Reviews (1)

Definately Worthwhile!!
It's more of the same from the first movie, but it is worthy. This one does have some comic relief though. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

One of Van Damme's best
While Jean-Claude Van Damme may be a direct to video action star now, Replicant is a surprisingly good film that should have seen time in theaters instead of other Van Damme flops like Knock Off and Double Team. The storyline, which has Van Damme doing double duty as a serial killer called The Torch and a clone of the killer, is instantly ignored as we see how surprisingly creepy and effective Van Damme is as the killer, and how naive and innocent he is as the developing clone. Michael Rooker is great as well (he always is though) as the ex-cop on the killer's trail. The action scenes are very well put together, and as I said before, the acting from Van Damme is so unbelieveably good in his dual roles that you might forgive him for films like Street Fighter and The Quest (well, maybe not), but all in all, Replicant is one of Van Damme's best, and it is a shame it has gone direct to video.

Two Van Dammes,One Damme Good Movie...
I hate to say it but Van Damme's days as a box office superstar are over and probally we'll never see one of his flicks in theaters again.Replicant another film that went straight to video is a surprisingly good film.The film is directed by Ringo Ram,who also directed "Maximum Risk$Q brings alot of story and thought into the picture.Even though we've seen two Van Dammes before like in "Double Impact" this one has a more convincing story.Michael Rooker who plays Detective Jake Riley really does a great job acting.Van Dammes acting was also good and it's the first time he's really acted like a child,it's really funny.Even though liscensed critics down the movie,I however like it enough so that I own the DVD,it's a great film to watch if you like drama,action and a great sequence to a storyline.

THIS SHOULD'VE HIT THEATRES
IN AN ATTEMPT TO CATCH A SERIAL KILLER [VAN DAMME], THE POLICE CLONE THE SERIAL KILLER [THE CLONE IS ALSO PLAYED BY VAN DAMME]. HMM, THIS IS DEFINITELY A FIRST. NOT ONLY DOES VAN DAMME PLAY THE USUAL HERO, BUT HE ALSO PLAYS THE VILLAIN. VAN DAMME ACTUALLY MAKES A VERY INTRIGUING BAD GUY. THIS MOVIE IS DEFINITELY A HIGH STEP UP FROM MOVIES LIKE ''DESERT HEAT'' AND ''LEGIONNAIRE''. GOOD ACTION SEQUENCES AND A CLEVER PLOT. VAN DAMME SHOULD PLAY A VILLAIN MORE OFTEN. THIS SHOULD BE A TREAT FOR ACTION FANS AND VAN DAMME FANS ALIKE. ACTUALLY ONE OF VAN DAMME'S BEST MOVIES.

Van Damne vs Van Damne
Againg i saw this movie on T.V,and i loved it.Van Damne plays 2 characters.I character hes a killer that kills mom thats bad to their children.His other character is a clone so he could he get the bad one for this F.B.I agent.I loved this movie.I coudnt wait at the end becuase thats when Van Damne fights Van Damne.Good fight,they should make more of these.This movie is worth watching,trust me I am like a huge Van Damne fan and when I say his movie is good,then its good.

horrid..I was fearing for my life
Van Damme in my perspective has gone soft and turned into a horrible actor..he doesnt even come out with movies that hit theaters anymore...in this one..again he has a double..like in Double Impact which was better then this piece of junk...lots and lots of terrible acting deffently down this puppy...along for the flop with Van Damme is Michael Rooker(The 6th Day...sorta seems like this movie is a rip off of the 6th day because when I seen it I was like..hey..sorta has the same atmosphere as The 6th day with Arnold)...nothig but a dumb flop ... Read more

Reviews (21)

A fantastic early team-up between Chow Yun Fat and Danny Lee
This 1987 Ringo Lam classic reverses the roles of Chow Yun Fat and Danny Lee as later seen in the Killer. The film is dated somewhat, but still shows Hong Kong cinema at the height of its energy and Lam intensifies the action with strong, inventive directing. Chow Yun Fat is as always brilliant in the film, while Lee dutifully portrays the antagonist. As a note, Tarantino used this film as the basis for his first film "Resevoir Dogs".

CITY ON FIRE Review
Best known as the film that inspired Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs", Ringo Lam's Hong Kong cop thriller starring Chow as an undercover that goes in deep with the mob is an excellent tale of trust and honor amongst theives. Those who loved his work with John Woo in films like "A Better Tommorrow" and "The Killer" will find much to like about Mr. Fat in this cops & robbers action flick.

worth a look
While this movie may not be in the same league as some of the classic Chow Yun Fat thrillers (The Killer, Hard-Boiled, Full Contact, for example), this is still a decent action film. The interplay between the characters is, unfortunately, cliched and sometimes ludicrous (the scene in the cemetery, for example), but the assured direction, complex storyline, and gritty realism more than make up for it; the jewelry heist and the nihilistic, bullet-riddled ending are particularly well-staged. The DVD I have is the (badly) dubbed version, which sounds like it was done by a third-rate comedian locked in a closet. The print of the film, however, is clear and sharp (I had seen this on videotape several years ago, and remember it as being somewhat grainy), though it did seem sometimes as if there was a little jumpiness from shot to shot in some scenes.

Charismatic Chow sets this City On Fire!
This is one of Chow Yun Fat's best performances. You really feel for his character as he is torn between his job as a undercover cop and his sympathies with a gang of thieves, and his friendship with one of them, while trying to salvage his relationship with his not too understanding girlfriend.

Routine, but enjoyable
This is a routine undercover cop story. I got the Tai Seng version which is subtitled. So, I cannot comment on the dubbing of this tape. The story takes place at a time where guns are hard to obtain. The bad guys get guns from Chow Yun Fat's character. It's a somewhat predictable story, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Shawshank Last Castle Redemption
When I first read about this movie, I was expecting a fire in a prison and Chow and his buddy trying to get out. What I got instead was a beautiful drama about friendship in the midst of prison. It was almost a combination of "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Last Castle." The acting was wonderful. And for a prison drama, it was very tender. The characters were great and you could feel yourself bonding with them. If you don't mind a good foreign film you have to read, Prison on Fire is a good movie for you.

one of the films that made Chow great...
Audiences used to Western style cinema might poo-poo at the melodramatic sentiments of this film. It is melodramatic and at times unrealistic (I mean how many times can a guy get beaten but not die? ) but it is also without a doubt different. This is not an American prison film by any means which is reason enough to watch it. Also despite the gritty violence that Ringo Lam is known for, this is not a Midnight Express type film. Sure, there is the bad guard but there are also good guards.

Chow plays a kind hearted prisoner who knows the system. He takes the naive Tony Leung Ka Fai and helps him get through his prison term. Despite the closeness of the men's friendship in prison, there is no subtext (just as there isn't meant to be one in John Woo's HK films)

Chow is at his best here and shows why he is such a respected actor in the East. His expressions and mannerisms are excellent and help make Prison on Fire such a good film. Some of the expressions Chow used in this film and his other HK classics are used sporadically and unevenly in The Corruptor (Chow's 2nd American film.)

Prison on Fire and City on Fire (School on Fire is the last in the trilogy) are known as Ringo Lam's masterpieces and it's easy to tell why. Prison is a fast paced film with loads of heart. The fighting among prisoners and among guards is quite something to watch. It's a prison film with chinese ideals of chivlary, honor and friendship among men. One could even make a case for it being a film with John Wooism themes with out the ballet. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Ho hum.
The production of Francis Drake consists of a narration, some live action monologues, beautiful costumes, and nice close-ups of antique maps. The acting by the Francis Drake character, and other characters, consists mainly in a number of poses. There is little real dialogue, just mainly monologues by the actors. Francis Drake's speech is somewhat easy to understand, but there is a young, blond-haired actor who plays some other character, whose speech is unintelligible. At one point, the Queen Elizabeth character talks to herself by a window, posing stiffly. Wouldn't if have been better to have her talking with some other character? This picture could be helped a bit if it allowed you to activate captions, since the actor's speech is not well recorded. The scenes of the ship, both inside and out, are lovely and inspiring. However, there are no scenes of the ship (Golden Hinde) in the proximity of any other ships, and there are no scenes of it docking near any beaches or towns. Hence, the production as a whole gets a little monotonous. The production could be improved by a few dialogues involving two actors, an argument or two, a short debate, some amusing banter. The company that made this video made a large series of videos on historic persons. Unfortunately, I also bought their version of King Alfred the Great. It too, has monotonous monologues, and speech that is not well recorded.

THE ADVENTURERS!
Here is an international SPY THRILLER from director RINGO LAM! Starring ANDY LAU as a young Cambodian who heads to San Francisco's CHINATOWN twenty years after seeing his parents killed by a TREACHEROUS CIA AGENT! Now the killer has become a CRIME BOSS and now Wai Lok-yan, now known as MANDY CHAN, is going to get his revenge! Co-starring the lovely ROSAMUND KWAN! Not as much action as you would expect from a HONG KONG film, but, HEY! They can't all be good! ALSO you will be outrageously happy to know that this DVD includes both the CANTONESE and MANDARIAN soundtracks!

Video Review of "Sir Francis Drake"
This British filmed documentary depicts historical events in Sir F.Drake's early days as a privateer, the famous circling the globe in the "Golden Hind" ship during 1577-1580,his relationship with Queen Elizabeth I,the defeat of the Spanish Armada at his hands and ultimately his shipboard demise.The movie may be a nice addition for Drake, Naval or Anglophile historians, libraries or schools.There is a lot of footage of the replica "Golden Hind" ship on the high seas with English actors in 16th Century clothing recounting the drama of the events. This is not the most action packed historical documentary.There are no fancy computer graphics or elaborate fight scenes with the Drake's foes but the producers did a commendable job recounting Drake's storied life.

Shackleton - The Search for Good Video Documentation
As one thirsty to find good video content on Shackleton's legendary expedition to Antartica, I am especially interested in Hurley's (Shackleton's photographer on his Endurance voyage) motion picture images, said to exist and to be used to document that trip. Unfortunately, this video has (little or) no footage of Hurley's moving pictures, but does contain the most famous still photos. Perhaps the weakest part of the video is the periodic dramatization, in a studio, of the life threatening circumstances. The snow and setting are obviously fake and don't convey the sense of suffering and harsh conditions under which the expedition labored. On the positive side, the video does a good overall bio on Shackleton, presenting him in a positive light, and showing something of the extraordinary nature of his character. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Very good movie
This movie is alot different than van damme's usual movies. This movie has a more serious plot. Him and his wife are living in russia becasue van damme has to work there. his wife is murdered and when van damme takes the killer to court, they let the killer off, due to lack of evidence. Van damme comes out of the room takes a pistal and kills him right outside the court doors. He is sent to a jail where the people where the guards dont give a crap about the people in the prison. There are many fight battles. The battles come about when either 2 men want to fight against each other, or the guards want to pick 2 fighters. The owner of the prison bets on the winner and thats how he makes money. This movie has good acting, action scenes and realism. This is a must see, for all movie fans.

Worth Buying 4 1/2 Stars
Well I guess I'll do a review too.

Reading the plot outline to IN HELL, it would be easy to assume that it's just another typical Jean-Claude Van Damme fancy kicks, buttock shots, big guns festival. But much to my surprise, it wound up being a deep, gritty, poignant, intense and mature picture instead. Who knew? After the abysmal DERAILED (his worst film along with STREETFIGHTER), the Muscles from Brussels returns to top form in what is his best movie since REPLICANT and probably his strongest performance ever. This bitter pill punched hard with its unrestrained display of human ugliness, gripping symbolism and brutal violence which itself was dipped in philosophy and a sadness stricken aura. The films "ace" though was that it played it mainly as an engaging character-driven piece about one mans loss of his soul and his tortuous journey in prison to regain it. Thankfully, J-C was up to the task. I felt his characters pain, gulped a few times and was rooting for the main man the whole way.

Visually, the movie also came out a big winner with its strong showing of exquisite photography, stylish/creative shots and an intoxicating morbid atmosphere. Think David Fincher (SEVEN) like. And the fight sequences, you may ask? Well, we're treated to a different flavor than the usual Van Damme here. Gone are the "show off" aerial kicks that wouldn't hold up in a real fight and present is a more grounded style of fighting that reinforced the films realism and emotional impact. Sadly, parts of the script weren't up to par. Without the minor plot holes, the various prison movie cliches, the obvious devices to communicate substance and the tacky "ghost" appearance, the flick would've reached a higher level of quality. But in the end, I was still genuinely moved, impressed and highly entertained by IN HELL. It transcended its faults and affected me on many levels. Way to go, Jean-Claude

Very good prison action/drama
I'm really sick of reading these negative 2 to 1 star reviews of this film by people who are pissed there are no high flying kicks. HELLO this is NOT a popcorn action film, it's more of a drama with REALISTIC depictions of prison fighting. It's like watching Keanu Reeves in "Something's Gotta Give," a romantic comedy, then being pissed he wasnt busting out guns or kicking people like in the Matrix. Give the movie a bad rating because it fails in some way, NOT because you think it should have more chop-socky fighting.

All that aside, I was very surprised by this film. After the unwatchable "Order" and tear-jerkingly horrendous "Derailed," I had lost hope for Van Damme, but "In Hell" is possibly one of his best films and one of the most effective prison dramas in the last few years. The cinematography and directing is great, thanks to Ringo Lam, a very underrated Hong Kong director, and the acting is very good as well. Van Damme has grown as an actor, and it shows in this film. Also look for a cameo by actor Paulo Tocha(Paco, the arrogant kickboxer from Bloodsport) as Victor.

Van Damme is Kyle, a man jailed in a Russian prison for killing the murderer of his wife. The wardens set up illegal fights inside the prison, and Van Damme struggles to survive inside while maintaining his humanity.

The fights are brutal and VERY realistic. They mirror real fights you would see in the streets or in UFC and other full contact events, which means elements of grappling and ground fighting are heavily utilized. This adds that much more to the realism of the film and shows Van Damme's versatility as a martial artist. In Derailed we saw some Ju-Jitsu and grappling from Van Damme, but he showcases these skills more heavily in this film.

Do not rent or buy this film if you are looking for mindless action and high flying split kicks like in other Van Damme movies, but DO rent or buy it if you want to see a gritty and well directed prison drama with some realistic and brutal fights.

Please Support This
Please support this movie. In Hell is a movie that attempts to fill it's dark, prison combating with more than meets the eye, and even though In Hell isn't an entirely successful picture it is infused with enough ingredients to warrant multiple viewings. I mean you've got to give Van Damme credit after all these yrs, and flops, he's still bustin it and genuinely trying to make a non inferior product, sure he's got to pay the bills but one gets the feeling that with this movie it's also still about creativity and entertainment.

BEST
i freaking love this movie its one of his best ive seen from this time. Replica was cool and this one was something i wasnt expecting . FOR all u SO CALL FANS SAY O THIS SUCKED CASUE NO FIGHTING. u GUYS ainT FANS NOTHING BUT PU$$Y$. EVERYONE this movie is great good plot cause most prison are like that. nice fighting. and acting aint that bad. MAKes HIM LOOK LIKE A WIMP its a damn movie
beside he dosnt know any really moves cause he a fake A ACTOR not like JET LI he the real thing anyways good movie must watch then if u want BUY. ... Read more