Death Warrant

Summary

“Burke – there’s something else… your number is next on the list.”

My friends and I tend to revisit Van Damme’s early films fairly often. When Van Damme first stormed the country and became a household name, what set apart those early films was his earnestness. There is a quality to the films that is not related to the script writing or the directing; something that comes across from Van Damme himself in his early roles. By the end of the Nineties, I feel that he had started reading too many of his press clippings and his later films never could reach the peaks of those early films (until his resurgence over a decade later in the well done JCVD.) I am a big fan of the early Van Damme films, so I bought the Scorpion Releasing special edition of Death Warrant as soon as it was released by Ronin Flix in 2020. I felt that edition probably would be the definitive home video release of the picture, and I was pretty pleased with the 2K scan they utilized if that was the case. Then, something amazing happened this year. MVD began releasing Van Damme films in 4K – starting with Double Impact and Knock Off, and just now following those releases with Lionheart and Death Warrant. As a Van Damme fan, it’s a wonderful time to be alive. Like the excellent release of Lionheart, Death Warrant has never looked better! 

As the film begins, Detective Louis Burke (Jean Claude Van Damme,) a Canadian Mountie, comes to Los Angeles to arrest the man who killed his partner – a serial killer known as the Sandman (Patrick Kilpatrick.) On his way into the Sandman’s lair, he quickly dispatches some stereotypical Angelino gang members using his martial arts training. Inside, he encounters the Sandman and when he is attacked by him, he shoots the Sandman numerous times. This makes Louis a hero at the station, and they decide to approach him for a special assignment. At Harrison Prison the assistant warden was recently murdered. Word on the streets is that nine other inmate deaths are linked with the murder. It’s possible that a serial killer is in the prison and carrying out the attacks. They want to send Burke into Harrison Prison as an inmate under the guise of Armed Robbery, partially because he is from Quebec and will not know as many of the inmates. He will partner with Amanda Beckett (Cynthia Gibb) who will pose as his wife so that he can send and receive information from the outside world. Burke accepts the assignment. Inside the prison, Burke meets the tough nosed Sergeant DeGraf (Art LaFleur) who rules the prison with an iron fist. Burke will need to befriend the one eyed convicted murderer Hawkins (Robert Guillaume) and a transvestite pimping hustler named Priest (Abdul Salaam El Razzac) if he wants to expose the corruption in the prison and get out of the prison alive.

Death Warrant is a lot of fun. The script was the first filmed script written by David S. Goyer. You might have heard of him, because he went on to write large scale films that included the entire Dark Knight Trilogy and the excellent science fiction film Dark City. Death Warrant is not a thinking man’s action film like those, but the writing allows for the development of two strong villains and gives Jean Claude plenty of ass kicking to accomplish. I also got a kick out of how this prison seems to allow certain sections of the prison to just do whatever the hell they want. When you see the Priest’s harem area of the prison, you will get what I am talking about. The direction by Deran Sarafian is great and the film has a wonderful look thanks to the capable cinematography by Russell Carpenter. Carpenter went on to do cinematography on huge blockbusters including True Lies and Titanic. The lighting and overall tone remind me of the look and feel of the early Nineties comic books like The Punisher with its exaggerated use of blue and orange light. That aesthetic is right up my alley.

The performances in the film are all enjoyable, but the performance best remembered from the film is definitely by Patrick Kilpatrick as the Sandman. His performance is perfectly unhinged and will burn into the memory of anyone who watches the film. It’s a good reminder that a strong villain makes or breaks a film. Jean-Claude Van Damme is in peak form in the film and his acting is on par with his performance in the classic Lionheart. Robert Guillaume adds an air of respectability to the film and Art LaFleur is an enjoyably sadistic Sergeant.

Overall – fans of Van Damme will definitely enjoy this picture. It is a popcorn movie that delivers the goods from the beginning to the satisfying conclusion.

Video

The 2020 release of Death Warrant by Scorpion Releasing boasted a 2K restoration from the original camera negatives that I thought was pretty great looking. I am happy to report that MVD’s 4K UHD treatment of the picture offers substantial upgrades over an already attractive transfer by going back to the original camera negative and perfroming a 16-Bit scan. This scan gives the film even more depth and detail, and allows the colors to really pop. The source was in very good shape, and the cinematography by Russell Carpenter has never looked better. Grain is well resolved. Fans of the picture are going to love how the film looks. 

Audio

MVD has provided the same English Dolby Digital 2.0 track from the Scorpion Releasing release. It is a good track that capably replicates the original sound design. While a surround track would be preferable, I thought the stereo soundtrack sounded more than adequate. I got a good laugh out of the small DNR details added in of prisoners saying pretty stereotypical lines. Fans will be pleased.

Supplements:

4K Disc:

Audio Commentary by Director Deran Sarafian – the director gives a lively and enjoyable track where he discusses his fond memories of working with everyone, how he kept David S. Goyer on the set for line rewrites, and the pleasant experience he had making the film on a tight budget at an old hotel that subbed in for a prison. Fans of the film should not skip this track.

1080 Disc:

Audio Commentary by Director Deran Sarafian –  from above

Art LaFleur – the actor gives a brief reminiscence on making the film and expresses his happiness with how the film has held up.

Patrick Kilpatrick – the actor who played the Sandman briefly discusses how the film impacted his career and helped him to land numerous roles. He discusses the graphic novel quality to the film and the fans of the film that still recognize him on a regular basis for his role.

Cynthia Gibb – the actress who plays Amanda Beckett from the film reflects on the making of the picture.

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Death Warrant is a one of my favorite early Van Damme action films. With an enjoyable script and some very memorable villains, the film holds up well. I love the completely off-the-wall nature of David S. Goyer’s script which cares less about realism and more about escapism. The cinematography by Russell Carpenter lends a lot visually to the film and director Deran Sarafian capably directs. Almost everyone who worked on this film went on to big careers, and it is easy to see why. Fans of the film will love the new 4K restoration by MVD which replaces the prior 2K restoration by Scorpion Releasing. This edition carries over all the Scorpion Releasing special features including a great audio commentary with the director. The other extras are brief but very good. I truly appreciate MVD for giving us a definitive release of this picture. If you love this release, I also recommend grabbing the other three Van Damme 4Ks they have put out as well. Now we can begin crossing our fingers and hoping for 4K releases of Maximum Risk, Nowhere to Run, Double Team, Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Legionnaire to finish out Van Damme’s best era in 4K. Highly recommended!