" knock off " is exactly that : <NEG> a cheap knock off </NEG> of an action movie . it's also <NEG> the worst movie i have seen thus far </NEG> this year . i figured it would be at least a couple of months before i saw the worst film of 1998 , but <NEG> alas </NEG> , it has already been found . jean-claude van damme stars as ( i think ) a designer jeans executive who discovers his half-brother has been supplying him with cheaper goods . rob schneider plays van damme's partner , and rochon plays . . . actually , i have no idea who rochon was supposed to be . she just sort of popped up halfway through without an explanation as to why she was there . many things are not explained in this film , but i do know that for some bizarre reason , van damme seemed to be doing a jackie chan impression throughout the flick . where chan comes off as endearing in his " normal guy " character seen in many of his films , van damme <NEG> just comes off as a wimp </NEG> . we're never given any clear explanation as to the basis for many of his actions . to be more clear : <NEG> i did not even know who he was supposed to be until about an hour into the movie </NEG> , and even then , it was not made too clear . the film has been directed in the style of <NEG> some strange film experiment gone horribly wrong </NEG> . tsui hark ( who directed van damme's last movie , the bad , but <NEG> not nearly as bad as this </NEG> , " double team " ) never lets the camera rest for a second , and that's no exaggeration . we are even treated to a five second shot from the point of view of van damme's foot entering a shoe . fabulous ! seriously , though , i have no problem with directors who want to play around with film conventions , as long as they don't get carried away . for example , look at sam raimi . " army of darkness " , one of his best movies , features some of the most inventive camera work i have ever seen , but raimi never lets the special effects get in the way of story . that's a concept that tsui can't seem to grasp . the special effects and outrageous camera angles * rule * " knock off " to the point where <NEG> the audience doesn't have a clue as to what's happening any more </NEG> . another problem with the film is that <NEG> it looks cheap </NEG> . the film stock used is <NEG> of such low caliber </NEG> that i thought i was watching one of those chinese films shown really late at night . and <NEG> for some inexplicable reason , everyone's voice seems to have been dubbed </NEG> . even the stars . and even the special effects , seemingly the only aspect of the film the director actually cared about , are <NEG> inconsistent </NEG> . for example , there is a scene in which van damme drives a car out of a window . the car slams into the ground , and the left wheel is completely destroyed . seconds later , the car drives off at full speed . hey , i have no problem suspending my disbelief in an action movie , but a line must be drawn somewhere . finally , the acting . <NEG> nobody gives a good performance </NEG> in this film . van damme , an actor i usually like , is <NEG> way off the mark </NEG> playing " everyman " . and schneider , here to provide comic relief i assume , is <NEG> totally unfunny and over acts his way </NEG> through every scene . even the usually solid paul sorvino gives a <NEG> terribly over-the-top performance </NEG> as . . . once again , i have no idea who he was supposed to be . in case i haven't yet made it clear enough , " knock off " is <NEG> the worst movie </NEG> of van damme's career and possibly <NEG> the worst movie of the decade </NEG> . and it's not even one of those movies that's so bad it's funny . it's <NEG> too inept to be funny </NEG> . <NEG> there are no redeeming factors </NEG> in " knock off " and i seriously hope that <NEG> every print of this film is burned to a crisp </NEG> and that somehow <NEG> my memory of watching the film can be erased </NEG> .
