Double Team [Blu-ray]

Director: Tsui Hark Tsui Hark

Overview

Like John Woo and Ringo Lam before him, noted Hong Kong action director Tsui Hark made his American filmmaking debut with a thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. For this film, Hark also had the privilege of guiding basketball star Dennis Rodman through his first dramatic role. American anti-terrorist agent Jack Quinn (Van Damme) has retired from duty, content to stay with his pregnant wife at his seaside hideaway. However, the CIA lure him back into duty for one last mission: wiping out crazed international terrorist Stavros (Mickey Rourke). Quinn flies to Antwerp to ambush Stavros, but his plan fails; Quinn is captured and imprisoned in "The Colony," a prison camp for spies "too valuable to kill and too dangerous to set free." To further torture Quinn, Stavros kidnaps Quinn's wife; after she gives birth to their son, Stavros keeps him captive, surrounded by land mines and wild animals. Quinn escapes and makes plans to rescue his wife and child, but he can't do it alone, so he seeks the help of Yaz (Rodman), a top-level underground arms merchant with a tendency towards flamboyant body modification. Rodman also appears with R&B vocalist Crystal Waters on the song "Just a Freak" which appears on the film's soundtrack.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/04/2019
UPC:	0683904634191
Original Release:	1997
Rating:	R
Source:	Sony Pictures Home
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:33:00
Sales rank:	13,040

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jean-Claude Van Damme	Jack Quinn
Dennis Rodman	Yaz
Mickey Rourke	Stavros
Paul Freeman	Goldsmythe
Natacha Lindinger	Kathryn Quinn
Valéria Cavalli	Dr. Maria Trifioli
Jay Benedict	Brandon
Bruno Bilotta	Kofi
Mario Opinato	James
Grant Russell	Carney
Asher Tzarfati	Moishe
Rob Diem	Dieter Staal
Ken Samuels	Stevenson
Joëlle Devaux-Vullion	Stavros' Freundin
William Dunn	Roger
Sandy Welch	Delta Two
Jessica Forde	Delta Three
Malick Bowens	Delta Four
Dominic Gould	Delta Five
Frederick Renard	Delta Six
Cyrille Dufaut	Bravo One
Eric Gauchy	Bravo Two
Patrick Cauderlier	Bravo Three
Orso Maria Guerrini	Colony Resident
Alexander Koumpan	Russian Man
Hans Meyer	British Man
Jesse Joe Walsh	Jacseck
Peter Nelson	American CIA Agent
Paolo Calissano	Roman CIA Agent
Pascal Lopez	Stavros' Man
Dominique Fouassier	Stavros' Man
Paolo Paoloni	Old Monk
Jean-Pierre Stewart	Yamir
Ted Rusoff	Brother Ramulu
Umberto Raho	Brother Regulo
Adam Kaci	Cyrus
Xin Xin Xiong	Stavros' Man in Hotel
Pascaline Girardot	Domestic
Nathalie Grac	Mermaid
M. Benabiles	Pilot
Gary Chang	Composer

Technical Credits

Don Jakoby

Paul Mones

Don Jakoby	Screenwriter,Executive Producer,Producer
Paul Mones	Screenwriter
Moshe Diamant	Producer
David Rodgers	Executive Producer
Tsui Hark	Director
David Ambrosi	Stunts
Penny Perry	Casting
Ellana Diamant	Casting
Daniel Brisseau	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Yes, the pairing of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dennis Rodman is ridiculous... Yes, there's subtle basketball innuendo abound... And yes, Mickey Rourke is in it. But that's part of the joy of Double Team. If you think that this flick is going to be high-art, you're on the wrong bus. This is pure cheeseball action, though laced with a plot that's just a tad more meaty than we've seen in previous Van Damme films. Working like a less-surreal and more "budget" version of The Prisoner, the second third of the film casts our muscled hero in the Patrick McGoohan role, surrounded by mean Euro-actors and even Paul Freeman (Belloq to you Raiders of the Lost Ark fans!). It's here that we get the meat of the picture, complete with the essential Van Damme workout scenes to spice things up a bit. Opening and closing the film is where Rodman comes in, hamming it up with way too clever banter with Jean-Claude and actually doing a half-decent job in his high-kicking martial arts scenes. It probably helps that Hong Kong director Tsui Hark was on board, though anyone expecting the sheer outrageousness of his and Van Damme's later action epic Knock Off might be a little dissapointed. While certainly over-the-top, it might not come off as flamboyantly crazy as you would like it to. Still, with scenes like our heroes battling a tiger in a mine-ridden Colliseum, and the filmmakers constant fight to try and hide Jean-Claude's bump on his forehead, Double Team never ceases to be entertaining. Seek it out if you're looking for some high-octane brainless fun.

All Movie Guide - Jeremy Wheeler