Knock Off: We check out the new 4K Blu-ray release of one of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 90s tail end theatrical releases
JCVD from MVD
It’s a pretty exciting time in physical media. Past classics and cult classics alike are seeing more and more remasters in ultra-high-definition Blu-ray releases. Labels like Shout Factory’s Hong Kong Cinema Classics and MVD Rewind Collection are repackaging these 4K upgrades with grade retro logos and presentations. You can now re-live every kick and every split (and every spinning split kick) of some Jean-Claude Van Damme films in new home video releases of some of his titles. Knock Off from 1998, Lionheart from 1990 and Double Impact from 1991 have gotten early year releases. This time, we take a look at Knock Off.
Knock Off
In 1998, the action movie plane was changing. Arnold and Sly weren’t churning out instant classics as much as they used to and their appeal looked to be waning slightly in favor of newer action stars. The same would be happening to Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme. However, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chow-Yun Fat would interestingly start to get their due attention in the West with North American re-releases of some of their older films and they would emigrate over to American productions themselves for a new era.
Van Damme (who already had ample collaborations with Eastern martial arts talent, dating back to Bloodsport and Kickboxer) would adapt to the Hong Kong takeover by making a couple films with Tsui Hark (and also with Ringo Lam). Hark, who is known for the Once Upon a Time in China series, was also known for his abstract visual style in his fantasy martial arts films. Knock Off may have its cult of fans, but the film is rarely brought up as a highlight of Van Damme’s career. It’s understandable. The movie is very cheesy and cartoonish, but there is some fun in it too. I guess you’d have to be in the right frame of mind to accept it. However, that isn’t to say that there also isn’t A LOT of unintentional comedy along with it. I’m aware of Tsui Hark, but I’m not too familiar with his career, so it’s entirely possible that it’s just his style. I hear that he has said that Sam Raimi and Evil Dead have been big influences on him, so perhaps that explains quite a bit.
While Van Damme and Rob Schneider have had better films to shine in, the star of Knock Off is Hark’s direction. It’s such a fascinating film to watch purely for the visuals. While Hark’s previous collaboration with Van Damme in Double Team seemed like an American film with some Chinese action flair, Knock Off has full-on Hong Kong cinema vibes (complete with the dialogue being dubbed, despite most of the actors speaking in English). Hark is at home with a lot of signatures from that style — notably some dynamic sweeping shots from either dollies or crane set ups. But he also indulges in a bevy of creative cinematography that give off a live-action anime look. There is no shortage of fish eye lenses, extreme close-ups, POVs of bullets, motion trails and even shots looking through objects. There’s even one POV shot of Van Damme’s foot as it slips into a shoe.
The film is written by Steven E. de Souza, who has had his pen on many action classics, including Die Hard 1 & 2, Commando, 48 HRS and he also previously worked with Van Damme on Street Fighter. For an action film, the plot is pretty standard international crime intrigue, but it has the unique angle of a terrorism plot using knock-off merchandise. Van Damme gets to play a different kind of character this time around as he’s a jokey, smooth-talking hustler and you can tell he’s having a lot of fun. Schneider, who has had his share of comedic sidekick roles in Demolition Man and Judge Dredd, gets to do his thing in this movie, playing a comic foil to Van Damme, but he also plays a straight man to Van Damme’s antics. They both give and take on the humor, and it’s serviceable enough, but it’s no match for something like Chan and Tucker in the Rush Hour movies.
The action is very over-the-top and it fits right in with the unhinged directing. You get some INSANE Hong Kong stunts with a rickshaw race, vehicular chases and gun play. For the most part, the action works well enough. What’s underwhelming about Van Damme’s collaborations with Hark and his Chinese production team is they never truly let Van Damme unleash his martial arts skills with Hong Kong fight choreography. There are shades of it here, especially in the finale, but it could’ve been mind-blowing to see Van Damme do his signature kicking with Yuen Woo Ping or Sammo Hung-like action direction. What is there is pretty fun (he and Lela Rochon get to have some fun parkour-esque manuevers in the finale), but the movie never truly settles into the fight scenes like the show-stopping numbers they should be, and it comes off as a tease.
So, how’s the 4K Blu-ray?
If you’re a fan of this film, you’ll really appreciate how the presentation looks. The 4K restoration is a 16-Bit scan from the original negative and it has a great look. A lot of 4K remasters scanned from the original negative has a noticeable grain quality (which James Cameron’s 4K releases have been criticized for lacking in an overly smoothed look), but the picture for this film doesn’t predominantly showcase some. However, the contrast and is great and the picture is sharp. It may not have the grain (if that’s what film purists prefer), but what I love is the light hint of film dust and scratches. They aren’t distracting from the movie, but those tiny imperfections take me back to a magical era before theaters went digital.
As far as special features, you get a commentary from action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema from a past 88 Films Blu-ray release. These two are pretty wacky guys, which make for a fun listen, but they also give some interesting anecdotes — such as Steven E. de Souza’s original vision for the film and how Jet Li was once attached in a supporting role. Steven E. de Souza also gets a couple of interviews on the Blu-ray. One is brand new and dives deep into his career history. This one is a lot more interesting if you’re a fan of de Souza himself as you get to learn a lot about his background. He would eventually get around to Knock Off, but there’s another interview on the Blu-ray from 2020 that’s focused entirely on his involvement in the film. You also get an interview with producer Moshe Diamont, where he expounds on the making of the film.
The Blu-ray rounds things out with an archival behind-the-scenes featurette and a theatrical trailer (plus extra trailers for other Van Damme releases).
Again, this was a fascinating watch and the presentation is pretty stellar. You can really enjoy the visuals in a release like this. Being a 4K release, the price tag will definitely put off anyone who’s just not a fan enough of this film to shell out a few more extra bucks for a picture upgrade. However, if you ARE a die hard fan of this film, I definitely think it’s a definitive way to see it, plus have some good insight into the making of it.
You can buy it at MVD’s online shop HERE.
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