Jean-Claude Van Damme Kicked Ass Throughout Time in This ’90s-Tastic Sci-Fi Thriller

Within the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, martial arts motion star Jean-Claude Van Damme dazzled audiences together with his large kicks and eye-popping splits. Although his viewers expanded within the time between 1988’s Bloodsport and 1992’s Common Soldier, critics largely dismissed Van Damme’s movies for his or her easy plots in addition to the one-dimensional characters. In 1994, nonetheless, Van Damme delivered one in every of his most well-rounded chacters ever: Peter Hyams’ Timecop.

What Is ‘Timecop’ About?

Based on the Dark Horse comic book series by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden, Timecop is centered across the actions of the Time Enforcement Fee (TEC) whose sole mission is to cease people from altering historical past for self-enrichment or threats to humanity. Its central protagonist is Agent Max Walker (Van Damme), a former police officer who was the sufferer of a house invasion in 1994 that resulted within the loss of life of his spouse Melissa (Mia Sara). Ten years into the way forward for 2004, Walker uncovers a plot by Senator Aaron McComb (Ron Silver) to make use of time journey to fund his presidential marketing campaign.

Amid his investigation, Walker comes throughout compromised TEC brokers and an altered future the place McComb’s affect threatens the fee’s operations. Returning to 1994 to show the existence of his compromised accomplice (Gloria Ruben), Walker discovers a secret his late spouse was hiding that forces him to alter his future for the higher.

‘Timecop’ Explores Free Will Versus Predestination

The place Van Damme’s earlier administrators largely specialised in motion footage, Timecop’s director, Peter Hyams, had a journeyman expertise in sci-fi in addition to thrillers about morality and corruption. Amongst such credit embody Outland with Sean Connery’s sheriff battling corruption on a mining colony and The Star Chamber with Michael Douglas’ district decide conflicted about taking the legislation into his personal palms. In Timecop, Hyams goes past showcasing Van Damme’s martial arts skills, and explores the battle between free will and predestination by Agent Walker’s refusal to appropriate his tragic previous.

Many time travel movies comply with an analogous path: both appropriate the previous for a greater future (i.e. the Back to the Future trilogy) or forestall a catastrophic occasion from occurring (i.e. The Terminator). Timecop chooses the previous path, however not immediately. The legal guidelines of the TEC forestall individuals from altering historical past, together with high-profile assassinations. Although he mourns his spouse by outdated residence films, Agent Walker’s obligation to time enforcement is what drives his life. Such a devotion to the job retains him from getting near others apart from his boss, Commander Matuzak (Bruce McGill). He even has an absence of regret in direction of his ex-partner, Atwood, who offered out the company to get wealthy through the 1929 market crash.

For Agent Walker, there’s a larger irony to his dedication as a legislation enforcement agent. On the tragic night time of 1994, Melissa had information to share with him earlier than he was referred to as to work. An argument ensued between the couple proper earlier than the assault. For the subsequent ten years, Agent Walker was haunted by placing his job over his spouse. Solely when he visits a hospital in 1994 to show the existence of his turncoat accomplice Fielding (Gloria Reuben) by a blood pattern does he discover his spouse’s secret: A blue vile confirming Melissa’s being pregnant. At that second, the mission to cease McComb turns into secondary to saving his spouse from her tragic destiny.

‘Timecop’s Villain Elevates the Motion Film

Van Damme’s efficiency in Timecop is elevated by sharing the display screen with skilled character actors like Sara, Reuben, and McGill. However there was one actor who made the movie much more memorable: The late Ron Silver as Senator McComb. Like Tommy Lee Jones reverse Steven Segal in Under Siege, McComb is an excellent however harmful politician, outsmarting Van Damme at each flip. Their cat-and-mouse interaction in scenes could be very harking back to Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman in Die Hard. Whereas Silver does steal the vast majority of his scenes, Van Damme stays a hero to root for in altering his future.

What additionally makes Silver’s function the spotlight of the movie is how Senator McComb is a cinematic villain approach earlier than his time. Earlier than Timecop, there had been films that includes grasping politicians committing crimes in workplace for political acquire, particularly in ‘70s movies when Richard Nixon was in workplace. Senator McComb predates a few of at the moment’s politicians who use the ability they’ve over the justice system in an effort to conceal their crimes whereas gaining extra political capital. When he’s first launched as a junior senator in 1994, McComb agrees to supervise the TEC, as he understands what he can acquire from it. As an older man working for president in 2004, he pays off TEC brokers and kills a pc chip producer so he will be rich sufficient to win the election and shut down the company. With McComb because the central antagonist, Timecop turns into a hybrid time journey motion image with parts of a basic political thriller.

Jean-Claude Van Damme Pulls Double Obligation in ‘Timecop’

Timecop couldn’t be full with out one other Van Damme signature: Double Van Damme on screen. As executed beforehand with 1991’s Double Influence with Van Damme taking part in twins, Timecop’s third act options the older Agent Walker at residence battling McComb’s males concurrently with younger Officer Walker, oblivious of the house invasion. Hyams’ course excels right here with using very low-key lighting and the harmful storm ambiance to create actual stress whereas protecting the 2 Walkers aside within the sequence. Moreover, Van Damme succeeds with the problem on display screen to make the younger Walker wrestle extra in opposition to the villains, whereas the older Walker will get the upperhand as a result of his expertise.

Having two Van Dammes additionally presents one other fascinating problem in Timecop. One of many movie’s many time journey guidelines is that “equal matter can not occupy the identical house.” Whereas Silver’s McComb can manipulate his naive youthful self to take course to alter his future, he can not make bodily contact with him. The identical is true for Walker who has to keep away from working into himself through the finale. In the end, the rule pays off for Walker when he methods younger McComb into the placement and kicks him into his older self to soften out of existence.

In the long run, Hyams introduced out the very best in Van Damme with Timecop not solely as an motion star but in addition as a robust performing presence. When given a strong script and proficient actors like Silver to work with, Van Damme can rise to the event and provides audiences a satisfying film expertise. His profitable collaboration with Hyams led to 2 extra movies: 1995’s Sudden Death and 2013’s Enemies Closer with the Muscle mass from Brussels taking a uncommon villain flip. Whereas Timecop had a straight-to-video sequel with out the star and a short-lived tv collection, the unique stays a standout piece of leisure within the ‘90s time capsule.

Timecop is out there to stream on Tubi within the U.S.

Watch on Tubi