In Death Warrant, Van Damme plays a Canadian Mountie detective (why not?) who tracks a serial killer known as the Sandman to Los Angeles. Sixteen months (why not?) after taking out the Sandman, a task force in LA wants Van Damme to go undercover in a prison to help uncover why so many mysterious deaths have been happening (...why not?).
As you can tell from my parentheticals, I had a few issues with the plot of this one. I still love this movie, and it’s one of my favorite unsung Van Damme movies. But this film feels like it’s missing a half hour of plot. There’s still a lot of fun to be had with this, and the prison elements are wonderfully brutal, but I wanted to focus on some plot points, or lack thereof, this time around.
First, I’m not sure a Mountie is allowed to come down to America and take over a homicide case. Yes, they tell him to wait for back up, but how was he down here doing anything in an official capacity? And what exactly is the Canadian connection with the Sandman? So many questions.
Anyway, Van Damme shoots the Sandman plenty of times, then it cuts to sixteen months later, and he’s back in LA. But when did he go back to Canada? Were they just okay with him ignoring the order to wait for backup? And since we later find out the Sandman survived, was Van Damme not involved in the trial at all? He returns to the precinct a hero, getting high-fives and whatnot. So it seems like everyone is fine with him, and they inexplicably ask Van Damme to go undercover in prison for a task force. Let’s ignore the insane coincidence that the governor would task the mastermind of the murders with solving the problem. The bigger question is why Van Damme would agree to do this so quickly.
This bothered me so much this time around because it could have been so easily fixed. I see two ways to fix this. First, have Van Damme be in trouble with the local police for overstepping. They can say something about how he got in trouble with both the LAPD and the Mounties for this personal vendetta, and that going undercover for them could make those problems go away. Or, they could reveal that the Sandman is still alive and in that particular prison, then Van Damme has the motivation to go in there and finish the job. Hell, get rid of the silly subplot with the task force being in on the murders and just make it all the Sandman’s doings.
Despite my issues with the general premise, once Van Damme is in prison I don’t care anymore. He’s in there roundhouse-kicking dudes in the lunch line, threatening to make Larry Hankin drink piss, etc. It’s a good time, and the supporting cast is fantastic. They truly do a great job creating the world of the prison, and while the plot bogs things down from time to time, none of that matters by the time the Sandman reappears for the final battle.
Transfer and Special Features
MVD Rewind loves Van Damme as much as I do, and the transfer shows that. This looks great, and the 4K brings out every grimy detail of the prison and its inmates.
There are all the usual physical bonuses of an MVD release. There’s the slipcover, the reversible sleeve for the case if you’re into the faux-distressed look, and a mini-poster.
As for the special features, everything is ported over from a blu-ray release from a few years ago. I somehow missed that release entirely, so the interviews with Art LaFleur, Patrick Kilpatrick, and Cynthia Gibb were new to me, as was the commentary from director Deran Sarafian. It’s all decent, and any fan of the film should check it out.
Overall, as with any JCVD MVD release, this is the definitive version of the film to own, and I’m glad to have it as part of my collection.
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