Jean-Claude Van Damme goes undercover in a prison to root out a conspiracy in 1990’s Death Warrant. The popcorn action flick, directed by Deran Sarafian and written by David S. Goyer, hits 4k & Blu-Ray via MVD Entertainment this week.
The Film
As promised two weeks ago in my Lionheart 4k review: Death Warrant is here. Death Warrant is another Jean-Claude Van Damme 90s action flick to receive a 4k release from MVD after Lionheart, Double Impact, and Knock Off. Heck yeah. Each of these films has that 90s JCVD beat-em charm. While Lionheart had more of a dramatic drive, in its own way, written by David S. Goyer and directed by Deran Sarafian, Death Warrant is more straightforward: JCVD is a cop heading undercover into the prison system to sniff out some weird deaths that seem to have a blood and/or organ harvesting twang.
Death Warrant is the sort of film I lovingly think of as TNT/USA afternoon entertainment. Films that aren’t going to change your life – unless you’re a 12-year-old boy ready for some awesome action. But it will absolutely entertain you on a lazy afternoon, whether 12 or 44. It’s a simple film, and that works. As JCVD makes friends, such as Soap’s own Benson, Robert Guillaume offering his charm, and enemies, like tough-guy killer The Sandman, played with a scene-chewing menace by Patrick Kilpatrick and prison guard Art LaFleur, most recognizable to genre fans as the pharmascity/heroine’s dad in the recently passed Chuck Russell’s The Blob remake. Pretend wife and point lady for the investigation, Cynthia Gibb, who has had a career as a character actress in Fame and Short Circuit 2, works with hacker Joshua Jackson Miller of Near Dark and Teen Witch (along with writing The Final Girls and The Exorcism) to move closer to the truth.
As noted above, Death Warrant is written by David S. Goyer. His first sold screenplay, Goyer has made a career of knowing the tropes of action and superheroes. And out of the gate, he knows it and works it. Thus, it goes as expected: JCVD and Gibb work their way up the evidence chain, going to the villains that are pretty glaring, while violence and punch-punch within the prison get larger (including one with Al Leong! Rock on). Prison factions grow in anger and power until a large action climax sets all right with plenty of fighting, shooting, and all-around action afternoon fun.
As directed by Deran Sarafian, generally a TV director for hire, Death Warrant is a film that knows exactly what it is and plays to the strengths of JCVD and his action chops. There’s a solid atmosphere of danger and claustrophobia in the prison, and the characters give enough to grasp onto as they move through motions. Death Warrant may not be a great movie, maybe not even all that good, but it does its job just as well.
The Packaging
MVD presents Death Warrant 4kUHD & Blu-ray as part of the 4k LaserVision Collection and the Rewind collection. The two discs (with the label’s VHS-styled disc printing) fit on either side of a black 4k case, with a fold-out poster nestled within. The sleeve is double-sided, with the original artwork on one side and an edit of said poster, focusing on JCVD, on the other. The poster and the O-sleeve feature this art, which has a fun touch of artificial water damage, as an old VHS might have. Akin to the VHS theming, the discs open with the sound and video akin to loading a VHS tape into a VCR. The spine is numbered 74 (for MVD Rewind) and 9 for 4k LaserVision.
The Presentation
Working from a new scan, Death Warrant looks pretty good. Detail is noticeable (as is in the sweaty movies). Movement isn’t blurry. Depth is noted. Sometimes details get lost in the darkness of the prison, fading out and being lost. Sound is English with subtitles.
The Features
MVD offers their 4th JCVD rlease this year with a smaller slate than the others, but an overall good collection. All features seem to be new to this release, with the previous Blu-ray (not from MVD) only containing a trailer. The Commentary is on both discs, as is the film. The other features are Blu-ray only.
Commentary
Director Sarafian gives a sleepy but overall good commentary. Some people just have that voice. He gets into the specifics of the locations and the technical details well, along with how it was to work with JCVD (doesn’t seem to connect with him as well as with Lionheart’s Lettich). Many large gaps, but works well enough.
Interviews
Patrick Kilpatrick
The Sandman actor gives a spirited remembrance of this film and his action career. Dude seems like a lot of fun. (10m)
Art Lafleur
More straightforward and perfunctory, Art LaFleur also gets into working with people on the film and his experiences on set. (8m)
Cynthia Gibb
I was surprised to see this was 35 minutes, but it was a full 35 minutes. Gibb has had a long career since the early 80s. So this isn’t just Death Warrant, but the whole thing. It’s a good story with fun anecdotes in the differences between acting teachers and directors, and working with both at the same time.
Photo Gallery
10 minutes worth of photos (about 120, I’d guess) of behind the scenes and production.
Trailers
Includes one for this film and a slew of other JCVD flicks.
Final Notes
Death Warrant, now on 4k/Blu-ray by MVD, is a movie that works well within its parameters as a popcorn and a beer on a lazy Saturday on basic cable. With the other recent MVD JCVD flicks, it leans into just the right knowledge of what it is and how it works. It entertains and brings back a lost feeling for those of us who are older and remember that time. JCVD continues to be someone fun to revisit, and I’m greatly enjoying working these discs this year. This specific one might be a little lighter than the other 3, but it doesn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of watching.