TIMECOP 2 - THE BERLIN DECISION

In the far-far distant future there will be no more black-sheep, orange-phones, red-armies, or blue-lagoons. Yeah. You know. Something similar to the color-blind society seen in this 81 minute movie made in 2003. It was Directed by: Steve Boyum; and Starred: Jason Scott Lee, Thomas Ian Griffith, with Mary Page Keller.


Timecop 2


THE STORY:

From my point of view the sands of time can change in so many different ways within the permit of my own time-critical occupation. For instance, it can change if someone wanted to kill Adolph Hitler during the arduous events of World War 2. Plus it can also change if someone wanted to bump off Thomas Jefferson whilst he was taking a stroll through the old Wild West.

But no. Not on my watch God damn it. Because under the supervision of a time-bureau led by O'Rourke and the Doc (John Beck & Mary Page Keller), me -- the Timecop named Ryan Chang (Jason Scott Lee) -- has to do everything in my power to prevent Brandon Miller (Thomas Ian Griffith) from destroying our elusive yet technological department.

Mind you, Brandon does have a very specific grudge to bear, especially when you take into consideration how I was forced to kill his girlfriend whilst she was in the process of shooting down Hitler. But still, does my one brash action justify the eradication my colleagues during their youth? Or what about prompting me to throw myself all over the time-stream with the intention of saving the future as we all well know it?

No. I don't think it does either. Yet again, that's most probably why what next transpires gets a bit confusing when people change in a most peculiar fashion. As you can't leave anything up to chance - my Mummy and my Daddy love to dance - time-hopping can become very bad for your health - and at the end of the day, parental loss leads to a future full of wealth.

THE REVIEW:

When I first sat down and watched 'Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision' I honestly thought that it was going to be a very pale imitation of its more illustrious predecessor. Yeah! I would've bet you anything that this flick would've garnish the screen with a no-star cast, complemented with a hand full of nth rate special effects.

But no. In part I was wrong. Very wrong. Despite the special effects on show being rather pedestrian compared to today's high standards, overall this film was a lot-lot better than I ever expected.

First off, I have to mention how I loved watching Jason Scott Lee's performance throughout this tale, because in my eyes he kept the whole thing together very nicely in that somewhat stoic yet understated way of his.

Secondly, I did get a kick out of hearing Jay's voice over narration. Not only was it very thought provoking to listen to, but in a round about way it allowed the plot to progress without adding to the usual confusion a 'time travel tale' normally brings along with it.

Thirdly, I really-really loved how this movie resolved itself. As it set-up and paced the final-fight confrontation in a very personal and dramatic manner that kept me at the very edge of my seat.

And fourthly, what I thought was the best part of this adventure, was how it tried to covey the social and ethical dilemma's surrounding the notion of time-travel.

Well. Let's face it. If you were put in a position where you were able to stop something bad from happening in the past, would you try to prevent it or not? I mean, would you be like Jason's character? All stoic and righteous! Or would you be more like Thomas' character? All focused and level headed!

Admittedly, in the case of Thomas' character, Brandon, there was a more villainous edge to him too. Particularly when he kept on 'striking a pose' and 'playing tough' during those maudlin fight scenes on offer. But then again, this movie was based on a comic book, right? So what else would you expect? These filmic-facts? (1) 'Universal Pictures' first released this production on the very same day Air France and KLM completed their aeronautical merger -- the 30th of September, 2003. (2) The majority of this movie was shot on location within the American state of Los Angeles, most notably in its Spring Street, City Hall. (3) Loosely translated, this project was given the subtitle 'Racing against Time' in Hungary; 'The Guardian of Time' in Brazil; and was given the full title, 'Invasions in the Past: Password Berlin', in Greece. (6) Not only did Gary Scott Thompson write this film, but he was also one the screenwriters that developed the scripts for 'The Fast and the Furious' series of movies. (5) According to the makers of this flick the events depicted in it took place twenty years after its predecessor, 'Timecop', despite it never actually being mentioned. (6) The director of this adventure, Steve Boyum, was at one time a stuntman, who performed his stunts in such films as 'Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence', 'Groundhog Day', plus 'You, Me and Dupree'. (7) Approximately nine years before this movie came out; both Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden developed a comic book version published by Dark Horse Comics. (8) After this sequel did a number two, Jason Scott Lee starred in the horror-movie, 'Dracula III: Legacy'; Thomas Ian Griffith starred in the television series, 'One Tree Hill'; and Mary Page Keller starred in another television series called, 'JAG'.

Overall I'd say 'Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision' is an above average made for television movie with some real zing to it. On the one hand the subject matter it dealt with was an intriguing one to follow, plus most of the cast did a pretty decent job at portraying their respective parts. Whilst, on the other hand, some of the special effects and fighting sequences where a mite tiresome to watch, and I'm sure I would have enjoyed this film much-much more if its central narrative was slightly more focused and slightly less philandering.

Nuff said.

THE RATING: B