KNOCK OFF

US/Hong Kong, 1998, 92 minutes, Colour.
Jean Claude van Damme, Rob Schneider, Lela Rochon, Paul Sorvino.
Directed by Tsui Hark.

Knock Off is a routine Jean Claude van Damme film. It was directed by veteran Hong Kong director Tsui Hark, who had also directed van Damme in Double Team.

The story is routine, the setting is Hong Kong, 1997 at the time of the hand-over, although this stays mainly in the background. The title refers to inferior imitation products, knock-offs. The focus is on a scam, however, it moves into undercover agent work, especially of the CIA and infiltration for terrorism. Van Damme is teamed with comedian Rob Schneider with Paul Sorvino emerging as the villain.

1.The popularity of Jean Claude van Damme films? The quality of this film? Working with a Hong Kong director?

2.The Hong Kong settings, the hand-over – and the glimpses of officialdom in Hong Kong and the British as well as the Chinese?

3.The title, the confidence tricks, the inferior imitation goods? Marcus and Tommy and their work together? The arrival of Karen, the American perspective? The gradual revelation of who she was?

4.Eddie Wang, gangster, the tradition of Hong Kong gangsters, the tongs? The triads? His being Marcus’s adopted brother? Karen’s plan, Marcus and Tommy and the raid, his factory?

5.Marcus as a character, his working with Tommy, Tommy as an undercover CIA agent? The work for Johansson? The CIA and the raid on the factory?

6.The bombing, Marcus and Tommy and their not being able to get in? The remote-controlled bomb? The double-dealing? Marcus and his talks with Eddie, persuading him to testify, the CIA? His defence, his giving Russians the knock-off goods?

7.The bomb, the killing of Wang? Marcus and Tommy, the investigation of Karen, the fact that she was also CIA, her mission to find a mole in the team?

8.The plan, the shipment of bombs, the CIA plans and the supervision? Marcus and Tommy, aboard the boat? The shoot-out – and Johansson as the traitor?

9.The explosion on the ship, Marcus and Tommy escaping, Johansson’s detonator – and the irony that it is accidentally set off and he is killed?

10.The satisfactory ending, Marcus and Tommy as friends, Karen, the CIA and the exposing of traitors?