# Knock Off (1998)

### reviewed by
Homer Yen

    "Knock-Off" Is a Sloppy Sham
    by Homer Yen
    (c) 1998

"Consistency" - I think that this is a word that doesn't exist in the vocabulary of Director Tsui Hark. His Honk Kong action offering, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a muddled mess that pushes you from one action sequence to another without really taking the time to properly set it up. But at least when you buy the ticket, you pretty much have a good idea of what's in store for you. After all, it's a film that takes place in Hong Kong, has a Hong Kong director at the helm, and stars Van Damme. Yes, you'll see plenty of fight scenes and gunshots galore, but don't expect anything more than that.

The storyline involves a smuggling ring that is trying to smuggle small, sophisticated bombs into the U.S. With the explosive power of a half a stick of dynamite, these little technological marvels are so small that they could be hidden inside a watch, a small radio, or even inside a button. If these bombs make their way into the U.S., the ringleaders could blackmail the government into an exorbitant monthly payment. The CIA follows several leads that point them to Marcus Ray (Van Damme). >From there, it's a convoluted series of sequences that tells very little story but allows lots of time for Van Damme to run, kick, punch and to try to figure out why everyone is after him.

But Marcus Ray isn't the only one that's trying to make sense out of what's going on. The audience can easily get lost as well. We run into a plethora of other characters such as Tommy (Rob Schneider), who may be more than just Ray's partner. There's also Karan (Lela Rochon), a supposed executive that wants to talk to Marcus about his business. Also on the case is a handful of other cops, including Paul Sorvino (a very respectable actor), who must have lost a bet to want to take a role in this film.

Some of the action sequences were kind of nifty, like the cat and mouse chase aboard a freighter while gigantic cargo crates shifted back and forth threatening to crush people. Yes, some neat ideas, but all are squandered. The "Speed Racer"-like dialogue (sentences that incomprehensibly spew out), and the epileptic manner of editing, which is done at breakneck speed, easily earns this film the title of "most highly disorganized effort of the summer."

    Grade: D

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