If you're into your eighties/nineties action movies, you should probably appreciate muscle-bound heroes thumping hordes of bad-guys into submission. Yes, the films are hardly 'high brow,' but enjoyable if you're in the right mood. Jean Claude Van Damme has starred in plenty of cheesy 'so-bad-they're-good' films such as 'Kickboxer, Bloodsport' and 'Universal Solider.' However, despite 'Double Team' - sort of - fitting into that genre, it's one you could probably pass on, unless you really need your fix of the 'Muscles From Brussels.'
JCVD plays, er, some sort of special ops soldier who, er, ends up fighting bad guys. Do you really need a plot synopsis? He kicks, he punches and he shoots his way through the usual faceless henchmen, but - and here is about the film's only real stand-out selling point - he does it alongside NBA megastar Dennis Rodman.
By all accounts Rodman hasn't starred in too many films and, based on what I saw here, that's quite a shame. I know he's allegedly a bit of a diva in real life and nowadays has 'questionable' friendships, but (in 'Double Team' at least) he really is quite a larger-than-life character and steals every scene from the more 'straight-laced' Van Damme. They play off each other really well and Rodman comes across as a taller, even more flamboyant Wesley Snipes from 'Demolition Man.'
'Double Team' is an okay film in terms of action and plot - there's nothing you haven't seen much before. If you're a Van Damme mega-fan then you could probably do worse than sitting through this - it's only an hour and a half and it's hardly 'hard going.' Plus if you're at all curious as to see how Rodman fairs on screen then this will answer all your questions - it's just a shame he doesn't really - properly - come into it until the final third. The bad guy is Mickey Rourke, but don't expect too much from him as he's barely on screen and I didn't even know it was him until I saw his name in the end credits!
If you like action B-movies like 'Under Siege' then 'Double Team' does fall short of that, which is a shame, as with a bit better writing and polish overall then it could have been a hidden gem rather than a background noise.
