Maximum Risk (1996)

Director:

Ringo Lam

Writer (WGA):

Larry Ferguson (written by)

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

The Other Side of Safety.

Plot:

A policeman takes his twin brother's place and inherits his problems and a beautiful girlfriend. He...

Plot Keywords:

Russian Mafia | Twin | Mafia | New York | FBI

Cast

Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov
Natasha Henstridge	...	Alex Minetti
Jean-Hugues Anglade	...	Sebastien
Zach Grenier	...	Ivan Dzasokhov
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Agent Pellman
Frank Senger	...	Agent Loomis
Stefanos Miltsakakis	...	Red Face
Frank Van Keeken	...	Davis Hartley
David Hemblen	...	Dmitri Kirov
Stéphane Audran	...	Chantal Moreau
Dan Moran	...	Yuri
Donald Burda	...	Nicholas
Rob Kaman	...	Morris
Herb Lovelle	...	Martin
Denis Costanzo	...	Innkeeper
Marc Estrada	...	Inspector (as Marc Estrada Tournie)
Carlo Rota	...	Bohemia Bartender
Joe Pingue	...	Bohemia Doormen
Hugh Thompson	...	Bohemia Doormen
Gloria Slade	...	Airline Steward
Jackie Richardson	...	Large Woman
Ed Sahely	...	Desk Clerk
Martine Pujol	...	Cleaning Lady
Albert Schultz	...	Anderson
Dan Duran	...	Reporter
Raymond Accolas	...	Bank Manager
Kedar Brown	...	Tough Teen
Claire Cellucci	...	Yuri's Girlfriend
John Bayliss	...	Kirov's Butler
Henry Gomez	...	Cab Driver
Louise Naubert	...	Secretary
Philip Wotton	...	Sebastien's Driver
Jean-Pierre Galleri	...	Paris Police Detective
Stephan Muller	...	Paris Fireman
John Nelles	...	Nervous Passenger
John Pearson	...	Guard Sergeant
Kevin Rushton	...	Guard
Sharon Bernbaum	...	Assistant Bank Manager
David Christoffel	...	Bank Security Guard
Branko Racki	...	Vladimir
Kamel Krifa	...	Boris
Brian Jagersky	...	Tim
Irene Pauzer	...	Ronnie
Peter Messaline	...	Ari
James Millington	...	FBI Boss
George Kash	...	Man in Private Room
David Turner	...	Inspector #2
Véronique Diehl	...	Mother (Villefranche Apt.)
Alain Philip	...	Morgue Attendant
Christine Manning	...	Woman in Vault
Jacques Authier	...	Priest
Charles Drummond	...	Officer at Bank
Bruno Magnes	...	Innocent Driver
Danny Lima	...	Guard #3
Lon Katzman	...	Bodyguard
Edward A. Queffelec	...	Bodyguard
Ron Van Hart	...	Ivan's Bodyguard
Brian Kaulback	...	Ivan's Bodyguard
Eugene Allin	...	Val
Armin Konn	...	Petrie
Svetlana Medianik	...	Club Bohemia Singer
Andrei Smal	...	Club Bohemia Band
Alexander Kanewsky	...	Club Bohemia Band
Mikhael Ziskine	...	Club Bohemia Band
Andrei Denga	...	Club Bohemia Band
Arkadii Kaplan	...	Club Bohemia Band
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Broitman	...	Dmitri
Rob Diem
Roman Itkin	...	Sasha
Jordan-Patrick Marcantonio
Lawrence Seguin	...	...
Jay Zaidi	...	Shot Victim

Directed by
Ringo Lam

Writing credits (WGA)
Larry Ferguson		(written by)

Produced by
Roger Birnbaum	....	executive producer
Jason Clark	....	co-producer
Limor Diamant	....	associate producer
Moshe Diamant	....	producer
Richard G. Murphy	....	associate producer
Eugene Van Varenberg	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Robert Folk

Cinematography by
Alexander Gruszynski		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bill Pankow

Casting by
Deborah Brown

Production Design by
Steve Spence		(as Steven Spence)

Art Direction by
Peter Grundy

Set Decoration by
Jaro Dick

Costume Design by
Joseph A. Porro		(as Joseph Porro)

Makeup Department
Katalin Elek	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Nicolette Beasley	....	post-production supervisor
Dimitri Foresta	....	assistant production manager
Bernard Mazauric	....	production manager: Nice
Géraldine Polveroni	....	assistant unit manager
Regina Robb	....	unit manager: Nice
Steve Wakefield	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jeff J.J. Authors	....	first assistant director
Stephen Bélanger	....	third assistant director
Cynthia Clayton	....	second assistant director
Luc Etienne	....	first assistant director: second unit
T. Sean Ferguson	....	second assistant director: second unit
Xavier Gens	....	trainee assistant director
Gil Kenny	....	second assistant director
Alex Kramarchuk	....	first assistant director: second unit
Katrina Lee	....	dga trainee
Patrick Murphy	....	trainee assistant director
Boris Pessine	....	assistant director
Charlie Picerni	....	second unit director
Eric S. Potechin	....	second second assistant director (as Eric Steven Potechin)

Art Department
Daniel R. Bradette	....	property master
Christian Calviera	....	art director: Nice
Tom Doherty	....	set designer
Wayne Jacques	....	set decorator: reshoot
Wayne Jacques	....	set dresser
Marilyn Kiewiet	....	second assistant art director
Matthew Lammerich	....	key scenic artist
Damien Lanfranchi	....	art director: Nice
P.K. MacCarthy	....	storyboard artist
Paul Maiello	....	carpenter
David Maltese	....	props
Simon McGuire	....	art director: Canada
Jeff Poulis	....	assistant property master
Manu Poupard	....	swing gang
John 'Butch' Rose	....	assistant set decorator
Hervé Schrub	....	prop buyer
Robert S. Smith	....	on-set carpenter
Leslie Tomkins	....	art director: Nice
Paul Williams	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Stephen Barden	....	dialogue editor
Joe Bracciale	....	assistant sound editor
Keith Elliott	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paula Fairfield	....	supervising sound effects editor
Nelson Ferreira	....	adr editor
Nelson Ferreira	....	sound supervisor
Glen Gauthier	....	sound mixer
Paul Germann	....	sound editor
Chris Kellet	....	boom operator
Bruce Litecky	....	sound mixer: US unit
Jill Purdy	....	assistant sound editor
Scott Purdy	....	sound re-recording mixer
Scott Shepherd	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Switzer	....	boom operator
Brad Zoern	....	foley recordist
Jean Pourchier	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Don White	....	additional sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Danny Cadow	....	wire effects technician
Cornellius Carroll	....	wire effects technician (as Cornelius T. Carroll)
Simon Cockren	....	special effects technician
Louis Craig	....	special effects supervisor: Nice
Mario Dumont	....	special effects senior technician
Daniel Gibson	....	special effects technician (as Dan Gibson)
Robert Harman	....	wire effects supervisor
Graham Hills	....	second unit special effects technician
Jeff Jarvis	....	special effects supervisor
Gary Kleinsteuber	....	special effects technician
Kaz Kobielski	....	special effects foreman
Mark Lawton	....	pyrotechnician
Tanya Lemke	....	special effects assistant
Graham Longhurst	....	special effects supervisor: Nice second Unit
Martin Malivoire	....	special effects supervisor
Mark Rice	....	pyrotechnician
Matthew Roberts	....	special effects technician
Terry Sonderhoff	....	special effects technician
Dean Stewart	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Brian Conlon	....	digital effects supervisor
Henry Kline II	....	visual effects supervisor
Debbie Nathanson	....	visual effects coordinator
Trent Shumway	....	digital artist
Trent Shumway	....	roto artist

Stunts
Lloyd Adams	....	stunts
Roy T. Anderson	....	stunts (as Roy Anderson)
Marco Bianco	....	stunts
Rémi Canaple	....	stunts
Patrick Cauderlier	....	co-stunt coordinator
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunts
John Cenatiempo	....	stunts
Phil Chiu	....	stunts
Russ Cocchiaro	....	stunts
Shelley Cook	....	stunt performer
John Copeman	....	stunts
Len DeVirgilio	....	stunts (as Lenny DeVirgilio)
Wayne Downer	....	stunts
Frank Ferrara	....	stunts
C.J. Fidler	....	stunts
Dominique Fouassier	....	stunts
Frankie 'G' Garbutt	....	stunts
Eric Gauchy	....	stunts
Errol Gee	....	stunts
Ted Hanlan	....	stunt wrangler: Canada
Gene Hartline	....	stunts
Don Hewitt	....	stunts
Mic Jones	....	stunt double
Dominique Julienne	....	stunts
Rémy Julienne	....	stunt coordinator
Maria R. Kelly	....	stunts (as Maria Kelly)
Danny Lima	....	stunt performer
Michael R. Long	....	stunts
Pascal Lopez	....	stunts (as Pasquel López)
Steve Lucescu	....	stunt double
V. Marshman	....	stunts
Darren Marsman	....	stunts
Darren Marsman	....	utility stunts
Pascal Mercuri	....	stunts
Charlie Picerni	....	action sequence choreographer (as Charles Picerni)
Charlie Picerni	....	stunt coordinator (as Charles Picerni)
Marilyn Picerni	....	stunts
Paula Picerni	....	stunts
Steve Picerni	....	stunts
Edward A. Queffelec	....	stunt performer
Robert Racki	....	stunts
Herb Reischl Jr.	....	stunt double
Bryan Renfro	....	stunts
Christophe Roblin	....	stunts
Eric Romagoni	....	stunts
Moris Santia	....	stunts (as Moris Maurizio Santia)
Steve Santosusso	....	stunts
Suzanne Smith	....	stunts
John Stead	....	stunt performer
Mark Stefanich	....	stunt double: Mr. Van Damme
Peter Szkoda	....	stunts
Robert Thomas	....	stunts
Nancy Young	....	stunt double: Louise Naubert
Nancy Young	....	stunt double: Natasha Henstridge (as Nancy L. Young)
Chuck Zito	....	stunts
Mic Jones	....	fire stunt rigger (uncredited)
Eliot Sash	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Barry	....	camera operator: New York
Klemens Becker	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Eric Bornes	....	assistant camera
Laurence Bortnick	....	camera trainee
Jayson Clute	....	second assistant camera
Daniel C. Cook	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera: New York and Philadelphia
Mark Cyre	....	first assistant camera
Cylvan Desrouleaux	....	camera loader
Robert Fraisse	....	director of photography: second unit
Candide Franklyn	....	dolly grip
Michael Ginsburg	....	still photographer: USA
Tim Guinness	....	gaffer
Jean Harnois	....	camera operator: second unit
Mike Kirilenko	....	key grip
Ardy Lam	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Michael Leonard	....	additional first assistant camera
A. Lee Morris	....	second assistant camera: second unit, New York
Gary Muller	....	first assistant camera: New York second unit
Christopher Murphy	....	video assist operator: Philadelphia
Keith Murphy	....	Steadicam operator
Keith Murphy	....	camera operator: "a" camera
David Niven	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Tom Priestley Jr.	....	director of photography: second unit (as Tom Priestley)
Jacques Renoir	....	camera operator: second unit
Jean-Pierre Supe	....	first assistant camera
Frédéric Vial	....	second assistant camera
Tim Weston	....	grip
Tom Weston	....	camera operator: New York (as Tom G. Weston)
Kris Wood	....	video playback operator
Robbi Hinds	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)

Casting Department
Jon Comerford	....	casting: Toronto
Laurence Lustyk	....	casting director: Paris
Caroline Mazauric	....	casting director: Nice
Jane Rogers	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Cori Burchell	....	wardrobe supervisor
Madeleine Stewart	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Lara Johnston	....	assistant film editor
Rob MacKinnon	....	trainee assistant editor
Cathy Rait	....	color timer
Annellie Rose Samuel	....	additional film editor

Music Department
Richard Bernard	....	musician: balalaika
Jon Kull	....	orchestrator
Stephanie Lowry	....	assistant music editor
Jay B. Richardson	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Ted Nobles	....	personal driver: J.C.V.D.

Other crew
Glennis Bastien	....	assistant production coordinator
Michael Blecher	....	assistant location manager
Colin Cumberbatch	....	production coordinator
Scott Currie	....	location manager: Philadelphia
Sebastian Dove	....	production assistant
Tim Downs	....	assistant location manager
Dimitri Foresta	....	assistant production manager
Lara Fox	....	script supervisor
Daniel S. Frisch	....	production accountant
Mathew Hart	....	location manager
Bobbie Johnson	....	production accountant
Xavier Legris	....	location manager
Derrick Loris	....	location assistant
Joel Maytie	....	accountant
Mark McFadden	....	location production assistant
Veronica Miller	....	location production accountant
Charlie Picerni	....	action sequence choreographer (as Charles Picerni)
George Ploszczansky	....	unit security: Jean Claude Van Dame
Bruce Roberts	....	production assistant
Howard Samuelsohn	....	speech coach
Todd Senofonte	....	photo double: Van Damme
Dwayne Alexander Smith	....	location assistant: New York (as Dwayne A. Smith)
Beverly Sutton	....	production coordinator
Samantha Timmerman	....	script supervisor
Al Valentine	....	location manager: New York
Charles Washington Jr.	....	production assistant: Philadelphia
Anne Wootten	....	choreographer
Braden Wright	....	unit publicist (as Darryl Wright)
John D. Genovese	....	production assistant: New York (uncredited)
Steve Holt	....	on-set medic (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)
• Roger Birnbaum Productions (as A Roger Birnbaum Production)
• Moshe Diamant Production

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (1996) (worldwide) (all media)
• Columbia Pictures (1996) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (1996) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de España (1997) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (1996) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2000) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Network (2000) (USA) (TV)
• LK-TEL (1997) (Argentina) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2008) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Videosonic Arts (1997) (Greece) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Intrigue (special effects)
• Modern VideoFilm (special visual effects)

Other Companies

• By David's  catering
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack
• Catherine Rankin Productions Ltd.  negative cutting
• Cinema Research  titles and opticals
• Clairmont Camera  camera systems
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color
• Deluxe Post-Production  post-production facilities
• Studios de la Victorine  special thanks (as Studios de la Victorine, Nice France)
• The City of Philadelphia  special thanks (as City of Philadelphia)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, and for some sexuality and language

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby SR | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (cut) | USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | Hong Kong:III | Peru:18

Filming Locations:

Future Shop, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

"Maximum Risk" was a box-office disappointment in the U.S., but performed well in Europe, grossing almost $40 million.

Quotes:

Cab Driver:I could find a penguin in a sand storm.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gargoyle (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Strip Club Metal

Well, its not THAT bad...

After watching 'Legionnaire' and 'Death Warrant', I finally get back to a movie in which Van Damme gets to do a lot of what he does best: kick lots of random people in the head. I always knew I was easily amused, but 'Maximum Risk' really demonstrates that fact.

Van Damme plays Alain Moreau, a French cop who discovers he has a twin brother, Mikhail. Trouble is, Mikhail is suffering from a slight case of death. To find out why Mikhail was murdered, Alain must simply travel to New York (which in the tradition of 'Rumble in the Bronx', is actually Toronto), assume Mikhail's identity, and beat up as many Russian mafia goons as he can in 90 minutes. Simple, no? Awesome, no?

OK, maybe I'm talking 'Maximum Risk' up a bit. Sure, it lacks any development in story and characters, and any attempt is minimal (all are good things whenever I'm concerned), but even with Ringo Lam at the helm, this is nowhere near Van Damme's best effort. The action scenes are good, but nothing special.

'Maximum Risk' is really only for Van Damme fans. Van Damme fans who haven't seen it should check it out, but if you're looking for a more solid action movie, he has a fair few better movies around - 5/10