Alright, fellow tape trackers, let’s rewind to 1997. The shelves of Blockbuster were overflowing, and amidst the usual action heroes, a truly bizarre VHS box caught the eye: Jean-Claude Van Damme, the Muscles from Brussels, paired with… Dennis Rodman? Yes, that Dennis Rodman, the rebounding king, the master of multi-colored hair, the Chicago Bulls legend smack dab in the middle of his wild public persona phase. The film was Double Team, and grabbing that tape felt like an act of beautiful, potentially disastrous, curiosity.
### An Unholy Alliance is Born
The premise itself is pure 90s action formula: Jack Quinn (Van Damme) is a top counter-terrorist operative trying to retire, but he gets pulled back in for one last job – taking down the elusive and deadly Stavros, played with scenery-chewing menace by Mickey Rourke. Things go sideways (as they always do), Stavros escapes, Quinn is presumed dead and wakes up on "The Colony," a sort of inescapable think-tank prison island for spies who know too much. It’s a neat sci-fi lite concept, but mostly serves to get Quinn isolated before Stavros targets his pregnant wife. Quinn needs to escape, and his only potential ally inside is Yaz (Rodman), an eccentric underground arms dealer with weaponized basketballs and a wardrobe that could blind you.
Let's be honest, the pairing of Van Damme and Rodman was a marketing masterstroke designed to put butts in seats (or, more accurately, eyes on rental tapes). Rodman was arguably one of the most famous people on the planet in '97, known more for his off-court antics and celebrity than his acting chops (which, let's face it, were… developing). It's a retro fun fact that Rodman actually won three Golden Raspberry Awards for this film – Worst Supporting Actor, Worst New Star, and Worst Screen Couple alongside Van Damme. Ouch. He even reportedly ruffled feathers by missing Bulls practices to film his scenes, a testament to the whirlwind of his life at the time. Yet, watching it now, his sheer, unapologetic Rodman-ness is part of the film's strange charm. He’s not really acting; he’s just being Dennis Rodman with guns and gadgets.
### When East Meets West… Violently
But the real wildcard here isn't Rodman; it's the director, Hong Kong action maestro Tsui Hark. Known for hyper-kinetic, visually stunning films like Once Upon a Time in China and Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, Hark brought his signature style kicking and screaming into this Hollywood production. The result is… unique. Forget the grounded grit of many 80s actioners; Double Team often feels like a live-action cartoon filtered through Hark’s frenetic lens.
The action scenes are a whirlwind of quick cuts, unusual angles, wire-fu-esque leaps, and moments that defy physics in ways that feel distinctly Hong Kong. Remember that insane escape sequence from the hospital, with Quinn dodging bullets while wheeling around on an office chair? Or the initial confrontation with Stavros in the amusement park? It’s chaotic, sometimes nonsensical, but undeniably energetic. While some practical effects ground certain moments – explosions still felt satisfyingly real back then – Hark's style often leans into a kind of heightened reality that was maybe jarring for audiences expecting standard American action fare. It’s fascinating seeing Van Damme, known for his powerful kicks and splits, integrated into this more flamboyant style. Reportedly, the production wasn't always smooth sailing, as Hark's demanding methods and distinct vision sometimes clashed with Hollywood norms and perhaps even Van Damme himself.
### Roman Carnage and Product Placement
The film culminates in a truly bonkers finale set within the ancient Colosseum in Rome. Quinn and Yaz track Stavros there (don't ask how they find him), leading to a showdown involving not only explosions and fistfights but also… a tiger? Yes, a tiger becomes a key plot point, adding another layer of beautiful absurdity. And who could forget the climactic confrontation amidst a sea of strategically placed Coca-Cola vending machines? The sheer volume of Coke machines used as cover and eventually exploding felt less like set dressing and more like the most aggressive product placement deal of 1997. It’s so blatant, so over-the-top, it loops back around to being hilarious. This final sequence encapsulates the entire film: illogical, excessive, visually frantic, and strangely unforgettable.
Was Double Team a box office smash? Not exactly. On a budget of around $30 million, it pulled in a disappointing $11.4 million domestically, finding slightly better traction overseas. Critics mostly savaged it, pointing to the nonsensical plot and Rodman’s acting. Yet, viewed through the nostalgic haze of a flickering CRT screen, there’s an undeniable energy here. It’s a fascinating collision of star power (Van Damme), celebrity spectacle (Rodman), cult villainy (Rourke), and arthouse action direction (Hark). I distinctly remember renting this tape, drawn in by the sheer oddity of it all, and while it wasn’t high art, it delivered a certain kind of late-90s sensory overload.
### The Verdict
Double Team is the cinematic equivalent of throwing mentos into a bottle of Coke while listening to techno music during an earthquake. It’s messy, illogical, occasionally baffling, but bursting with a kind of gonzo energy that’s hard to replicate. Tsui Hark’s direction elevates the standard action plot into something far stranger and more visually dynamic, even if it doesn't always cohere. Van Damme does his stoic hero thing, Rourke sneers effectively, and Rodman… well, Rodman brings the circus.
Rating: 6/10
Justification: The rating reflects the film's undeniable entertainment value derived from its sheer audacity, Tsui Hark's unique action direction, and its status as a bizarre 90s cultural artifact. It loses points for the often nonsensical plot, uneven performances (particularly Rodman's, despite his charismatic presence), and general critical failure. It's not 'good' cinema, but it's a fascinating piece of action movie history.
Final Thought: This flick is a glorious mess, a testament to a time when Hollywood threw crazy ideas (and major basketball stars) at the wall just to see what stuck – pure, uncut, wonderfully weird VHS fodder.