Knock Off (1998)

Action star Jean Claude Van Damme plays a fashion designer who must join forces with a C.I.A. agent to combat terrorism.

Director:

Hark Tsui

Writer:

Steven E. de Souza

Stars:

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rob Schneider, Lela Rochon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Marcus Ray
Rob Schneider	...	Tommy Hendricks
Lela Rochon	...	Karen Lee
Paul Sorvino	...	Harry Johanson
Carman Lee	...	Detective Ling Ho
Wyman Wong	...	Eddie Wang
Glen Chin	...	Skinny
Michael Wong	...	Han (as Michael Fitzegerald Wong)
Moses Chan	...	Officer Fong
Lynne Langdon	...	V-Six Secretary
Ray Nicholas	...	Karl (as Raymond Leslie Nicholas)
Jeff Wolfe	...	Skaar (as Jeff Joseph Wolfe)
Michael Miller	...	Tickler
Steve Brettingham	...	Hawkeye
Mark Houghton	...	Bear

Storyline

A Hong Kong fashion designer (Jean Claude Van Damme, if you can believe that billing) who had previously been involved in knock offs of major label merchandise, such as "Pumma" running shoes, attempts to go straight with the help of his new partner (Rob Schneider), who is secretly an undercover CIA agent involved in an investigation of the black market. Their main product, jeans, is involved in the knock offs, which brings a representative (Lela Rochon) of the American company to investigate. Paul Sorvino also appears as the head of the CIA operation in Hong Kong. However, just as Schneider is not as he initially seems, everyone in the film switches roles by film's end.

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Plot Keywords:

hong kong | cia | cia agent | market | van | 

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Taglines:

There is no substitute.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for continuous violence and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony

Country:

Aruba Hong Kong USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 September 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kontraband

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,516,231 (USA) (4 September 1998)

Gross:

$10,076,136 (USA) (30 October 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Knock Films A.V.V., MDP Worldwide, Film Workshop

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jet Li was supposed to play the role of "Inspector Han" but he turned it down last minute to do Lethal Weapon 4 instead.

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Goofs

Near the end when Lela Rochon & Rob Schneider are tied up on the cargo ship, when their characters are being rolled around on the ship and slam into a container and fall over, Lela's stunt double's ropes become untied and he waves his arms around as he falls, yet in later shots, she is shown as tied up again.

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Quotes

Harry Johanson: Once we have our little baby bombs all over the U.S., they'll be a monthly satellite bill that would make HBO green with envy. A hundred million dollars a month. And if they don't pay, we send the detonation signal... and good-bye, yellow brick road.
Tommy Hendricks: Good-bye, yellow brick road? Better buy some new CD's, Harry. It's pathetic.

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Connections

Featured in Dans la peau de Jean-Claude Van Damme (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Its a Knock-Off"
(main title)
Performed by Ron Mael and Russell Mael

User Reviews

Avant-garde Hong Kong Action

American audiences failed to appreciate one of the first serious attempts to bring pioneering Hong Kong cinematic techniques to Hollywood standards. John Woo's complete selling-out of originality to the lowest common denominator of American action films has emphatically NOT been followed by Taiwanese genius Tsui Hark. Twenty years from now, critics will look back and wonder in dismay how they could have ignored the MOST cutting edge film to be released in the 90's. "Knock Off" is this decade's "Blade Runner."

Jean-Claude Van Damme shows amazing acting range and comedic talent-at times he is reminiscent of Stoney Face Buster Keaton himself. Hark clearly learned from his weaknesses in "Double Team," this time willingly emphasizing them to get a laugh and then showing Van Damme's strengths as we've never seen them before. Rob Schneider manages to get some real acting in, a much superior sidekick role to the similar one he played in "Judge Dredd." Paul Sorvino literally chews the scenery as the mastermind Johanssen.

The camera-work is incredible. Arthur Wong takes us inside of a doll's eye, allows us to see from two angles at once, shows us x-ray shots of a sneaker's soles and utilizes freeze-frames to maximize suspense. At one point a tiny doll on a desk seems to be holding the two principles by their necks. Later their boss seems to grow to a superhuman stature as she chews them out for wasting company money.

It may take a while for this movie to be appreciated in the States, but word has it it was better appreciated in Asia. It's little surprise, this is one of the most Asian films ever to star Western actors.