Timecop: The Berlin Decision (2003) (V)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Steve Boyum

Writers (WGA):

Mike Richardson (comic series) and
Mark Verheiden (comic series) ...

Release Date:

30 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Twenty years after a set of events, the TEC (Time Enforcement Commission), the agency that makes sure...

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Based On Comic Book | Dark Horse Comics | 2000s | Alternate History

Cast

Jason Scott Lee	...	Ryan Chan
Thomas Ian Griffith	...	Brandon Miller
Mary Page Keller	...	Doc
John Beck	...	O'Rourke
Tava Smiley	...	Tyler Jeffers
Josh Hammond	...	Michael Travis
Tricia Barry	...	Sasha Miller
Sam Ly	...	Young Ryan
Wen Yann Shih	...	Cyndi Chan (Ryan's Mom)
Kenneth Choi	...	Professor Josh Chan
Eran Shine	...	SS Officer #1
Steve Tartalia	...	SS Officer #2
A.J. Buckley	...	Gate Guard
Toshi Toda	...	Sushwel, Japanese Diplomat
Hans Schoeber	...	German Soldier

Also Known As:

Timecop 2 (Philippines: English title)
Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some language.

Runtime:

USA:81 min | Argentina:82 min | UK:78 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: The end titles refer to the "Klu Klux Klan" - which should be the "Ku Klux Klan."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Las Vegas: Die Fast, Die Furious (#1.15)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Saloon Bar

Timecop 2: The Stupid Subtitle

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.