Product: Replicant [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 3.0
Double Van Damme...
"Replicant" offers a twist, on the standard cop chasing a killer story, attempting to use insight provided by the murderer's genetic clone, to track down the killer. Jean-Claude Van Damme has dual roles as the serial killer, and also as his clone, "Replicant". Michael Rooker is the ex-cop who comes out of "retirement" to attempt to train Replicant, and see if he can lead him to the killer.Traumatized as a child by his mother, Luc Sevard has become a serial murderer. His victims are single mothers. Nicknamed "The Torch", because he sets the dead bodies on fire, he has eluded the efforts of the Seattle police, headed by Detective Jake Riley (Rooker) for three years. On Riley's last day on the force, the Torch claims his eleventh victim.No longer on the force, Riley is recruited by the National Security Force (NSF) to participate in a top-secret operation. NSF has cloned Sevard's DNA and created Replicant (his name). The plan is to train Replicant and then attempt to tap into his memory and somehow get a lead to the killer. Riley takes charge of Replicant and begins his training, treating him like an animal, trying to trigger his memory.The dual roles play to Van Damme's strengths as an actor. Replicant is childlike, has limited dialog, and communicates more by actions rather than words. Sevard is also more of a man of action, with most of his interaction with others consisting of fights or attacks. The fight scenes between the longhaired Sevard, and the close cropped clone, required extensive doubling, and are done pretty well.Riley is actually the movie's lead character, and is important as the focal point between the Yin and Yang of the Van Damme characters. Put in a tough spot, he isn't sure how to handle Replicant, and so he must err on the side of caution, and treat him with a great deal of distrust. Michael Rooker really throws himself into the physically challenging role.Replicant is a decent action movie. Jean-Claude is not required to go beyond his limits, and does a good job with the material. The aging action hero still has some good moves left, and believe it or not, his acting skills have improved some too. If you are a Van Damme or Rooker fan, check this one out.