Death Warrant [DVD]

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Product Description ------------------- Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as an undercover cop in this action feature. Renegade cop Louis Burke (Van Damme) poses as a prison inmate in order to investigate a series of suspicious murders in the maximum-security Harrison Penitentiary in California. Burke must use his full arsenal of martial arts skills when he uncovers the truth about the killings and is forced to attempt a daring escape after his true identity is revealed to his fellow prisoners. .co.uk Review ------------- In 1990, Death Warrant was one of several back-to-back action movies that suddenly made Jean Claude Van Damme's name a rival to Stallone's and Schwarzenegger's. Its distinction from the likes of Cyborg or Double Impact is in its firm grounding in reality. In fact, Los Angeles County Jail couldn't seem more harshly real. That's where Detective Burke finds himself going undercover to investigate a string of mysterious (and politically embarrassing) deaths. Of course, the prison environment is ideally suited to Van Damme's strengths, where he elicits sympathy as the innocent abroad during one fight sequence after another. Lots of colourful secondary characters are along for the ride, such as the enigmatic Priest, tough-as-nails peanut-shucking Sergeant DeGraf and Burke's arch nemesis, the Candyman (Patrick Kilpatrick). There's an admirable attempt at portraying the action with some panache. Light and shadow is used to good effect and every kickbox move is punctuated by a double cut. Although the script dispenses with the essential Van Damme elements in the opening seconds (he lost a partner / he's from Canada / he can kickbox), this is definitely an above-average Van Damme flick. On the DVD: The bare-s transfer offers an occasionally grainy picture in 1.85:1 ratio and a three-channel surround soundtrack. The only extra off the static menu is the original theatrical trailer. --Paul Tonks