![]() Walker starts out as an extremely caring but naïve police officer who suffers at the hands of evil. ![]() It may not be a huge development but it certainly offers more than the likes of Cyborg or Hard Target offered in character development. Keeping this in mind, JCVD gives one of his better acting performances with his role in Timecop and even manages to do something he rarely had done before, develop as a character. If you are expecting to see something different plot wise from this JCVD movie, you are unfortunately out of luck. In fact, that general plotline of revenge for a loved one occupies at least 13 of Van Damme’s movies (I counted I swear). Just like any other action movie from the 90’s and especially from JCVD’s filmography, we have an important character in our protagonist’s life kicking the bucket early and our grieving protagonist takes it upon themselves to become a beacon of light for humanity and get sweet revenge on those who wronged him. With regards to how Timecop’s plot develops, it is standard run of the mill stuff. It is probably the most glorious and ridiculous moment of Van Damme’s career but it is truly unforgettable in the best way imaginable. We are even treated to a glorious scene halfway through Timecop’s runtime where JCVD jumps up from a kitchen floor and does the splits on a kitchen counter to prevent himself from dying at the hands of water and electricity. For every scene focusing on time travel and the consequences of disrupting timelines, it’s countered by JCVD freezing arms and spouting, ‘Have a nice day’, before relieving baddies of their all-important body parts. One of the strongest elements of 90’s cinema was its admirable ability to charm its viewers into forgetting its faults with the promise of cheesy, over-the-top, popcorn entertainment and Timecop is a perfect example of this. If that’s not 90’s cinema, I don’t know what is. The vision of the future is cars that look like someone pasted the Millennium Falcon over a BMW in Microsoft Paint and early on, we are even treated to a Careless Whisper-esque passionate montage of flexing ass cheeks and lots of sweat dripping down backs that wouldn’t feel out of place in a MacGruber sequel. The fetish for roundhouse kicks are back of course and they look spectacular as always with JCVD sporting an impressive mullet hairstyle that sways seductively every time he lifts that leg up and spins. JCVD spews forth one-liners that would make even the most pessimistic cinema goer break a smile and chuckle uncontrollably. Timecop is the very definition of a 90’s action movie. It’s messy stuff to say the least but goddamn is it entertaining. If you feel just as confused reading that as I was typing it, we are on the right path here. Timecop follows TEC (Time Enforcement Commission) Police Officer, Max Walker (Van Damme) as he battles with the loss of a loved one, the discovery of time travel, a long list of plot holes and inconsistencies that even the time travel couldn’t fix and some nasty individuals who want to use time travel as a means of power and wealth thus causing more inconsistencies and plot holes surrounding time travel. So, what better time to analyse this underappreciated cult classic than now? That absolute diamond in the rough is Peter Hyams’ Timecop. So, 25 years on and one of Van Damme’s more substance heavy movies is about to undergo its newest milestone anniversary. The man was an action juggernaut who sculpted his entire career on slow motion roundhouse kicks, doing the splits far more than is necessary and his uncanny ability to make even the smallest of contacts look like he drove a fork-lift through someone’s face. Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Cyborg, even Double Team. But for me, my action hero growing up was none other than The Muscles From Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme. For most, it was Bruce Lee, Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger and understandably so, as Lee, Stallone and Schwarzenegger created timeless classics in the action genre and were the epitome of ‘badass’. If you are a die-hard fan of action cinema, you definitely had an action hero you watched religiously throughout your youth.
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