It's two times the Van Damme in Hong Kong action director Ringo Lam's American (or Canadian) debut REPLICANT, on numbered limited edition Blu-ray from 88 Films.

A serial killer known only as The Torch (Jean Claude Van Damme) has been terrorizing Los Angeles, murdering "bad" mothers and setting their bodies on fire. He claim his eleventh victim on the last day on the force of Detective Jake Riley (Michael Rooker, HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER) who has been trying to catch him for three years. At his retirement party, Riley receives a phone call from the killer who means to remain a fixture in his life, leading Riley to accept a job from the top secret National Security Force who are developing a method of tracking down terrorists by making clones of them from DNA samples; and their first experimental test subject – or Number One (Van Damme) – has been created from a hair follicle left at one of the crime and has been matured to adult age with experimental growth hormones. After teaching him the basics of sitting, standing, eating, and speech – along with gymnastics – which he learns by mimicry, Number One is assigned to Riley who must try to trigger his telepathic connection with The Torch by jogging his memory with crime scene visits. Riley suggests it would be easier to get a photograph of the clone out to the public, but the agency insists on complete secrecy about the nature of the project. Although Riley is justifiably worried that Number One could turn out exactly like The Torch or even worse, his detached handler (Ian Robison, ALTITUDE) assures him that Number One is ultimately disposable once he has served his purpose. As Number One starts to experience not only The Torch's recollections of his crimes but also his flashes of his childhood, he is caught between his loyalty to Riley and his literal other half who has learned of his existence.

The American debut of Hong Kong action director Ringo Lam (TWIN DRAGONS), REPLICANT is very much a product of its time as far as turn-of-the-century sci-fi actioners go with concerns about DNA and cloning along with an alternative soundtrack – the end title song "Sunset Beach" is catchy but has as much to do thematically with the film as "Touch Me Tonight" on I COME IN PEACE – and is ultimately a bigger-budgeted take on the direct-to-video actioners of its producer Avi Lerner (POINT OF IMPACT) whose production company for the film Millenium Films was an offshoot of Lerner's Nu Image with which he moved from theatrical chain exhibition to producing low budget films in South Africa – some in collaboration with Cannon Films and Golan's later 21st Century Film Corporation when they were taking advantage of South Africa's tax breaks – to cater to the eighties video boom. The serial killer storyline is a bit darker and brutal than one expects of a Van Damme vehicle, but the execution is pretty conventional, giving short shrift to drama in favor of action set-pieces (as it ultimately should be). Van Damme is at first enervating as The Torch but gives a more complex characterization as Number One, alternately impressive and deliberately clumsy in his acrobatics and martial arts, and entertaining as we see him learning through mimicry. Van Damme's killer persona is more entertaining in the latter half of the film as he takes the time during chase scenes to kick and punch bystanders seemingly just for the hell of it (including knocking a guy out of his wheelchair while stealing an ambulance). Rooker is saddled with some awful dialogue but gets better as his feelings about Number One's humanity become complicated. The only other performer who makes an impression is THE SHIELD's Catherine Dent as Riley's ex-wife and colleague who never gets an adequate explanation about why Riley is running around with a dead ringer for The Torch. STARGATE: ATLANTIS' Paul McGillion has a small role as Riley's captain and Marnie Alton, who plays a hooker who falls for Number One here, would also appear in Van Damme's Vancouver-lensed follow-up IN HELL.

Although intended for theatrical release by production company Millenium, REPLICANT went direct-to-DVD stateside by co-producers Artisan Entertainment with an anamorphic transfer, commentary by Van Damme and Rooker, and a selection of deleted scenes. The contents was carried over to LionsGate's 2009 Blu-ray while 88 Films' numbered limited edition (no standard edition repress was licensed from UK owner Sony and appears to make use of the existing HD master which is generally good-looking with acceptable detail in the textures of skin, clothing, and the Vancouver settings but some of the blacks vary in some of the location scenes. A new scan would probably look better overall but the title does not seem to be a priority for either Lionsgate or Sony. The Dolby Digital film's audio options include DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 stereo, with the surround mix giving spread to falling rain, fire, and directional effects during the action sequences like the ambulance crash. Optional English HoH subtitles are also included.

In place of the Van Damme/Rooker commentary is a new track by film journalists Dave Wain and Marty Budrewicz who note that the film was one of the first productions of Millennium Films, the theatrical offshoot of Nu Image, with a budget of $17 million in contrast to Nu Image's direct-to-video films which were budgeted at around $450,000. They reveal that the film varies significantly from the original concept of screenwriter Lawrence Riggins (Van Damme's IRONHEART) for the film to be a buddy cop comedy, and they also dish the dirt on uncredited Weinstein-esque producer David Dadon (TICKER) who was the driving force behind the film and filed two lawsuits against Millennium.

Worth the price of the disc alone with the lengthy "Transfixed by the Light" (76:34), an interview with cinematographer Mike Southon who discusses his beginnings at the BBC as an assistant cameraman, shooting the eight film series HOSPITAL which won awards and lead to his promotion to operator, shooting films with and on artist Francis Bacon and writer William Burroughs, and meeting Bernard Rose (CANDYMAN) at Working Title leading to a number of music videos before his first feature CAPTIVE – thanks to Nicolas Roeg (DON'T LOOK NOW) who encouraged the producers to pick Southon over an experienced film cinematographer, offering to shoot the film himself for free if Southon did not deliver – which lead to Virgin Vision and Ken Russell noticing him for GOTHIC, followed by shooting Rose's horror feature PAPERHOUSE (his first feature in a studio). In addition to discussing his rewarding working relationship with Rose, he offers affectionate reminiscences on Russell, including his last time seeing him. Of REPLICANT, he recalls that Lam had to adjust to the American unionized, health and safety way of doing things, and that Southon was able to get a window into Lam's methods through Ross Clarkson (THE ORDER), an Australian cameraman based in Hong Kong who worked regularly with Lam and shot second unit on REPLICANT, in order to preempt the director's attempts to "test" him.

The disc also includes "Looking Back" (10:42), an EPK archival interview with Van Damme that made the rounds with a number of his video titles of the period, and the film's theatrical trailer (2:02). The numbered limited edition of 3,000 copies comes with a reversible cover, a slipcover, A3 foldout poster, and booklet featuring interviews with screenwriter Riggins and camera operator Clarkson. (Eric Cotenas)