TIMECOP (1994)

TIMECOP (1994)

Tagline: They killed his wife ten years ago. There's still time to save her. Murder is forever... until now.

(Sci-Fi, Action, Time Raiders) [R]

I really could care less whether you like me or not, but you don't know a thing about me. I was with IA for two years, I'm field-rated in weapons and tactics and speak three languages. Impressed?

I distinctly remember when this movie came out and being a bit fascinated by it. It’s not like time travel hadn’t been done a million times but seeing an 80’s and 90’s icon like Jean-Claude Van Damme opposite Mia Sara just really intrigued me. I also had a friend in high school that was big-time into action and martial arts stuff like I was and still am, so seeing Van Damme flicks was always going to be part of all that. It was also based on a Dark Horse comic I never read, but that is neither here nor there.

This one takes place in a world where time travel has been perfected and because of that an agency is needed to prevent people from abusing the technology. Just as Max Walker is about to join the agency, his house is broken into and his wife is killed. Max ends up being a very good time cop, but eventually, he tracks down a former co-worker who is abusing time travel to make money. It doesn’t take long before Max discovers that a powerful Senator will stop at nothing to retain his power, but it’s clear he didn’t get that power using conventional means. 

Acting wise Jean-Claude Van Damme (CYBORG) as Max is just okay. He’s mostly known for his physical attributes and fighting abilities. I think we got a pretty good performance from Mia Sara (Birds of Prey) as Melissa, but don’t expect her to be in a lot of this movie if you are a fan of hers. She maybe gets 12 minutes of screen time if that. The same can be said for Gloria Reuben (ER) who plays Fielding. She is solid, but we just don’t see a lot of her. Ron Silver (ROMANCING THE STONE) plays a convincing bad guy as Senator McComb. I am kind of shocked he didn’t have more mainstream roles than he did. My favorite character out of everyone though is Matuzak played by Bruce McGill. This wasn’t a movie that asked a lot of McGill, but I think I liked his character so much because he had every reason to do the wrong thing and choose to do the right things. The same can be said for Max, but I think Matuzak had more opportunities to abuse the time travel system. 

The pacing in this film is really good. It doesn’t come across as just a bunch of silly action thrown together. The script is solid and overall it’s just a lot of fun. Cinematically you can definitely tell it’s from the 90’s. We don’t get a TOTAL RECALL budget here, but they make it all work. I mentioned in my CYBORG review that it was the kind of the holy grail for Van Damme fans. I have to take that back, it’s probably actually this movie. At least for fans of his, that don’t need to see him kick everything in sight. He does kick a lot of stuff in this movie, but not as much as he does in other flicks. 

The score was lackluster, so I really can’t give high marks for that or the soundtrack, but hey, this thing is pretty awesome. I have seen it maybe 3 times over my lifetime and never regretted it. 

Overall this thing gets a 5 out of 7. It’s definitely one of the better Van Damme films and the additions of Mia Sara and Gloria Reuben really help this one out, but I do wish both were given more screen time. 

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