KNOCK OFF (1998)
Throughout the ‘80s being an action movie star meant you were tough. You exuded masculinity while allowing none of the chinks in your armor to be seen from far away. And yet, as the '90s got underway, several of those bigger names (Schwarzenegger and Stallone) attempted to add more humor to their repertoire, to cater to a wider audience. Yes, humor and one-liners are a staple of an era, but letting these stars attempt to show a more vulnerable side was something foreign.
The man who tried to tap into that vein more than others (to various effects) was none other than "The Muscles from Brussels" himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme (simply JCVD from here on out). Nowhere is this better on display than the absolutely ludicrous and wonderfully convoluted KNOCK OFF, from Tsui Hark.
Attempting to explain the plot of KNOCK OFF isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. There's a "King of the Knock-Offs" operating in Hong Kong who is on the cusp of going fully legit. At the same time, his partner in the denim business is a federal agent who has spent four years undercover, to get a bead on some really bad guys. One of those characters is played by Rob Schneider, and the other by JCVD. There's a good chance your first guess is wrong, as JCVD is the knock-off King Marcus Ray and Schneider is federal agent Tommy Hendricks. It's but one of the more fantastical elements of the plot.
The beauty of the pairing is how they magically stumble on the central plot. Russian agents have smuggled thousands of nano bombs into Hong Kong, through various forms of knock-off goods. Including, but not limited to baby dolls, discs, and the studs on the back of jeans. As the film is set in 1997, with the backdrop of the British about relinquish control of the area to China, it kind of feels like the Wild West, where something as strange as this would go unnoticed. Save for grizzled cop Han (Michael Wong), who is hellbent on getting the nano bombs off the street, after his partner dies.
Again, the plot of KNOCK OFF isn't something anyone should try to wrap their head around, as it starts preposterous and becomes even more preposterous every five minutes. There are traitors around every corner. Secret federal agents, such as Lela Rochon's undercover corporate executive. A rickshaw race. Green fire. Bits where people are just laughing nonsensically on the way to a warehouse raid. Was GREEN FIRE mentioned? None of it should be taken seriously unless you'd like to feel your brain slowly oozing out your ear.
The thing is, as convoluted or distressing as the film can be at times, it never takes away from the overall enjoyment factor. That's because both JCVD and director Hark are fully invested in the journey and making a rollicking good time. For Hark that means going fully over-the-top in terms of visual overload and inventive tricks.
There is nowhere, seriously NOWHERE, Hark won't put a camera. It zips inside dolls to reveal microchips and swirls through them. Dives into call phones to show electrical circuits connecting. Zooms in on the barrel of a gun as the bullet shoots out. He also follows a foot as it dives into a shoe. Not content to stop there he also litters KNOCK OFF with a litany of slow motion (for maximum effect) shots, that are only outdone by the exorbitant amount of green fire that erupts from all explosions.
Of course, none of it would work without the sheer force of will that is Jean-Claude Van Damme. You can tell the man is not only fully committed to his craft, but to the overall quality of the picture itself, given how tuned in he is. That may seem like a joke, but it isn't. JCVD allows himself to play the kind of character you don't expect.
Ray may seem suave at first, telling a co-worker he "always made a quality piece of crap", but there's also a surprising amount of vulnerability. He's legitimately hurt when he finds out Tommy is undercover. Ruining his opportunity to finally become a respectable businessman and following the law.
Another key to KNOCK OFF’s success is the action. There's no better example of ‘90s action excess and greatness than the rickshaw race, which then ends up in a battle that takes place in a supermarket. On the surface, it seems rather simple, for an event called the "Hong Kong Merchants Association Charity Rickshaw Race" (no joke). Contestants representing different businesses race rickshaws around town, while the cousin of local Triad enforcer, Skinny (Glen Chin), sets up a minor gambling ring.
The race itself is shown in full, with racers bending around corners and colliding with one another. Then, the camera quickly zooms into the knock-off pair of Pumas (sorry "PUMMA") shoes Marcus is wearing, to show the glue coming undone, then the treads, until he is running completely barefoot. As if that weren't enough, he witnesses what he believes is his friend Eddie (Wyman Wong) being kidnapped. His attempts to stop the vehicle end up with both crashing into a convenience store, as JCVD has a chance to show off his physical prowess. It's a dizzying feat of ingenuity, absurdity, and genuine awesomeness, where describing what unfolds is a fool's task.
To be frank, there are a few hurdles one must leap over, to fully embrace and enjoy the lunacy that is KNOCK OFF. Due in part to Hark pushing the camerawork as far as it will go, there's a heavy amount of noise and grain on the screen. Something that's also emblematic of a lot of ‘90s Hong Kong Action movies. Then there's the CGI. By today's standards, it's certainly warped and basic, but back in the day, it was still chintzy as hell. Neither is enough to tarnish the film and, in many ways, adds to what makes it all so special.
What makes JCVD such a compelling and exciting figure in the action scene for over 4 decades, has been his commitment to playing vulnerable and different characters from the rest of the crop. Sure, the ‘00s had some clunkers. Yes, his theatrical tenure was shorter than Sly and Arnold. That doesn't lessen the fact that he gives many of his roles more effort than they deserve. To the point where so many people can name over a dozen different titles and say it's his best and be right. They'd be wrong though, as his crowning achievement is KNOCK OFF. Accept no substitutes.
