Bloodsport / Timecop Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Bloodsport / Timecop Blu-ray Movie Review

Double the Van Damme, twice the guilty pleasure.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 29, 2010

The cinematic landscape could do with a few more movies like Bloodsport and Timecop, two of the most unpretentious Action flicks of the past several decades and arguably the two movies that form the pinnacle of the career of one of the genre's top stars, Jean-Claude Van Damme (Universal Soldier: Regeneration). Fans might passionately and not without merit counter that argument with the likes of Universal Soldier, Sudden Death, Hard Target, and Kickboxer as the actor's finest, but for Van Damme in the raw and in top physical form (Bloodsport) and in his most polished movie (Timecop), they don't get any better than what's included in this latest two-fer from Warner Brothers. Unfortunately for fans of the JCVD star, this double bill gets the royal shaft from Blu-ray's biggest but also most inconsistent studio. Fans will applaud the included lossless soundtracks, find the positives in the mid-grade 1080p transfers, but balk at the complete absence of extra content. Nevertheless, it's the movies that matter most; whether they're accompanied by umpteen hours of bonus features or not, that they've made it to Blu-ray and look and sound worlds better than anything found on home video releases past is the real headline here.

Damme!

Bloodsport
Rating: 3.5/5

I love anything full contact.

American Frank Dux (Van Damme) has skipped out on his duties for Uncle Sam to partake in a deadly underground no-holds-barred martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. The "Kumite" attracts fighters from all over the world, but this year's tournament is all about defending champion Chong Li (Bolo Yeung), a fighter known for his crippling power and no mercy style of combat. While in Hong Kong, Frank dodges two American law enforcement officials (Norman Burton and Forest Whitaker) with orders to bring Frank back to the States ASAP. He also befriends both a grizzly XL American named Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb) who's in town to participate in the tournament and a female reporter named Janice Kent (Leah Ayres) who's hoping to find a good story about the dangers of the Kumite. Frank quickly finds himself an inviting target for his fellow Kumite warriors and must fight with everything he has and all he's learned from his boyhood master, a Japanese-American named Senzo Tanaka (Roy Chiao). With more than pride on the line, Frank fights his way through a series of tough opponents, and the stars seem bent on aligning for a final showdown between the honorable Dux and the malicious Li, a fight that's going to be one for the record books.

Bloodsport represents everything the long-since deceased but never forgotten Cannon Group -- the symbol of 1980s action, purveyors of delectable cheese-as-film, and home to such beloved franchises as Missing in Action and American Ninja -- was all about. Here's a movie that's got it all, a quintessential mid-budget 1980s martial arts Action flick that's red, white, and blue through and through and that perfectly captures what the decade was all about. Built around a very basic good guy-bad guy permise that pits the diminutive but strong-willed and unassuming hero who fights only for honor against the larger-than-life, mean-spirited villain who fights for his own personal gain and to prove his worth as the world's best fighter was a constant theme through the decade; whether The Karate Kid or even Van Damme's own Kickboxer -- the latter picture little more than a lesser clone of Bloodsport -- Action movies seemed either all about the little guy fighting the odds or the larger-than life heroes played by the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger taking out the trash like nobody's business. The 1980s was all about extremes, and Bloodsport is no exception.

Indeed, Bloodsport doesn't do anything that's not pushed to the extreme. Whether over-the-top acting, montage overload, destructive slow-motion violence, and exaggerated body and facial expressions, Bloodsport milks its every element for all that they're worth, and the result is a movie that's downright goofy but that's still centered around an undeniably alluring heart and soul that makes it impossible to ignore and likely to engender in its viewers a stand-up-and-cheer reaction. Bloodsport stirs its audiences' most basic emotions of right and wrong; the picture paints its characters to such extremes that there's no gray area to be found amongst them, allowing viewers to effortlessly sort out hero and villain and promote a basic sense of satisfaction whenever good overcomes evil. Otherwise, Bloodsport has no real redeeming qualities other than as an example of 1980s Cannon Group filmmaking and as mindless entertainment that still holds up today not as a serious Action picture but as a beacon of cheesy goodness that's more fun and more honest in what it wants to accomplish than are many others of its kind. It might not be the best martial arts Action movie out there, but there's nothing but love and sincerity behind every frame, making Bloodsport a movie that works despite is numerous flaws and a style that doesn't hold up all that well under a dispassionate critical eye.

Timecop
Rating: 3.5/5

There is never enough time.

In the year 1994, time travel is no longer a theory but instead a stunning accomplishment of science. Though travel forward through time isn't possible, travel into the past has become a reality, and with that reality comes the dangers of manipulating the past to alter the present. To protect time and maintain the status quo, the government has erected the Time Enforcement Commission, or TEC, to safeguard the past. The organization is sponsored by a young Senator named Aaron McComb (Ron Silver, Blue Steel) who immediately sees the potential in wielding control over the TEC and using it to his personal advantage. Meanwhile, D.C. cop Max Walker (Van Damme) has accepted a position at the new agency, but before he can start, his life is irreversibly altered when he's attacked and his wife (Mia Sara) is murdered. Ten years pass. McComb is on the verge of buying the Presidency, and Walker is a hotshot TEC agent who's learned that the Senator is manipulating time to amass the funds he needs to become President, all the while working to shut down the TEC for good. Walker becomes embroiled in a deadly engagement with McComb and his cronies that spans a decade and has repercussions for each man that will come to define both their pasts and futures.

As insignificant to the overall plot as it may be, Timecop is probably best remembered for its opening sequence that's one of the flat-out coolest in Action movie history. A driving rainstorm is the setting for a Civil War-era shootout between a handful of Rebels transporting a stash of General Lee's gold and a lone gunman wielding a couple of automatic pistols wearing bulky laser sights. It's the kind of stuff that only exists in fantasy, but Timecop serves up one of the neatest "what if" scenarios ever captured on film. While the rest of the movie doesn't quite live up to that level of excellence, Timecop is nevertheless a fun and energetic Sci-Fi/Action movie that's aged rather well and is arguably the most technically proficient and most intelligent movie in the Jean-Claude Van Damme canon. Of course, that's like picking out the nicest frozen dinner out of the Wal*Mart freezer; they're all pretty much identical but there's always that one that stands out with a pretty box and that manages to taste just a bit better than the rest. Timecop certainly has its faults -- namely in the form of plot holes big enough to drive a time machine through, various liberties taken with the science as it's presented in the film, and, oddly enough, time management in the form of a bomb on a countdown that lasts several minutes longer than its readout suggests -- but it overcomes them with a decent enough story, good special effects, and quality acting from its leads.

Timecop, like Bloodsport and, honestly, almost any Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, is best enjoyed as a mindless guilty pleasure where leaps in logic and impossible plot developments are met with an understanding that it's just a fun Action movie and not some theorem on what might really happen in a world where time travel exists. Everything in Timecop is plausible enough to lend to the picture an air of credibility within its established parameters. The movie still works in that regard, even if time hasn't been too kind to several of its less-critical components, such as the mostly ridiculous futuristic weapons and vehicles and JCVD's kickin' hairdo. Fortunately, the cast is uniformly good and, in a few instances, excellent. Van Damme impresses in what might be his best raw performance as a troubled TEC agent with the technology to change his past at his fingertips but the honor and respect for the natural course of things in his heart to keep him from fiddling with time. Ron Silver steals the show as the devious Senator McComb; he's superb as both the heartless Presidential candidate and the confused young Senator who at several junctures comes into contact with his future self. Mia Sara plays the part of Walker's wife well, and Bruce McGill's turn as TEC Director Matuzak is seamless and believable, particularly in the way he and Van Damme so effortlessly convince the audience of their longtime friendship, a credit to both their efforts and Mark Verheiden's surprisingly tight and well-constructed script.

Bloodsport / Timecop Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bloodsport
Rating: 3/5

Bloodsport's 1080p Blu-ray transfer isn't one that miraculously makes the movie look brand new, but it does breathe new life into the Van Damme classic and represents the best the film has ever looked for home viewing. It's a transfer not without drawbacks -- there are some noticeably soft and fuzzy elements, slightly blooming whites, and orange flesh tones -- but most of the movie looks rather good, all things considered. Detail comes off as flat and lifeless in some scenes, but borders on the exemplary in others, particularly those scenes shot during the daylight hours that showcase various Hong Kong exteriors. Otherwise, faces, clothing, and other assorted objects clearly benefit from the resolution afforded them by the 1080p transfer, but rarely does the image flat-out dazzle. Clarity is generally strong and the color palette is balanced but not eye-catching. Bloodsport by its very nature seems like a visually uninteresting picture; Warner Brothers' 1080p transfer does the material justice, and fans can rest assured that this is about the best the film has ever looked for home viewing.

Timecop
Rating: 3/5

Timecop travels onto the Blu-ray format with a steady but underwhelming 1080p transfer. Though it occasionally appears a bit over-sharpened, Warner Brothers' transfer yields a highly watchable Blu-ray image that shows the film's age but nevertheless allows it to benefit from the 1080p treatment. Detail isn't going to wow anyone who's seen more than a handful of high-def discs, and the film sports a fairly muted color palette that's not going to dazzle the senses, but both prove adequately reproduced through the course of the film and within the context of its intended appearance. Moderate grain and some background noise are seen over the image, but Timecop's transfer is also accompanied by several noticeable but not transfer-destroying problems: blacks tend to be too absorbing, flesh tones capture a red tint, whites occasionally bloom, minor compression artifacts occasionally enter into the equation, and several pops and speckles appear intermittently through the movie. It's certainly not a great transfer, but neither is Timecop a disaster on Blu-ray; fans still clinging to old LaserDisc versions or non-anamorphic DVD copies would be wise to upgrade.

Bloodsport / Timecop Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bloodsport
Rating: 2.5/5

Warner Brothers pounds out a decent enough DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack for this release of Bloodsport. Range is limited and clarity is often left wanting, but Warner's audio presentation generally serves the movie well enough. This is a fairly robust mix that's not lacking volume, with music and sound effects competing to see which can be the loudest. Fortunately, things never get out of hand, and the result is an engaging and fun track that, like the movie it accompanies, lacks spit-and-polish but more than makes up for its shortcomings in effort. There's a slightly unnatural pitch to some dialogue elements, making them sound detached from the image rather than part of it, but such instances are rare. Atmospherics are steady across the two channels, with the track doing just enough to create a noticeable environment in several locales. Unfortunately, it's just not enough to completely absorb the listener into the bustling Hong Kong streets or the rowdy underground tournaments. Bloodsport won't stretch the limits of audio engineering or give even the most modest of sound systems much of a workout, but Warner's lossless DTS track gets the job done without being too much of a disappointment.

Timecop
Rating: 3.5/5

Timecop blasts onto Blu-ray with a potent but not quite perfect DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is certainly aggressive and loud -- evidenced from the get-go during the opening Civil War sequence with room-filling rain and automatic weapons fire -- but it lacks that pinpoint spacing and absolute clarity that define the top soundtracks. The surround channels are put to good use throughout in support of both atmosphere and action-oriented effects. Neither are supremely convincing, but both are admirably implemented into this mid-90s Action flick's soundtrack. General ambience often sounds rather plain, but the track delivers several subwoofer-happy moments accompanying the bass-heavy time travel sound effects. The low end lacks the precision of the finest tracks, but it's in no way sloppy or undefined, either. A few directional effects add some spice to the mix, while dialogue is steady and never in competition with other elements. Much like its video transfer, Timecop's soundtrack is a step above anything found in previous releases, but this DTS track doesn't magically make things immeasurably better.

Bloodsport / Timecop Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are included with either film.

Bloodsport / Timecop Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bloodsport and Timecop are the very definition of "guilty pleasure." They're mindless but well-made action flicks that boast good acting and intriguing story lines, a recipe for success that allows each to achieve lofty heights amongst their mid-grade Action movie brethren. Both pictures have withstood the test of time on their own merits and thanks to fan bases that can look past whatever shortcomings may exist and simply enjoy the movies as they were meant to be seen and without any preconceived notions that these pictures strive to be anything more than good old-fashioned entertainment without any excess baggage or unrealistic visions of grandeur. Neither is an out-and-out genre classic, but both get the job done admirably and without cause for any real complaint within the context of the Action movie landscape. Warner Brothers' double feature Blu-ray release yields passable technical specs but absolutely no extra content. Individual releases with meaty bonus features would be nice, but as it is, this is probably the best either film will look and sound for many years to come. Recommended for diehard Van Damme fans.