Double Team (1997) - A wild but brainless ride - 6/10 (02/08/19)

Double Team is a movie that has as many flaws as strengths.

To start on a positive note, this explosive action movie is entertaining, fast-paced and relentless from start to finish. The chases, fights and special effects are executed with care by experienced director Tsui Hark. The characters are equally colourful and especially an expressive Dennis Rodman is quite controversial and will either be adored or hated by viewers. The locations are also flamboyant and lead us from France over Belgium to Italy and from secret islands to famous sights. The movie includes numerous nods to popular series and films, for example the hidden island which was clearly inspired by television series The Prisoner.

The movie though also has numerous flaws. The story is very flat and one sometimes wonders why the numerous characters are fighting one another at all. Despite some big names on screen, the acting performances lack depth, precision and talent as Mickey Rourke fails to play a captivating villain and lead actor Jean-Claude van Damme doesn't seem to have any emotional facial expressions. The movie also has so many goofs that it's almost ridiculous. There are especially numerous continuity errors. Dennis Rodman's hair style seems to change in every single scene.

In the end, Double Team is a dynamic, entertaining and unpretentious action movie that looks still decent more than two decades after its release. Its acting performances, numerous goofs and shallow plot prevent it from being recommendable to anyone but genre fans looking for a wild but brainless ride.