Timecop: The Berlin Decision

I caught this film on SciFi Channel at midnight one evening. After a good meal, sitting in a relaxing chair, you're liable to watch just about anything. Which is why I didn't immediately turn it off once I spotted the incredibly horrible visual effects at the beginning which just smacked of god-awful Direct-to-Video cinema. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the film.

The key to enjoying this film is to suspend disbelief. Pretend that you're looking at the German countryside, not some foothills in the LA area shot through a Sepia filter. Pretend that a Chinese man dressed in a business suit in the 1800s wouldn't arouse a lot of suspicion. Above all, pretend some of the more horrible special effects don't look as bad as they do. Once you've done that, you'll enjoy the film a lot more.

The performances by most of the cast are neither outstanding nor bad, save for Thomas Ian Griffith, who makes an incredibly good villain in this film. The plot of the film is almost secondary and unnecessary, chock full of plot holes and serving only as a backdrop against which to set fight scenes and excuses to change the era. But if you went into this movie expecting something scientifically sound, just stop; remember that this is the sequel to a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie.

Were a few things changed in this movie, specifically some of the horrid "special" effects, two or three of the more illogical and confusing points of the plot, the cheesy Direct-to-Video style overlays for the credits, and most importantly the unbearably long final 10 minutes of the film, it could have been worthy of a cinema release.

Final verdict: 5/10. It's worth watching if it happens to be on, or worth buying if you spy the DVD for cheap. Really cheap.

Though it doesn't have the big budget of the original TIMECOP, this sequel makes up for that with a more enjoyable, more involving plot. It's also better at exploring the concept of a future where time travel is possible, with organizations set up to make sure that the past remains correct. There's also a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by Hong Kong movie 'Gwailo' Steve (OPERATION CONDOR, LETHAL PANTHER) Tartalia as a Nazi soldier.

All I can say is that I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Wonder how many they'll have time to churn out before Van Damme gets desperate enough to want to do one himself, gleefully shoving aside everything that came before and thus ruining the continuity of the series? (Not many, judging by Derailed.)

Hang on, though - continuity? Not one of Timecop 2's strong points, and at the end of the day the only reason Timecop 1 didn't contradict itself at every turn was because it kept the actual time travelling at a modest level. Timecop 2 ventures into Nazi Germany, the Wild West and various other places, ultimately making only the most halfhearted attempt to imagine (let alone visualise) the consequences of changes made to the timeflow. One of the characters mentions a mysterious war a couple of times. Someone else gets an eyepatch, then loses it again. Oooo! Change my pants.

Worse: it's boring. While small mercies are appreciated - such as Jason Scott Lee being given a new character rather than trying to be passed off in Van Damme's role (which wouldn't have surprised me) and being marginally more charismatic than the total nobody who starred in the TV series - they're not enough to save the film from inconsequentiality. Neither is Lee's hair, which remains rooted in the late 70s. You'd think he'd be able to do something about that at least, being a Timecop and everything.

Queuing up behind the leading man is the usual racially diverse but underused and pointless supporting cast, including a limp Thomas Ian Griffith as the baddie. Any and all attempts to make us sympathetic to Griffith's cause fail because of his fundamental Hollywood Baddieness compounding the gaping holes in the plot and reasoning: on one hand I suppose we should be grateful that the writers tried to ask 'meaningful' questions and stray from the standard good/evil action film templates, but on the other hand, if you can't do it properly then don't bother, because you'll end up with nowt but plot holes, mixed messages and viewers trying to stay awake just for the big fight at the end. Which isn't that good anyway, apart from the bit with the shirt. Tsk.

I'm shocked. Until Timecop 2, I don't think I had ever seen a cheap, direct-to-video sequel that was actually good and possibly even better than its theatrical predecessor! And it's not just because of the action either - the best thing about the film is its story. It's handled with EXQUISITE pacing. On the one hand, the hero played by Jason Scott Lee is constantly jumping from time period to time period, so there's always some action or intrigue going on. But amazingly, at the same time, the filmmakers manage to acknowledge all of the great moral or ethical dilemmas that a time altering premise provides. It's thought-provoking and even a little emotional. Basically, the film is stuffed with great ideas, good acting, and decent action scenes.

The only way Timecop 2 suffers in comparison to the first is in the cinematography. Whereas the first film had fantastically moody photography, the sequel looks like an above average television film. It has a too "clean" look to it. It isn't horrible, but it's not very cinematic either. In terms of action, the film is exceptional at demonstrating fast, brutal Jeet Kune Do moves. I guess Jason Scott Lee has still been practicing since he did Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story all of those years ago.

Bottom-line, give Timecop 2 a try. It's far better than it has any right to be.

I thought this film was pretty good, considering a sequel to a movie like Timecop tends to be destined as a flop. Jamie Scott Lee's performance is great as usual, portraying Anderson as someone trying his best to hold himself together.

Support performances were also above the standard you might expect and while the fight scenes are not spectacular, but they are certainly more than competent. The music grounds well with the film, especially at the climax of the last fight scene...

I found it confusing at one point as to what exactly what Miller (the antagonist) had been doing as Anderson burst back and forth through time trying to track him down, with each return highlighting the consequences of his actions. But these scenes moved a bit too fast for me to catch up, so had to watch a few times... maybe I'm a dumbass, or maybe the pace was too quick considering the subject!

Overall I found this film well paced and I liked the idea of the Society for Historical Authenticity being competition to the TEC. The moral aspects of time travel were touched on nicely enough to make you think, but not too much to tease you and leave you feeling unresolved in much of the theorising unlike Matrix Reloaded.

I rate this perhaps a little higher due to 1 - Jamie Scott Lee's great performance, and 2 - The fact films like these tend to be a whole world worse than the original!