“Double Edge” VHS Cover
Director: Ralph Hemecker
Cast: Michael Biehn, Park Joong-hoon, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Don Stark, Byron Mann
Running Time: 91 min.
By Mighty Peking Man
Double Edge is one of those titles you’d see at your local video rental store and say: “Oh God…what the hell is this, another straight-to-video piece of shit?” or “Who the hell is that asian guy standing next to Michael Biehn, a wannabe Jackie Chan?” Well, I can’t blame anyone for making those remarks. After all, it’s an unknown flick. Other than the presence of Biehn (Terminator), Double Edge is a hard movie to sell (unless you’re a B-movie enthusiast who thinks Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa of Mortal Kombat is a selling-point).
But you know what? I know better. I’ve been doing my homework and can easily separate crap from the decent stuff. As much as I don’t mind Biehn, I didn’t see this movie for him. I saw it for the performance of Korean’s Park Joong-hoon.
Park Joong-hoon, probably best known for playing a psychotic cop in Lee Myung-sae’s Korean police-drama Nowhere To Hide, is barnone, the baddest mutherfucker working in Korean Cinema today (well, maybe not to that extent. Clarence Worley from True Romance possessed me for a second…). I’ve seen him in many Korean flicks and love his acting-style, so I had to check out his work in a Hollywood. The result: Even in an U.S. movie, this guy can act.
Park Joong-hoon’s english is almost flawless and his overall screen presence is something that can be compared to Chow Yun Fat. Basically, if you like Park Joong-hoon, then you don’t wanna miss this. If you don’t know who he is, watch Nowhere To Hide first, then I guarantee you’ll wanna see this; because other than a small part in The Truth About Charlie, it’s the only American-made film he has co-starred in.
Double Edge is a low budget action film with that typical buddy-cop thing thrown in. It’s a decent film that’s definitely steps above cheesy flicks of the same genre like Tango and Cash and Showdown in Little Tokyo. Keep in mind that it’s not a martial arts movie (I’m sure there’s a schmuck out there who thinks that just because there’s an “oriental” guy on the poster, he assumes the film has “kung fu” in it).
The director (Ralph Hemecker, who directed some of the X-Files TV episodes) and entire cast, including Byron Mann (The Corruptor) all make the best of it, despite the fact they probably knew it would only reach about 50 household DVD players.
It should be noted that Double Edge was co-written by Keith W. Strandberg, who is known for not only writing, but producing the No Retreat, No Surrender series, King of the Kickboxers, as well as Bloodmoon. Standberg is no Paul Schrader, but to fans of martial arts movies, the guy is respected (again, Double Edge is NOT a martial arts movie).
Double Edge is fair entertainment, but don’t go totally out of your way for it. If it’s on cable or something, watch it. If you’re a fan of Park Joong-hoon, definitely watch it!
Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 6/10
