Knock Off

If you love Jean-Claude Van Damme, you’ll love this movie. If you like action movies, it is very likely that you will like this show. If you like explosions, gunfights, off-the-wall humor and a lot of violence, then you will enjoy this one. However, if you want a movie with a reasonably structured plot and well-developed theme, then this is a movie that you should avoid. The critics are going to give this film a poor review!

The plot of the story is inundated with twists and turns that are so unbelievable that it verges on the point of being absurd. Try to follow this story line: Marcus Ray (Jean-Claude Van Damme, “Double Team”), a sales representative for “V SIX” jeans, and his partner, Tommy Hendricks (Rob Schneider, “Judge Dredd”), are about to be busted for selling “knock off” jeans (a low-quality imitation of well-known products). Their American contact, Karan Leigh (Lela Rochon, “Waiting to Exhale”), who by the way is not only their employer but a CIA agent sent to find the mole in their operation, is threatening them with a jail term if they do not prove their innocence.

Meanwhile, Ray and Hendricks meet up with Harry Johannson (Paul Sorvino, “Bulworth”), who is a CIA agent that just happens to be a double agent for the Russian Mafia and a ringleader to the terrorists. He tells Ray that Hendricks is really a CIA agent and that they need Ray’s support. Ray and Hendricks then learn that Skinny Wang (Glen Chin, “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult”) is involved with the knock off jeans and they seek him out; which results in the death of Wang and the pursuit of angry terrorists, who are loyal to Wang. Ray and Hendricks then learn that these knock off jeans are laden with microbombs, which were developed by former KGB operatives who are in league with international terrorists that are utilizing a Russian Mafia’s scheme to bring this deadly technology to the black market and extort $100,000,000.00 in monthly revenue from the world super powers. This particular order is to be shipped to the U.S. (as if we need more jeans).

Furthermore, we discover that the CIA headquarters, in Hong Kong, is located on Lantau Island inside a huge Buddha statue. They’ve got to be kidding! At least when they finally blow it up, it is spectacular! In the end, Hong Kong is safe and so is the rest of the world.

“Knock Off” is rated “R” for the violence. There is no nudity. However, you will see a naked man in an oriental bath facing upside down in the water; a man urinating in a restroom; and Karan Leigh with her breast (fully clothed) on the mouth of Tommy Hendricks. There is, of course, the usual swear words.

I rate this film with a movie quality of 1½ and a Moral Rating of 2. The primary audience is adult. The movie style is Action/Adventure. 1998.