Knock Off
USA/Hong Kong 1998
Reviewed by Jamie Graham
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
Hong Kong, 1997. Marcus Ray and Tommy Hendricks deal in 'knock offs', inferior imitation goods. Their scam is exposed when sales executive Karen Leigh arrives from the US. But Karen is really after Eddie Wang, a Chinese gangster who is Marcus' adopted brother. She insists Marcus and Tommy raid Eddie's factory that night. Before the operation, Marcus discovers Tommy is an undercover CIA agent working for a division headed by Johansson - the CIA plans to oversee the raid. But the factory is bombed before Marcus and Tommy can enter. Marcus finds a remote-controlled nanobomb hidden in a knock-off trainer. Dismayed at the treachery, Marcus agrees to get Eddie to testify to the CIA.
Wang pleads he only provided a group of Russians with the knock-off goods. Another bomb detonates, killing Wang. Marcus and Tommy discover Karen is also a CIA operative, looking for a mole in Johansson's team. Learning there will be a shipment of nanobombs that night, both CIA divisions, Marcus and Tommy sneak aboard. During a shoot-out Johansson is revealed as the mole. The ship blows up but the protagonists escape, Marcus and Tommy with Johansson's detonator which later accidentally sets off a nanobomb that kills Johansson.
Review
Whatever you think of Jean-Claude Van Damme's acting skills, there is no denying his acumen when it comes to career-development choices. Graduating swiftly from his early, funnier films (Black Eagle) to martial-arts contest movies (Kickboxer), there was even a brief moment following Universal Soldier when stardom beckoned. But then he chose to anchor his place in the mainstream by turning to Hong Kong action flicks, a sub-genre which largely supplanted the Schwarzenegger-Stallone heroics of the 80s. Knock Off is the fourth movie in six years in which Van Damme has teamed up with cult eastern directors, and his second outing for Tsui Hark after Double Team. It is of interest only in that this is far more the director's picture than his own.
Tsui's imprimatur is apparent in both the convoluted plot (involving nanobombs and Russian gangsters) and the staging of the fight sequences. It has long been accepted that Van Damme's fans don't come to his films wanting the labyrinthine complexities of The Big Sleep, but they do expect plenty of roundhouse kicks, splits and at least one 'butt shot'. Knock Off has none of these, Tsui seemingly preferring to show off his own techniques rather than his star's. The fight sequences are often filmed in disorienting close-ups, while slow and fast motion, freeze frames and Evil Dead-style crash zooms whip up plenty of sound and fury to camouflage the central emptiness.
Tsui's fondness for style over substance even extends to his use of the Hong Kong handover as a backdrop. Despite frequent bulletins counting down the hours and intermittent shots of Al Gore, Chris Patten and the lowering of the British flag, the historic event is irrelevant, only adding to the overall cacophony. Even Wayne Wang's ill-advised Chinese Box made better use of the handover than this, which is particularly disappointing considering Tsui's track record of bolting politics on to pyrotechnics in the Once Upon a Time in China movies.
Credits
- Producer
- Nansun Shi
- Screenplay
- Steven E. De Souza
- Director of Photography
- Arthur Wong
- [Wong Ngok-Tai]
- Editor
- Mak Chi-Sin]
- Production Designers
- James Leung
- [Leung Dut-Sang]
- Bill Lui
- [Lui Chor-Hung]
- Music
- Ron Mael
- Russell Mael
- ©TriStar Pictures Industries, Inc.
- ©Knock Film, A.V.V.
- Production Companies
- ©Knock Film, A.V.V.
- A Knock Films, A.V.V./MDP Worldwide presentation of a Film Workshop Company Ltd/Val d'Oro Entertainment production
- Co-producer
- Raymond Fung
- Line Producer
- Ken Wu
- Associate Producers
- Peter Nelson
- Richard G. Murphy
- Production Supervisor
- Manila Unit:
- Oli Laperal Jr
- Production Controller
- Dan Frisch
- Production Co-ordinators
- Cindy S. Chan
- Kim Neunuebel
- LA:
- James Portolese
- John Stevenson
- Film Workshop Office Co-ordinators
- Fandy Mok
- Janet Ma
- Production Services
- Manila Unit:
- R.S. Video & Film Productions
- Production Managers
- Peter Choy
- Visual Effects:
- Daniel Yu
- Unit Managers
- Fung Chi-Wai
- Visual Effects:
- Luk Kam-Ku
- Unit Production Manager
- 2nd Unit:
- Chow Lai-Yin
- Post-production Supervisors
- Marvin Lawrence
- Limor Diamant
- Completion Supervisor
- Judy Sharinger
- 2nd Unit Director
- Sammo Hung
- [Hung Kam-Bo]
- Directors
- V-Six Jeans Commercial Unit:
- Joe Bauer
- Manila Unit:
- Peter Nelson
- Assistant Directors
- Joe Chi
- Kingson Shek
- Rico Chu
- Sharon Lam
- [Lam Suk-Ching]
- Eddy Yeung
- [Yeung Kwok-Wai]
- Visual Effects:
- Lemon Liu
- Sylvia Liu
- [Liu Jingyi]
- 2nd Unit:
- Lam Hark-Ming
- Josephine Chan
- V-Six Jeans Commercial Unit:
- James Kiat
- Script Supervisor
- Petra Jorgenson
- 2nd Unit Continuity
- Fanny Lee
- Casting
- Illana Diamant
- Lauris Freeman
- Associate:
- Lauris Freeman
Director:- Jo Jo Hui
- 2nd Unit Directors of Photography
- Kwong Ting-Wo
- Visual Effects:
- Gigo Lee
- Lam Wah-Chuen
- V-Six Jeans Commercial Unit:
- Joe Chan
- Manila Unit:
- Arthur Wong
- [Wong Ngok-Tai]
- Cameraman
- Pick-up Unit:
- Keung Kwok-Man
- Steadicam Operators
- David Choi
- Raymond Lam
- [Lam Fai-Tai]
- Special Video Effects
- Modern Videofilm
- Visual Effects Supervisor:
- Joe Bauer
- Visual Effects Co-supervisor:
- Ziad Seirafi
- Digital Supervisor:
- Brian 'BC' Conlon
- Visual Effects Producer:
- Michele Ferrone
- Digital Compositors:
- Brian 'BC' Conlon
- Brent Gilmartin
- Mark Intravartola
- Rick Shick
- Rick Cortés
- Jeff West
- Computer Graphics
- Cinefex
- CGI Supervising Animator:
- Justo D. Casscante III
- CGI Animators:
- Andrew Lam Tsz-Him
- Andrew Chen Wei-Wen
- Toby Hung Hing-Cheong
- Jacky Chung
- Data Management:
- Matt Olivo
- Visual Effects Engineer:
- Ray Shantz
- Special Effects Supervisor
- Lau Hon-Cheung
- Model Supervisor
- Visual Effects Miniature Construction:
- Cheong Pui-Yik
- Model Makers
- Visual Effects Miniature Construction:
- Chan Siu-Chung
- Stanley Cheung
- Chu Chung-Kei
- Fong Ka-Hing
- Ho Ka-Kin
- Lai Cho-Kin
- Lai Kwok-Chuen
- Lam Wai-Cheong
- Lee Po-Sum
- Ng Mun-Lung
- Stephen Sy Chee Fie Lau
- Anne Sy
- Wong Leong-Chon
- Wong Yuk-Sing
- Additional Editing
- Martin Hunter
- Annellie-Rose Samuel
- Storyboard Artist
- Kwan Chun-Ming
- Costume Designers
- Ben Luk
- William Fung
- Mable Kwan
- Make-up
- Artist:
- Kwan Lee-Na
- 2nd Unit:
- Poon Man-Wah
- Principal Hairstylist
- Kim Robinson
- 2nd Unit Hair
- Samuel Wong
- Title Design/Opticals
- Film Effects Inc (Toronto)
- Additional Music
- Varouje
- Musicians
- Varouje Hagopian
- Craig Titus
- Jeff Dalzeil
- Orchestrator/Conductor
- Tony Visconti
- Music Editing/Additional Arrangements
- David Trevis
- Score Mixers
- Brian Reeves
- Additional:
- Stephen Traub
- Soundtrack
- "Ten Girls" music/lyrics Samuel Hui [Hui Koon-Kit], arranged by Raymond Wong [Wong Ying-Wah]; "Crazy Mood" by Caroly Larsson, Gabe Lee, "Wind in New Orleans" by Gabe Lee, Gary Justice, produced by Stephen Traub; "Dandy" by Varouje, Craig Titus
- Production Mixer
- Gary Wilkins
- Re-recording Mixers
- Scott Purdy
- Keith Elliott
- Brad Thornton
- Don White
- Andy Koyama
- Supervising Sound Editor
- Nelson Ferreira
- Additional Sound Editing
- David Trevis
- Wayne Swingle
- Dialogue Editors
- Joe Bracciale
- Andrew Bray
- Sound Effects
- Designer:
- Paula Fairfield
- Editors:
- Craig Henighan
- Stephen Roque
- ADR
- Recordist:
- Darcey Kite
- Editors:
- Joe Bracciale
- Andrew Bray
- Foley
- Artists:
- Steven Bain
- Virginia Storey
- Recordist:
- Brad Zoern
- Underwater Camera Unit Co-ordinator
- Kevin Chan
- Stunt Co-ordinators
- Yuen Bing
- Car:
- Joe Chi
- 2nd Unit Action Director
- Yuen Bing
- Cast
- Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Marcus Ray
- Rob Schneider
- Tommy Hendricks
- Lela Rochon
- Karen Leigh
- Michael Fitzgerald Wong
- [Wong Man-Tak]
- Han
- Paul Sorvino
- Harry Johansson
- Carmen Lee
- [Lee Yeuk-Ting]
- Ling Ho
- Glen Chin
- [Chin Ying-Ming]
- Skinny
- Jeff Joseph Wolfe
- Skaar
- Wyman Wong
- [Wong Wai-Man]
- Eddie Wang
- Moses Chan Ho
- Officer Fong
- Raymond Leslie Nicholas
- Karl
- Michael Miller
- Tickler
- Steve Brettingham
- Hawkeye
- Mark Haughton
- Bear
- Peter Nelson
- Biff
- Kim Maree Penn
- Chip
- Thomas Hudak
- Kyle
- Steve Nation
- Kip
- Rosa Librizzi
- Buddha CIA
- Noel Rands
- racemaster
- Dennis Chan
- [Chan Kwok-San]
- Choy
- William Chow
- Papa Wang
- Stuart Kavanagh
- Colonel Carrington
Noorie Razack- fruit market old man
- Heung Hoi
- fruit market accountant
- Dennis Chan
- Eddie's kid
- Simon Cheung
- supermarket kid
- Leslie Cheung
- young worker, Skinny's freight
- Matt Grant
- Tarzan
- Nyree Hansen
- Jane
- Kent Osborne
- Pachy
- Lynne Francis
- V-Six secretary
- Cordelia Choy
- Mel
- Leon C. Somera Jr
- Eddie's ringer
- Mathew Tang
- Roks Chik
- Wong Yui-Sang
- Tse Wai-Yin
- Chan Man-Cheong
- Irene Luk
- Leung Yiu-Hay
- Han's assistants
- Kerrie Jordan
- Amena Lee Schlaikjer
- Bethany Wetjen
- Helen Praetorius
- Dominique
- Leta Chung
- Eniko Mayer
- Belinka Polakova
- Anika Yuen
- Sinna Ping
- Anu Kattoor
- Simone Lee
- Hanna Josesina Chaplain
- Irena Budayova
- Karin Holm
- Marilka Aling
- V-Six models/cheerleaders
- Nina MacKenzie
- Trudy Jane Mansfield
- Maria Butler
- V-Six office girls
- Denis Couprie
- Duane Davis
- William Chan
- Skinny's bodyguards
- Brad Warren
- David Saunders
- Tony Trimble
- Ian Bruton
- John Whitney
- Phillip Duffy
- Max G.
- Stuart Lee Markham
- Michael Lambert
- Jude Poyer
- David Fiddes
- Jake Sear Jacob
- Jason Todd Hancock
- Peter Kramer
- Russian mafia
- Pascale Harris
- Alex Mazija
- Robert Baynton Eke
- CIA staff
- Martyn A. Minns
- Melanie Page
- Ian Clarke
- Phil John Greatches
- Cesar Liesa
- Ted John Michaels
- Kevin Butler
- Albert Dedem
- rickshaw racers
- Garry Beckhurst
- Paolo Mario Moscardini
- Steve Syson
- Barry Wensueen
- Ian Tang
- Aaron Richardson
- David Rolls
- Au Man-Leong
- Leon C. Somera Jr
- Yiu Shiu-Chung
- rickshaw passengers
- Certificate
- 18
- Distributor
- Columbia Tristar Films (UK)
- 8,204 feet
- 91 minutes 10 seconds
- Dolby
- Colour by
- DeLuxe