Replicant (2001)

 

This is one of those lesser known Van Damme vehicles and when you watch it you will understand why. It's rather understated and with a lot less focus on the action than most people were accustomed to. However, despite some shortcomings, this is a fairly okay flick with some decent acting by Van Damme, showing in glimpses that he can take on various guises if he puts his mind to it.

And we get Michael Rooker, who is always a treat. The guy should be named an international treasure by now. 

Rooker plays a police detective who is trying to catch a serial killer known as The Torch for years now. Said killer also calls the detective to boast. This psycho always targets single mothers and after beating them to death, sets them ablaze.

Swell guy. 

(You do realize that last bit was sarcasm, right?)

However, Rooker never manages to capture the killer, but the day he retired from the force he is approached by shady government agents (are there any other kind?) to help with a brand new science project. It turns out they have some DNA from The Torch and have cloned him.

Sorry: 'replicated', as he isn't a clone but a replicant. No, there isn't really a difference even if the film wants you to believe there is. 

The catch is that this clone also has the killer's memory and they are sort of but not really psychically linked, so Rooker hopes he can catch the real deal with the help of the copy. 

Yes, the science is absolutely sketchy beyond belief and makes zero sense, but just go with it. If you're looking for logic, you've come to the wrong place anyway. 

The replicant does help Rooker get closer to the killer and along the way tries halfheartedly to raise some questions of 'nature versus nurture', but it doesn't really matter anyway. You can see where it all will lead right from the setup. 

Most of the film is pretty basic and nothing special, but it's the performances of our main guys that makes for okay viewing. Michael Rooker is always good, no matter what he's given and this one is no exception. But it's pretty cool to see Van Damme tackle a dual role and succeeding for the most part. As the Replicant, he is not unlike a frightened child and even though he does go for the tropes a bit too much in this respect, it's better than you would think. But what really makes an impression is Van Damme as a psychotic killer and it does make you wonder why he doesn't play villains more often. 

Sure, he did so at the beginning of his career, usually playing supposedly Russian bad guys who never spoke, but he has got the sneer and pose of an utter bastard if he wants to. You can also check his villainous turn in the second 'The  Expendables' and see that he is damn good at it. 

If you are expecting cool martial arts: don't. There are some scraps, but that is never the main focus of this film and the fights themselves are more downbeat than acrobatic. This is also why this film doesn't entertain as much as other Van Damme projects: it wants to be a bit too serious and dramatic, which isn't what most people are looking for. 

But still, it's decent and better than one might presume. Not a Van Damme 'grand cru', but okay.