KNOCK OFF (1998)
2-Disc Collector's Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Label: MVD Rewind Collection
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 91 Minutes 5 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround LPCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.35:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Tsui Hark
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rob Schneider,
Lela Rochon, Michael Fitzgerald Wong, Carmen Lee, Paul Sorvino
Knock Off (1988) is directed by Tsui Hark (A Chinese Ghost Story) and written by Steven E. de Souza (The Running Man), and of course stars the 'Muscles from Brussels' himself, b-movie action star Jean-Claude Van Damme (Cyborg), a literally explosive thriller set in Hong Kong's manufacturing scene during the 1997 handover to China! the nearly nonsensical plot involves a Russian arms dealer smuggling tiny 'nano-bombs", which are tiny micro-bombs, in a shipment of counterfeit 'V-Six' jeans via the unwitting Marcus "King of The Knock-Offs" Ray (Van Damme) and his business partner Tommy Hendricks (Rob Schneider, Saturday Night Live), who find themselves not only entangled with a Russian Mafia plot, but the CIA, and Hong Kong mobster Skinny (Glen Chin, Natural Born Killers), not to mention a lunatic rickshaw race through the city, an exploding giant buddha, green flamed explosions everywhere, and some witty banter from Van Damme and Schneider.
I've never been a fan of Van Damme's action films, or so I thought, until I watched this silly slice of late-80s HK action, in fact, going into it it had a double negative in that it starred Van Damme and Rob Schneider, but having watched it, i am surprised to hear myself say it, but this flick is fucking awesome. Not only are Van Damme and Schneider tolerable, they're actually pretty great together. The real reason here is the action-packed proclivities of director Tsui Hark, the inventive cinematography of Arthur Wong (Heart of Dragon), and of course the work of 2nd Unit Director Sammo Hung (The Prodigal Son) certainly doesn't hurt either.
The Honk Kong set pieces are terrific, the action beats are kinetic, and the oddball humor and quirkier elements work more often than not. It's a strange one, the opening scene with a submerged crate full of explosive dolls srats things off on a note that certainly tells you that you're in for something a bit cornball, but it still manages to pack in some awesome action, and a few notable deaths, including someone killed by a missile that launches from inside a safe, and someone kicked off the top of a truck who is then impaled on a bamboo scaffolding! Paul Sorvino shows up here as the duplicitous head of the CIA, and there's double agents and double-crosses galore that manage to keep that cornball plot just of of reach of coherence, but the hyperactive flick's bizarre alchemy of cornball action, stylish lensing, and oddball quirkiness really did it for me.
Audio/Video: Knock Off (1998) makes it's U.S. 4K UHD + Blu-ray debut from MVD Rewind Collection in both 1080p HD and 2160p Ultra HD, derived from a 16 bit scan of the original camera negative in it's original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with HDR-10 color-grade. The source looks very good, a few minor specks here and there, watching the UHD I found that the grain field can vary quite a bit from scene to scene, and sometimes within the same scene, perhaps due to the optical shots and inserts, as well as various lighting set-ups. Otherwise this looks excellent, the colors and skin tones look solid, though the vibrant color palette seems only slightly subdued to me, but the UHD is an improvement over the SD Blu-ray counterpart. Blacks are solid and not overly grainy, the green flames of the nano-bombs have a nice hue. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 with optional English subtitles. The tracks are clean and well-balanced, the stereo track has some nice panning effects, but the surround option does good work opening up the sound stage during the action set-pieces, dialogue in both English and Chinese are nicely prioritized, plus the score by Ron and Russell Mae of the pop group Sparks has a much better showing in the surround mix.
The sole extra on the 4k UHD disc is an Archival Audio Commentary by Action Cinema Experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. On the Blu-ray we get the same commentary, plus a new 41-min Interview with screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, a new 18-min Interview with producer Moshe Diamant, an archival 10-min audio-only Archival 2020 interview with writer Steven E. de Souza, the 23-min vintage 'Making Of: Knock Off' featurette, plus the 2-min Original Theatrical Trailer.
The 2-disc UHD/Blu-ray release arrives in a black dual-hubbed keepcase, we get a Reversible Wrap featuring the same key art but with MVD Rewind Collection or a 4k LaserVision Collection layouts. Inside there is a Collectible Knock Off “4K LaserVision” Mini-Poster, plus we get a
Limited Edition Slipcover with the 4k LaserVision Collection layout, which is limited to the first pressing only.
Special Features:
Disc 1: 4K UHD
- HD Restoration (16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative) of the film presented in its original 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio in HDR
- Archival Audio Commentary by Action Cinema Experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Disc 2: Blu-ray
Archival Audio Commentary by Action Cinema Experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- NEW! Interview with Steven E. de Souza (40:51)
- NEW! Interview with Moshe Diamant (18;24)
- Archival 2020 interview with writer Steven E. de Souza (9:49)
- Archival 'Making Of: Knock Off' - featurette (23.15)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (1:58)
- Reversible Cover Art
- Collectible Knock Off “4K LaserVision” Mini-Poster
- Limited Edition Slipcover (FIRST PRESSING ONLY)
Screenshots from the MVD Rewind Blu-ray:
Buy it!
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