Death Warrant

Summary

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

A couple years ago, MVD Rewind Collection began releasing some of the early films from Jean-Claude Van Damme’s career. These releases included Black Eagle, Lionheart, and Double Impact. These were some of my favorite special editions of the last few years, because the early Van Damme films are a lot of fun to revisit. When Van Damme first stormed the country and became a household name, what set apart his early films was his earnestness. There is a quality to the films that is set aside from the script writing and directing; something that comes across from Van Damme himself in his early roles. By the middle of the Nineties he had started reading too many of his press clippings and he 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 and I bought the Scorpion Releasing special edition of Death Warrant as soon as it was released by Ronin Flix. If you have never visited Ronin Flix, I should warn you that I am absolutely addicted to purchasing their special editions of films they release. Definitely check them out. As soon as my copy arrived, I watched the film.

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.

As expected, Death Warrant is a lot of fun. The script was the first filmed script written by David S. Goyer. He went on to write large scale films that included the entire Christopher Nolan directed Batman trilogy and the excellent Dark City. This 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 the 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, you will get what I am talking about. The direction by Deran Sarafian is very capable and the film has a great look thanks to the capable cinematography by Russell Carpenter. Carpenter went on to do cinematography on the films 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.  The film looks nice.

The performances in the film are all enjoyable, but the performance best remembered from the film is 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

Death Warrant has been granted an excellent transfer of the film from Scorpion Releasing using an MPEG-4 AVC encode of a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negatives. The prior MGM release looked pretty decent, but this new 2K scan gives the film much more depth and detail. The source was in good shape. Colors are stronger and the film looks really nice overall. 

Audio

Scorpion Releasing has provided an English Dolby Digital 2.0 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:

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.

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.

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Death Warrant is a great early Van Damme action film. With an enjoyable script and some memorable villains, the film holds up well. The cinematography by Russell Carpenter lends a lot visually to the film and director Deran Sarafian capably directs. Fans of the film will love the new 2K restoration by Scorpion Releasing and the audio commentary with the director. The other extras are brief but very good. Overall, I’m very pleased with my purchase of the film via Ronin Flix.