(I am informed by women who have seen the preview for this movie that Van Damme doing the splits on a kitchen counter is, all by itself, enough to get them in the theater.) This leads to all kinds of complicated situations involving characters who travel back a decade and meet themselves, which in turn leads to events that alter what "Star Trek" would call the space-time continuum.ĭirector Peter Hyams is great at action and suspense - check out "Running Scared," "2010" or "Outland." But he always has trouble with story implausibilites - check out those same films.Īs with all of his pictures, however, "Timecop" is slick, moves well and is filled with memorable set-pieces. Van Damme doesn't really want to mess around with changes in history until he discovers that his wife was murdered during a skirmish brought on by the senator's time-travel manipulations. Eventually, however, he discovers that an evil senator (Ron Silver) is the head of a time-traveling criminal ring, organized to collect big bucks so he can mount a monumental presidential campaign.Īlong the way, there is a prominent subplot that has Van Damme coming up with a way to save his wife (Mia Sara), who was killed a decade earlier. In 1994 an American scientist creates a means of breaking the time barrier, so the government sets up a law enforcement unit to keep potential bad guys from traveling to the past to cash in on historical knowledge.Īs the time frame moves forward to 2004, Van Damme is a maverick cop assigned to bring back such lawbreakers. The story is time-travel stuff, which is always problematic. Still, undiscriminating action fans will probably have a good time. (Including a couple of unnecessary sex scenes.) (Steven Seagal, are you listening?)īut in terms of plot and direction, there are loopholes galore and too much in-your-face audience-pummeling for my taste. There's even a gag about Van Damme's occasionally sounding unintelligible. The special-effects are first-rate in what is obviously a big-budget production and Van Damme himself has learned the Schwarzenegger lesson - smile, flash your natural charisma and don't take yourself too seriously. Timecop is not the greatest when it comes to plot-holes.But unlike the recent version of HG Wells Time machine, it is a very fun movie.And one of Van Dammes best."Timecop" is the best Jean-Claude Van Damme movie yet. Ron Silver is a great Bad Guy here as McComb.He gets to shoot, beat people up,Snarls And looks frankly maniacal at times.Mia Sara is engaging and looks beautiful as ever.Bruce McGill has some funny bits as Van Dammes Boss.The very sexy Gloria Ruben also shows up as Walkers new partner. Timecop benefits from having a talented director Like Peter Hyams behind the wheel for this one.He stages everything well,Keeps the action and plot flowing,Special FX are engaging,and gets a very good performance by Van Damme.Who comes off vulnerable and like a real person.The production values are very good here too.It is also pretty decent political backdrop/Sci-fi combo. In 1994 Time-travel has become a possible reality.Washington decides that it needs to be "policed" from criminal activity and the paradox's of undoing life as we know it.Cut to 2004:Enter Van Damme as Walker the on-the-rocks time-cop who uncovers a plot to swindle the presidency by a corrupt Senator McComb played by Ron Silver,who actually engineered the murder of Walkers-wife(Mia Sara).Can Max stop McComb?Can he go back and save his wife?After some decent gunfights and roundhouses you'll have to find out. Timecop is probably remembered as his last good movie before he got into a rut of mediocre(though successful) action flicks.Its also the most mainstream picture he was ever in for my money.
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