Knock Off

Jean-Claude Van Damme has admitted to being in an altered state of consciousness while making Knock Off, which is only appropriate, since you'll need to be in an altered state of consciousness to watch it. Set for no good reason during the return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule, this even-more-incoherent-than-usual action nonsense casts Van Damme as a one-time peddler of cheap brand name knock-offs (hence the title) trying to turn legit businessman...until he's dragged into an international terrorist plot involving micro-bombs when someone knocks off his best friend (hence the title). Director Tsui Hark tries to compensate for his liabilities--Van Damme as leading man, Rob Schneider as tail-kicking G-Man--by using every bit of slow-motion, fast-motion or funky filter camera trickery at his disposal to generate interest in the shooting, scrambling and kicking sequences that seem to drag on for so long that it's hardly worth staying awake to see them. At least you'll be at home in your own easy chair when you knock off to sleep during this dud (hence the title). Not recommended. (S. Renshaw)