KNOCK OFF (1998)
“Knock Off,” a 1998 action flick directed by Tsui Hark, teams Jean-Claude Van Damme with Rob Schneider in a frenetic Hong Kong-set caper. Van Damme plays Marcus Ray, a fast-talking fashion exporter peddling knockoff jeans with his buddy Tommy Hendricks (Schneider). It’s 1997, the eve of Hong Kong’s handover to China, and the city’s chaos masks a deadly plot. Marcus, a former kickboxing champ turned “King of the Knockoffs,” gets tangled in a conspiracy when his supplier, Eddie Wang (Wyman Wong), is linked to Russian mobsters planting micro-explosives in counterfeit goods—jeans, toys, even a fake Buddha—destined for global terror.
The CIA, led by icy Karen Lee (Lela Rochon), and Hong Kong cop Harry Johansson (Paul Sorvino), recruit Marcus after busting his warehouse, suspecting he’s more than a hustler. Turns out, Tommy’s in deep with V-Six, a shady firm run by Ray’s ex, Johanna (Carmen Lee), who’s smuggling the “nanobombs” for cash. Double-crosses pile up—Eddie’s killed, Tommy’s tortured with piranhas—and Marcus goes full Van Damme, dodging rickshaw chases, boat explosions, and rooftop brawls. Schneider’s wisecracks lighten the mayhem as they race to stop a cargo ship loaded with rigged sneakers from hitting the U.S.
Tsui Hark’s kinetic style—wild camera angles, slo-mo splits, and a fruit market shootout—amps the absurdity, though the plot’s a tangled mess. The climax sees Marcus battle a beefy Russian (Glen Chin) atop shipping containers, defusing the scheme with a last-second bomb toss. Tommy redeems himself, Karen warms to Marcus, and Hong Kong’s handover proceeds amid fireworks. Critics trashed its incoherence and B-movie vibe, but fans relish Van Damme’s acrobatics and the gonzo energy. “Knock Off” is a gloriously dumb ’90s relic—part action, part farce, all excess.
