Product: Replicant [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 2.0
Van Damme It All This Could Have Been Great!
Movie Summary: Veteran detective Jake Riley has not been able to catch the serial killer known as "The Torch" who kills mothers and burns their bodies. Jake retires from the force but is sucked back into the case when he is offered another way to catch the killer. The government is seems can clone people and they have cloned The Torch in hopes that they can use the genetic double to track him down.My Opinion: My biggest problem with Replicant was that it could have been so good. It could have delved into the nature/nurture argument and made a statement. It could have developed a relationship between Jake and the replicant and showed that The Torch turned into a killer because of the way he was tortured as a child. Instead Jake turns out to be a morally bankrupt character with no back-story who can't grasp that the replicant is a human being until it's too late. They didn't show any reason for Jake's brutality towards the replicant. When his mother scolds him for treating the replicant badly, I was hopeful that things would change, but a blanket and an ice cream cone just don't cut it. Had Jake been mistreated as a child, or had his mother been murdered, then there could have been some common ground to build on. Instead he's just a black box to us. Now maybe this is all too much to expect from a Van Damme movie, but they had it all set up and came so close. I was impressed with Van Damme's acting in the film. He was genuinely convincing as the replicant. His facial expressions were really convincing. Rooker on the other hand just seemed to be angry the entire movie. Maybe he's still upset over Henry. I know I still am. The stunts and explosions were impressive too, especially for a direct to video movie.DVD Quality: Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1 with excellent video quality, Sound is DD5.1 This is a decent DVD release with extras including deleted scenes and commentary.What You Should Do: Most Van Damme fans will probably enjoy this one. The killing and burning of the female victims bodies is not for the squeamish so beware. If you are not a Van Damme fan, then you might as well skip this one.Related Movies To Check Out: Cyborg, Timecop, The Silence of the Lambs