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Replicant (film)
Encyclopedia
Replicant is a 2001 action- science fiction film starring Michael Rooker
and Jean-Claude Van Damme
and directed by Ringo Lam
. It is set in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
, and Seattle, Washington, United States
. It is the second collaboration between Van Damme and Chinese action helmer Ringo Lam.
) is a serial killer
who has a penchant for killing women and then setting them on fire. Another pattern to his murders is the fact that the women are all mothers. Jake Riley (Michael Rooker
) is a Seattle police detective who has spent three years trying to stop Garrotte. Just days before Jake's retirement, Garrotte strikes again, but Jake is off the case. During his retirement party, Jake receives a call from Garrotte, who threatens to go after his friends and family. Realizing he has gone too far, he sets out to stop him.
A secret government agency hires Jake as a consultant on a project they have been working on. They have cloned Garrotte from evidence found at a crime scene, and need Jake to help train this replicant (Jean-Claude Van Damme
), who has some genetic memories from Garrotte, plus a telepathic link with him, but is like a newborn in many other respects. The Replicant has the body of a forty year old, but the mind of a child. Jake's job is to help use the Replicant to track Garrotte down by using the memories stored in Garrotte's DNA.
As the Replicant and Jake work to track Garrotte down, tension is constant. Jake feels that the Replicant could turn on him at any moment, as Garrotte's killer instinct may take over and dictate the Replicant's tendencies. The Replicant tries to understand the world and life. He tries to understand his connection with Garrotte. The replicant also tries to understand why Jake treats him so roughly. As they work together, the Replicant views Jake as either a friend or as family. Though Jake is abusive toward him, the Replicant looks to him for protection and guidance as the two close in on finding Garrotte and stopping him once and for all. Garrotte and the Replicant confront each other in a bar after Garrotte fails to kill Jake with a bomb in his apartment. Garrotte kills a bartender, but lets the Replicant live. They confront each other once again in a parking garage in a hotel. Garrotte tries to convince his "brother" that Jake cannot be trusted. Frustrated that Garrotte got away, Jake wonders why the Replicant let him go. The Replicant says to Jake, "We are the same." The replicant finds out Garrotte's real name: Luc Sevard. They go to the hospital to talk with Garrotte (Sevard's) mother, but she had died of a heart attack the night before. Garrotte wants his "brother" to join him by killing Jake, but he refuses. Jake and the killer get into a fight, leading to an Ambulance chase in the parking garage. The van crashes, but the killer escapes. He hits Jake with a shovel, and plans to burn him alive.
The film ends when the Replicant and the killer get into a fight in a furnace in the hospital. After the fight, the Replicant wants to kill Garrotte, in order to bring his mother back, but realizes that he is about to make the biggest mistake of his life. The killer hits the Replicant over the head with a shovel, which causes Riley to shoot him six times. Thinking that his "family" is gone, the Replicant knows that Jake is family now. An air conditioner, which was damaged during the fight, causes an explosion that kills the Replicant after he gets Riley out of the room. Upset by the death of his new "partner", Riley decides to retire from the force, as well as his job as a consultant.
A few weeks later, Jake now has a wife and stepson, until he sees a man in a raincoat put a package in their mailbox. Jake now knows that the Replicant is alive when they receive a music box as a gift of thanks. Jakes says to Danny that "he likes rain." The Replicant decides to start a new life with a prostitute he saved earlier in the film.
. Fans of the genre should at least give it a rental."
Earl Cressey of DVD Talk called Replicant "a decent sci-fi action flick" that's "always engaging and has some great action scenes that fans of Van Damme will certainly enjoy." John Fallon of Arrow in the Head praised the film for "[putting] the emotional aspects of the story [...] first and the action [...] second." Fallon concluded, "The film does have its snags [but I] got way more than I expected."
Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
and Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
and directed by Ringo Lam
Ringo Lam
Ringo Lam Ling-Tung , born in 1955 is a Hong Kong film director, producer and scriptwriter.He is known for gritty, dark and realistic action thrillers. He was born in Hong Kong and studied film at York University film school in Toronto...
. It is set in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Seattle, Washington, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the second collaboration between Van Damme and Chinese action helmer Ringo Lam.
Plot
Edward "The Torch" Garrotte (Jean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
) is a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who has a penchant for killing women and then setting them on fire. Another pattern to his murders is the fact that the women are all mothers. Jake Riley (Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
) is a Seattle police detective who has spent three years trying to stop Garrotte. Just days before Jake's retirement, Garrotte strikes again, but Jake is off the case. During his retirement party, Jake receives a call from Garrotte, who threatens to go after his friends and family. Realizing he has gone too far, he sets out to stop him.
A secret government agency hires Jake as a consultant on a project they have been working on. They have cloned Garrotte from evidence found at a crime scene, and need Jake to help train this replicant (Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
), who has some genetic memories from Garrotte, plus a telepathic link with him, but is like a newborn in many other respects. The Replicant has the body of a forty year old, but the mind of a child. Jake's job is to help use the Replicant to track Garrotte down by using the memories stored in Garrotte's DNA.
As the Replicant and Jake work to track Garrotte down, tension is constant. Jake feels that the Replicant could turn on him at any moment, as Garrotte's killer instinct may take over and dictate the Replicant's tendencies. The Replicant tries to understand the world and life. He tries to understand his connection with Garrotte. The replicant also tries to understand why Jake treats him so roughly. As they work together, the Replicant views Jake as either a friend or as family. Though Jake is abusive toward him, the Replicant looks to him for protection and guidance as the two close in on finding Garrotte and stopping him once and for all. Garrotte and the Replicant confront each other in a bar after Garrotte fails to kill Jake with a bomb in his apartment. Garrotte kills a bartender, but lets the Replicant live. They confront each other once again in a parking garage in a hotel. Garrotte tries to convince his "brother" that Jake cannot be trusted. Frustrated that Garrotte got away, Jake wonders why the Replicant let him go. The Replicant says to Jake, "We are the same." The replicant finds out Garrotte's real name: Luc Sevard. They go to the hospital to talk with Garrotte (Sevard's) mother, but she had died of a heart attack the night before. Garrotte wants his "brother" to join him by killing Jake, but he refuses. Jake and the killer get into a fight, leading to an Ambulance chase in the parking garage. The van crashes, but the killer escapes. He hits Jake with a shovel, and plans to burn him alive.
The film ends when the Replicant and the killer get into a fight in a furnace in the hospital. After the fight, the Replicant wants to kill Garrotte, in order to bring his mother back, but realizes that he is about to make the biggest mistake of his life. The killer hits the Replicant over the head with a shovel, which causes Riley to shoot him six times. Thinking that his "family" is gone, the Replicant knows that Jake is family now. An air conditioner, which was damaged during the fight, causes an explosion that kills the Replicant after he gets Riley out of the room. Upset by the death of his new "partner", Riley decides to retire from the force, as well as his job as a consultant.
A few weeks later, Jake now has a wife and stepson, until he sees a man in a raincoat put a package in their mailbox. Jake now knows that the Replicant is alive when they receive a music box as a gift of thanks. Jakes says to Danny that "he likes rain." The Replicant decides to start a new life with a prostitute he saved earlier in the film.
Cast
- Jean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
- The Replicant/Edward Garrotte - Michael RookerMichael RookerMichael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
- Det. Jake Riley - Catherine DentCatherine DentCatherine Dent is an American actress who has starred in film and in television. Her first feature film was the 1994 movie Nobody's Fool....
- Anne - Brandon James Olson - Danny
- Pam HyattPam HyattPam Hyatt is a voice actress who played Noble Heart Horse in 1986's The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation. More recently, she has starred in the English version of InuYasha as Kaede, guest-starred in USA Network's The Dead Zone and voices Campe and Atropos in Class of the Titans.Hyatt is the...
- Mrs. Riley - Ian Robison - Stan Reisman
Reception
Mike Jackson of DVD Verdict said, "It's far from a great film, but Replicant is quite possibly the best film Van Damme has starred in since his debut in BloodsportBloodsport (film)
Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts film directed by Newt Arnold and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb and Leah Ayres. The film is based on the claimed adventures of Frank Dux, and was followed by three sequels Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite , Bloodsport III and Bloodsport 4: The...
. Fans of the genre should at least give it a rental."
Earl Cressey of DVD Talk called Replicant "a decent sci-fi action flick" that's "always engaging and has some great action scenes that fans of Van Damme will certainly enjoy." John Fallon of Arrow in the Head praised the film for "[putting] the emotional aspects of the story [...] first and the action [...] second." Fallon concluded, "The film does have its snags [but I] got way more than I expected."