A Masterpiece!

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take an Van Damme underrated, bashed, hated solid action film, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.Double Team (1997) alongside with Knock Off (1998) is very underrated, bashed and hated movie, mostly for Van Damme performance. This film has received a lot of negative reviews and was a box office fail. I understand why people does not like this movie, I understand and I like it! It is not one of my top 10 favorite Van Damme movies, but I like it, even more than Knock Off. I have always enjoyed this film more than Knock Off. Double Team was Van Damme's first time filming with Chinese film director Tsui Hark, because one year later, they both made together Knock Off another underrated action movie. In my opinion beside Van Damme, Mickey Rourke and Dennis Rodman both of the actors did a solid job and performance together playing their characters. There was a lot of explosions, a lot of action scenes, and a lot of martial arts shown from Van Damme and Mickey Rourke. I like the idea, When Jack Quinn (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a former counterterrorist agent fails to catch alive a terrorist leader Stavros (Mickey Rourke) and accidentally one of his Agent's kills Stavros 6.year old son, Jack Quinn is exiled to colony for dead agents on an empty deserted island and their is no escape from this island. Stavros plot's vengeance against Quinn and takes his wife Kathryn (Natacha Lindinger ) as a hostage and her unborn child now Quinn has to escape and team with Jaz (Dennis Rodman) to get his wife back and Stavros once and for all. I love the training sequences and the music score for the movie. I liked the performance from Van Damme and Rodman, I don't think they acted stupid in this movie, they did not! I bagged my aunt to tape me this movie on VHS, when I was a teen and she did. I like this movie a lot, I like the shoot outs. Double Team was also one of my favorite Van Damme movies. Dennis Rodman and Mickey Rourke co started in this movie. About an CIA agent who misses his target and finds him self on an island for a retired agents and he finds out that his target Stavros kidnapped his wife and his unborn baby and he plans to kill them both unless Quinn escapes. Training and action sequences are excellent and Double Team is also Van Damme's action movie that I like. It is an explosive, high-tech ride. Mickey Rourke was a good bad guy. I really had no idea Paul Freeman was in this movie, he was so awesome in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), I really had no idea he was in this movie as Quinn's guardian. I like when Van Damme fight's off the tiger in the coliseum, those scenes with the tiger where fantastic. I liked that Rodman helped Quinn saving his baby, when the baby case was standing on a mine filed and Rodman saved him. The fights between Mickey Rourke and Van Damme weren't that good, but they were not that bad either. Van Damme and Mickey Rourke both differently worked in The Expendables movies. Rourke in The Expendables and Van Damme in The Expendables 2. Double Team is a 1997 action film that marked the first American movie directed by Hong Kong director Tsui Hark (A Better Tomorrow III). The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jack Quinn, a former counterterrorist agent who is exiled to a penal colony for disgraced operatives. Upon his escape, Quinn teams with an arms dealer to track down the terrorist who ruined his life. The film co-stars Dennis Rodman, Paul Freeman, and Mickey Rourke. Director Hark would later collaborate with Van Damme in 1998's Knock Off. This movie get's 6 by me, I wish I would have this movie on Blu-ray, I am probably the only one that just likes this movie. Much better than Knock Off! The training sequences from Van Damme where really kick ass and the action stunts from Van Damme where solid, so they weren't bad. Sorry Double Team is not your movie, that's okay I like it. 6/10 Grade: C- Studio: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Mandalay Entertainment Film Workshop Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, Paul Freeman, Mickey Rourke, Natacha Lindinger Director: Tsui Hark Producers: Moshe Diamant, David Rodgers Screenplay: Don Jakoby, Paul Mones Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 33 Mins. Budget: $30.000.000 Box Office: $11,438,337

If they made a sequel to Double Team, would that be four teams or three? Is math supposed to be used that way? If they made a prequel would that be one team, or no team at all? Why does Double Team make me sad? Am I sad because of Jean Claude Van Damme? Am I sad because of Dennis Rodman or Mickey Rourke? Am I sad because of the other actors who must appear in this movie? I don't know. This is one of those kinds of movies that makes you think, makes you think why, like why make this piece of sh*t movie or it makes you think how, like how can such a piece of sh*t movie get made so easily while other movies that aren't related to human excrement have such a hard time being made. Yes, questions drive us forward towards truth.

This is an odd movie. Normally, I would not give this kind of movie much of a chance, but it lured me in over some free time on a Sunday.I've liked Van Damme, but also thought he was terribly cheesy. This film showcases enough of the positives. In 1997, Van Damme was still a viable commodity, and takes this role seriously, and goes through a clichéd but well-executed transformation from down-and-out to powerful avenger. THe fight sequences are exciting and executed in a top-notch manner.The film is redeemed greatly by Mickey Rourke, who plays a brilliant villain, and this film seems to have been shot before his plastic surgery, and makes you wonder again what he was ever thinking to go through with that surgery, because his charisma just explodes off the screen.The film starts terribly weak, but gains momentum midpoint and ends well, differing from the huge majority of failed films that start strong and dwindle to a weak end. THis is its greatest liability. It simply seems so ridiculous at the start, and Rodman, not a professional actor, starts quite weak, but seems at least mostly credible by the end of the film. By the end of the film, I actually bought Rodman as an actor and was ready to see more, at least in a supporting role.THe film has some original set pieces, and what seem like reasonably advanced effects, and well-executed action sequences, that were clearly done by a more professional team than an average B movie would warrant. Of course, this wasn't meant to be a B movie at the time, and clearly had a decent budget that I doubt was recouped. There are also some odd references to the KAL shoot down of the 1980s that I was really surprised made it into this film, which gave it a brief air of credibility in the political science realm.Anyway, far from a masterpiece, and fairly clichéd, but genuinely entertaining if given a chance. Again, Rourke really makes a big difference here.

i can totally understand why some van damme fans don't like this movie, i mean apart from the cast, and the story, its a hong kong action movie, and anybody who knows anything about action cinema, know they are the kings of it. tsu hark is a brilliant director 'once upon a time in china', but i didn't think much of his other van damme collaboration 'knock off'. but gladly this movie is a lot better, and offers some top notch action, and fight scenes. sure dennis rodman looks out of place, but any movie with a smackdown vs van damme and micky rourke cant be anything but great. now a lot of the bad reviews commented on how far fetched it is, and believe me it is, but arnt most hong kong films. never the less i think its a brilliant action movie and one of van damme's best movies of the 90's i recommend