Death Warrant (1990)

In a violent and corrupt prison, decorated cop Louis Burke must infiltrate the jail to find answers to a number of inside murders. What he finds is a struggle of life and death tied in to his own past.

Director:

Deran Sarafian

Writer:

David S. Goyer

Stars:

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Robert Guillaume, Cynthia Gibb

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Louis Burke
Robert Guillaume	...	Hawkins
Cynthia Gibb	...	Amanda Beckett
George Dickerson	...	Tom Vogler
Art LaFleur	...	Sergeant DeGraf
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Christian 'The Sandman' Naylor
Joshua John Miller	...	Douglas Tisdale (as Joshua Miller)
Hank Stone	...	Romaker (as Hank Woessner)
Conrad Dunn	...	Konefke (as George Jenesky)
Jack Bannon	...	Ben Keane
Abdul Salaam El Razzac	...	Priest
Armin Shimerman	...	Dr. Gottesman
John Lantz	...	Sam Waldon
Hans Howes	...	Guard Keller
Harry Waters Jr.	...	Jersey

Storyline

The Canadian policeman Louis Burke is assigned in a jail to investigate some murders of prisoners and jailors. When in jail, Lois, using his outstandings martial arts, is able to save his life and make himself respected in that violent world. At last, helped by two another prisoners, he succeeds in finding the truth about the dreadful crimes.

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Plot Keywords:

prisoner | murder | jail | solitary confinement | prison guard | 

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Taglines:

In "Bloodsport" and "Kickboxer" he won it all, now there are no rules, no escape, and NOBODY'S playing games!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed before Lionheart (1990) despite being released after. Indeed, the film was delayed pending a decision over whether Cannon Films or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists should distribute.

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Goofs

When Burke is in the records room and he closes the drawer he cuts his right arm. When the guard comes in and Burke is on the bulkhead, his left arm is bleeding.

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Quotes

Louis Burke: Great. Now we have all the assholes in one room.

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Alternate Versions

The film was cut to receive an M rating in Australia for its theatrical release. The cuts were later restored for an uncut R rated video release.

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Connections

References Midnight Express (1978)

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Soundtracks

Bring Me a Dream
Written by Martha Davis and Gary Chang
Performed by Craig Thomas
Produced by Gary Chang and Curt Taylor

User Reviews

Lethal injections...

A police officer goes undercover in a prison to discover why inmates are disappearing at a fast rate. The investigation is going all fine and dandy until the serial killer that this particular cop caught is transfered therefore putting him in jeopardy and blowing his cover. Good thing the cop knows kickboxing. This is one of Jean-Claude's lesser efforts, it lacks the overall excitement of Bloodsport and Kickboxer as well as the visceral enjoyment provided by his later movies like Universal Soldier and Hard Target. The story itself is too routine and although at times Death Warrant has a grisly twist that give it a jolt, Death Warrant is very forgettable stuff. I myself enjoy a good action flick but I like them more upbeat and it's only the action sequences which make this mildly diverting.

* * out of 4(Fair)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dusted

Filming Locations:

413 East 7th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,019,902, 16 September 1990

Gross USA:

$16,853,487

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,853,487

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Films, Cannon Group, Pathé Pictures International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1