Timecop (1994)

The Age of Commercialism

Excellent but underrated film

Absolutely brilliant

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"Timecop," directed in 1994 by American "2010" director Peter Hyams and adapted from the Dark Horse comic book series co-created by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden (the pair share a credit on the screen-story, while Verheiden receives sole credit on the screenplay), is a bit of an anomaly in the long-running career of its star, Belgian martial arts sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme."Timecop" was, by far, the most interesting, in terms of its story concept, visuals, and special effects, of the films that Van Damme made during his heyday in the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s. "Timecop" was also Van Damme's most critically acclaimed and most commercially successful film made during that time (it became Van Damme's first and to date, only film to surpass $100 million at the box office).Looking at the film, it's not hard to see why.This big-budget martial arts sci-fi action-thriller is by no means perfect and from a historical standpoint does represent a critical and box office high point in the career of its star - but, boy, does it deliver the goods. Looking back, I remember that "Timecop" was one film that had a lot going for it - in spite of its glaring imperfections and monstrous gaps in logic, like its numerous leaps back and forth through time and the various time travel machinations associated with it (i.e., returning to the same present that you left from, and the such).But let's not focus on that too much. Let's just concentrate on the story and Van Damme.In the year 1994, the United States government establishes the "Time Enforcement Commission" (T.E.C.) to police time travel, which has only recently become a scientific reality. Government bureaucrats are worried that time travel needs to be policed, because if the wrong parties were able to travel back in time to change history - it could send ripples through time that could threaten the whole of our existence. (The film conveniently explains that leaps into the future are not possible simply because it has happened yet.)Enter into the picture: clean-cut D.C. patrolman Max Walker (Van Damme) is about to accept a job as an agent working for the newly established T.E.C. when one night he and his wife Melissa (Mia Sara, from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off") are attacked by thugs from the future. The thugs happen to be working for Senator Aaron McComb (the late Ron Silver), an ambitious, power-hungry politician who was recently appointed to chair the T.E.C. and who in the year 2004 will enter a bid to run in that year's presidential election.In the ensuing fray, Melissa is killed, and Walker is left a widower. 10 years later, Max is indeed now a dedicated, high-ranking officer with the T.E.C., busting time-traveling criminals left & right. In the course of collaring his former partner who has traveled back to the 1930s at the height of the Great Depression to play on the Stock Market in order make himself rich in the present, Walker uncovers a conspiracy that threatens the future: Senator McComb is manipulating time travel in order to buy his way into the White House, and wants the T.E.C. decommissioned in order to remove the greatest threat to his plans.Predictably, in the course of Walker's time-traveling investigation into McComb's plot, he also stumbles onto his own tragic past and comes across a moral conundrum over whether or not to manipulate time to prevent his own personal tragedy from ever occurring - thus lending the film an emotional depth rare for Van Damme pictures made during his heyday."Timecop" is indeed a bit of a head-trip, though it isn't something that is too heady that you can't wrap your head around it. Although the film feels like a typical Van Damme outing, the time-bending plot and cool-looking time-bending (though dated) CGI effects make the film a visual and special effects marvel. Personally, this isn't my favorite Van Damme movie from that period - that honor goes to "Lionheart" (1990), followed by "Universal Soldier" (1992) and the John Woo-directed actioner "Hard Target" (1993).Jean-Claude Van Damme is great, as usual, doing his usual high-kicking (and acrobatic trademark splits) heroics in a not-too-complicated time travel sci-fi story. Mia Sara, who hasn't appeared in too many movies since then, brings the film a warmth and beauty that's tragically missed in today's time. The real stand-out is Ron Silver as corrupt Senator McComb; Silver's natural charm gives McComb an arrogance and sliminess that makes him a more than worthy adversary to Van Damme's Max Walker (even if he doesn't match him physically). He's one of those guys you love to hate.I can't end this review without putting in a plug for what I truly believe is Van Damme's greatest film ever, "JCVD" (2008), which is where you'll see a different side of Jean-Claude Van Damme, and that is a performance from the Belgian martial artist that is worthy of an Oscar. Really.Time told of "JCVD."8/10

When time travel was developed by a scientist in 1994, there was the need to create the Time Enforcement Commision (TEC) under the control of Senator Aaron McComb (Ron Silver) to protect the past from modifications. The police office Max Walker (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is invited to join the TEC, and when his wife Melissa (Mia Sara) is murdered by strangers, he accepts the invitation to work under the command of Eugene Matuzak (Bruce McGill). In 2004, Walker is assigned to capture his former partner Lyle Atwood (Jason Schombing) that is manipulating the stock market in 1929. Atwood tells that he is working for Senator McComb, who is a powerful politician that is running for president. Atwood prefers to die and does not confess that McComb is a criminal. Now Max knows the truth but McComb is changing the past and Max does not know how stop him."Timecop" is a highly entertaining film, despite the clichés and the inconsistencies. Most of the scenes are written to explore Van Damme´s skill with fights. Ron Silver performs his usual villain roleand is very effective. But better of turn your brain off and enjoy "Timecop". My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Timecop - O Guardião do Tempo" ("Timecop - The Guardian of Time")

Timecop is a really, really fun time. I haven't dealved too deep into the Van Damme filmography but I'm not sure if you'll find many better than these (although I do love Bloodsport). This one's chalk full of good action scenes with memorable deaths (I'm looking at you electrocution guy!). The acting by Van Damme leaves a lot to be desired as usual but that's not why we're here. We're here for spinning kicks and fantastic hair and we get all of that that we can handle! I love the house explosion scene, very well done. It is too bad though we don't get more of Mia Sara. She's one of the better actors in this one, alongside Bruce McGill and Ron Silver. Very good performance by Silver who plays the weaselly, corrupt politician perfectly. My one complaint though for this one is that we don't jump around in time more. We go back to the 90's a few times but it would have been nice to see the Depression era again or the Civil War or really anything older. Everything else felt too close together. Besides thus, a very enjoyable, harmless action movie that has some good fight scenes and bad one liners. I still don't get the time traveling car's function and why they don't need it to get back or the whole time travel paradox thing but hey, nothing's perfect!

Set in a future in which time travel is possible, a cop in charge of policing the process tries to stop a crooked politician from changing the past in order to alter the future in this Jean-Claude Van Damme action thriller. Some of the pseudoscience is a little shaky (especially the need of vehicles to travel to the past, but not to travel back) and not all the ripples in time stuff adds up, however, the film has plenty of interesting ideas and some magnificent anachronistic action scenes as modern weapons appear in the past, most notably Wall Street in 1929. Van Damme performs some terrific action stunts too. There is an especially remarkable moment when he jumps on a sink (it does not sound like much, but it is breathtaking to watch). Unfortunately, Van Damme is around a zero in the acting department, never really conveying much emotion and hard to listen to whenever he speaks. The filmmakers seem to know this though and Van Damme is sans- dialogue for the most part with the most memorable lines left to Ron Silver (perfectly cast and as cunning as ever). Some have written 'Timecop' off as a mere action vehicle, but great as the choreography may be, it is the scenes of Van Damme and Silver talking to their younger selves that stick out in the mind. This is a more ambitious film than it often tends to get credit for, even if it may not be a total success.