrobatic martial arts battles (Van Damme inevitably ends up battling himself, as almost always in these kinds of films - the actor has a fetish about playing dual roles, you see) which make good use of props and take full advantage of Lam's brutal, fast-paced style. Then there's a hair-raising ambulance chase in an underground car park which really gets the blood going - an excellent sequence, near flawless in its execution.
The plot is slower-paced than normal and rather more complex than you might at first expect. The 'bad' Van Damme is a long-haired sunglasses-wearing punk, who was tortured and beaten by his mother as a child and now has a vendetta against single mothers, whom he burns like in the chilling opening shots. As the baddie, Van Damme is pretty nasty and totally acceptable in what is a total turnaround from the normal, masculine hero-type parts he plays. The 'good' Van Damme on the other hand is a clone with the mind of a child, who must quickly learn to mentally grow and adapt to the world. Van Damme's acting in this part is superb and far surpasses any of his previous performances: he conveys the naivety and wonder of a child trapped in a man's very well indeed, far better than the likes of Robin Williams have done so previously. Congratulations indeed for such a complex part for the actor and that he managed to pull it off successfully.
The only major flaw that this film has is its handling of violence - some of it is pretty graphic, not bloody but still repellent. I refer to scenes in which beaten men are repeatedly kicked - hard - in the stomach whilst on the ground, sadistically so. The worst offending moment is when Michael Rooker beats the heck out of a handcuffed Van Damme whom he believes has mistreated a child (it turns out he hasn't after all) - judging by the mental state of Van Damme's character at the time this is akin to the beating of a child and as such leaves an unpleasant aftertaste - is this really necessary? Fortunately this and other scenes don't spoil the film too much but the gratuitousness of the violence is something we haven't seen much of before in Van Damme's other movies and take the edge of what could have been a classic.
The only other actor of note in the cast is the veteran Michael Rooker, playing yet another cop (okay, an ex-cop in this case) with a grudge. Rooker puts in a solid and believable turn but it's nothing he hasn't played before, having become typecast in such roles in recent years. Ironically a minor character - Marnie Alton playing a hooker with a heart - is the strongest female part the film has, but then this is really a three-hander between Rooker and the two Van Dammes. A solid entry for the ageing action hero and different enough to be accessible for even those who aren't his fans - this is deeper and far more complex than anything he has made in the last five or six years and also a better film for it. Well-made, well-acted and only spoiled by some unnecessary sadism which it would have been better off without, my advice is to give REPLICANT a chance.
The plot is slower-paced than normal and rather more complex than you might at first expect. The 'bad' Van Damme is a long-haired sunglasses-wearing punk, who was tortured and beaten by his mother as a child and now has a vendetta against single mothers, whom he burns like in the chilling opening shots. As the baddie, Van Damme is pretty nasty and totally acceptable in what is a total turnaround from the normal, masculine hero-type parts he plays. The 'good' Van Damme on the other hand is a clone with the mind of a child, who must quickly learn to mentally grow and adapt to the world. Van Damme's acting in this part is superb and far surpasses any of his previous performances: he conveys the naivety and wonder of a child trapped in a man's very well indeed, far better than the likes of Robin Williams have done so previously. Congratulations indeed for such a complex part for the actor and that he managed to pull it off successfully.
The only major flaw that this film has is its handling of violence - some of it is pretty graphic, not bloody but still repellent. I refer to scenes in which beaten men are repeatedly kicked - hard - in the stomach whilst on the ground, sadistically so. The worst offending moment is when Michael Rooker beats the heck out of a handcuffed Van Damme whom he believes has mistreated a child (it turns out he hasn't after all) - judging by the mental state of Van Damme's character at the time this is akin to the beating of a child and as such leaves an unpleasant aftertaste - is this really necessary? Fortunately this and other scenes don't spoil the film too much but the gratuitousness of the violence is something we haven't seen much of before in Van Damme's other movies and take the edge of what could have been a classic.
The only other actor of note in the cast is the veteran Michael Rooker, playing yet another cop (okay, an ex-cop in this case) with a grudge. Rooker puts in a solid and believable turn but it's nothing he hasn't played before, having become typecast in such roles in recent years. Ironically a minor character - Marnie Alton playing a hooker with a heart - is the strongest female part the film has, but then this is really a three-hander between Rooker and the two Van Dammes. A solid entry for the ageing action hero and different enough to be accessible for even those who aren't his fans - this is deeper and far more complex than anything he has made in the last five or six years and also a better film for it. Well-made, well-acted and only spoiled by some unnecessary sadism which it would have been better off without, my advice is to give REPLICANT a chance.