1997 / 93m - USA
Action, Sci-fi
2.5*/5.0*
Double Team poster

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June 18, 2009

2.5*/5.0*

Bad but in a somewhat adorable way. Double Team is in no sense a film with any serious pretensions, Hark makes that clear enough through some pointed details. It's generic action entertainment hoping to amuse its audience for its expected runtime. And that it does, as long as you can be a little forgiving and keep your expectations in check.

Quinn is part of an anti-terrorist unit and he's one of the best there. On his last job he fucks up and when he awakes, he finds himself on a well-guarded prison island. When he hears that the criminal he was after now has it out for his pregnant wife, he has no choice but to escape his holding place. He teams up with Yaz, but time is ticking.

When Mickey Rourke delivers the best performance of the entire cast, you can imagine what the rest looks like. The action scenes are decent (though the actual fight choreo is a bit lacking), Hark brings a little visual HK flair to the production and there's a level of self-awareness that gets you through the worst parts rather safely. Not a good film in any way, but I got a few solid laughs out of it and it was never boring.