Blackjack (1998) (TV)

Director:

John Woo

Writer (WGA):

Peter Lance (written by)

Release Date:

12 May 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

He's just been dealt... a deadly hand.

Plot:

Dolph Lundgren plays Jack Devlin, a U.S Marshal who protects high-profile clients when it comes to a matter of security.

Plot Keywords:

Bodyguard | Phobia | Supermodel | Milk | Drug Addict

Cast

Dolph Lundgren	...	Jack Devlin
Kate Vernon	...	Dr. Rachel Stein
Phillip MacKenzie	...	Rory Gaines
Kam Heskin	...	Cinder James
Fred Williamson	...	Tim Hastings
Andrew Jackson	...	Don Tragle
Padraigin Murphy	...	Casey
Tony De Santis	...	Detective Trini
Albert Schultz	...	Derek Smythe
Janet Bailey	...	Connie Hastings
Saul Rubinek	...	Thomas
Peter Keleghan	...	Bobby Stern
Scott Nichol	...	Dealer
Géza Kovács	...	Kamenev (as Geza Kovacz)
Christie MacFadyen	...	Nicky Stern (as Christine MacFadyen)

Also Known As:

John Woo's Blackjack (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

Germany:108 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M (video premiere) | France:U (video premiere) | Germany:18 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | UK:18 (video premiere) | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Alliance Communications Corporation

Trivia:

Was intended to be the pilot (first episode) of a TV series centering on Dolph Lundgren's character.

Goofs:

Continuity: When we first see Jack's Jeep as he's driving Casey home, it has a license plate on the front. But as they pass through the gate, the license plate is missing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Making of 'Blackjack' (1998) (V)

Things blow up – but that's it…..lacking style, substance, sense or excitement. This is more like a pair of snake-eyes!

Ex-FBI agent Jack is taken on to protect the daughter of his friends from mobsters. Years later his friends are killed in an accident and Jack is left to look after Casey himself. He is also brought into a protection case by his old friend Jim. Cinder James is a model who is being threatened by her ex-husband. However the killer discovers Jack's weakness and uses it against him. Jack has a phobia of the colour white.

Yes…you heard me. The hero is scared of the colour white! That fact alone is a good indication of the film as a whole – silly nonsense that is almost laughably poor at times. My favourite scene is the one where our `hero' is rendered almost totally helpless by the sight of spilt milk! The story makes about as much effort to make sense. The opening 15 minutes just seem to be an excuse for a gun fight – the friends are killed off quickly and Casey is relegated to background character.

The main plot is silly and full of holes….if Cinder's husband is working alone (indeed he's the only one they're looking for) then who are all those guys on motorbikes who come racing out of nowhere every time there's an action scene? It's holes like this that tell you that the writers aren't even trying – all they want is a few action scenes and an excuse to make them happen! The action scenes are average at best – if I didn't know this was Woo I'd have assumed that it was someone ripping him off badly. Occasionally we have a bit of slow-mo diving around – but other than that it is pretty lacking of style.

Lungren isn't terrible, it's only in the `serious' scenes where he has problems. In the other scenes he looks like he's enjoying himself and not taking it too seriously – that helps us relax and enjoy! Heskin is an empty blonde as Cinder – didn't anyone want to give her a character?! Likewise MacKenzie doesn't have much to do as Rory – he seems lie the most interesting character in the film but he gives in to hamminess too often. Jim is a nice cameo from Fred Williamson but that's about it!

Overall this is daft, lazy and totally lacking in the style that Woo has build his reputation on. The TVM sets and actors just make it worse. To me the point where I knew for sure that this was a `bad movie' was when the doctor (played by the Z-grade Vernon) told Jack (with a look of total seriousness) that `your sunglasses are the only protection from all the white out there'. Rubbish – makes you realise how good things like `Die Xue Shuang Xiong' and `Lashou Shentan' are!