For the ABC Challenge this is under Y because of the character Yaz.
Director: Hark Tsui
Writer: Don Jakoby, Paul Mones (Screenplay)
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, Micky Rourke, Paul Freeman, Natacha Lindinger, Valeria Cavalli
Plot: An international spy teams up with an arms dealer to escape from a penal colony and rescue his family from a terrorist.
Tagline – He’s a one-man arsenal… with enough voltage to rock the free world.
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Fun Van Damme Film
Story: Double Team starts as former spy Jack Quinn (Van Damme) is talked out of retirement to capture the only man he couldn’t capture, Stavros (Rourke), he turns to arms dealer Yaz (Rodman) for the weapons required.
When the mission to take down Stavros goes wrong, Jack finds himself in a penal colony, with the rest of the world believing he is dead, at the colony Jack must join the rest of the community who assist in dealing with anti-terrorist actions. Jack notices messages in Stavros latest attacks which sees him finding a way to escape the penal colony in an attempt to protect his family from the mad man.
Thoughts on Double Team
Characters – Jack Quinn is an international spy that went into retirement to start a family, he is drawn out for one final job to take down known terrorist, which sees him hesitant at the crucial moment leading to a mistake which sees him arrested. Jack must use all of his skills to escape and save his family. Yaz is an arms dealer that gets everything people want without facing any problems, he works with Jack once he knows what is at stake and the money he could earn. Stavros is the terrorist that has been running chaos over the world, he ends up becoming personal against Jack and he doesn’t care how many people he kills. Goldsmythe is a member of the penal colony, he teaches Jack the rules of the colony.
Performances – Jean-Claude Van Damme is always the guy you can watch in action films, he doesn’t put a foot wrong through the film and works well with Dennis Rodman. Dennis Rodman might have come from sporting background, but his flamboyant style comes through in this film. Mickey Rourke makes for a fun villain, he looks like he is enjoying this role. Paul Freeman does play an interesting character, we would have liked to see more from his character though.
Story – The story follows an international spy that finds his most formidable enemy after an error in the latest mission gives him the upper hand. This story does fall into everything we know from the action genre, it is simple to follow for the two sides at battle. The interesting side of the story comes from the island which has the former spies and enemies of the state, which investigate terrorist incidents, this island is seemingly just some add story which doesn’t seem to play a major impact in the final story of the film. the world we enter is a fun story that fits the Van Damme style of action.
Action/Comedy/Sci-Fi – The action is fight sequences that we know we can trust Van Damme to make feel brutal, Dennis Rodman brings the comedy even if it is added into the action that he is involved in. the sci-fi side of the film comes from what we see in the penal colony that Jack finds himself in.
Settings – The film does take Jack around the world in different location, with the final sequence in the coliseum in Rome.
Scene of the Movie – The final fight.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not enough of the penal colony.
Final Thoughts – Typical action film here, it is easy to watch as long as you switch you brain off and enjoy.
Overall: Simple & entertaining.
Rating