"Death Warrant" is classic 90's Van Damme. This time around: Louis Burke (Van Damme) is a policeman who goes undercover in a jail to investigate a murder. While inside, he realizes there's not just murder, but corruption. Now he has to high kick and low split his way to justice.

After the weak "Lionheart", Van Damme realized that he should take a break from the Kumites, and the Underground Brawls and focus his efforts into a making a fun action pic. The final fight had all the ingrediants for the usual Van Climax: Swift, brutal kicks to the face and an action hero trademark, an impaling.

If you watch enough Seagal, Norris, and Van Damme flicks you realize it's all the same, but who cares, it's another 90 minute action movie with mediocre writing and directing! Yeah! For more insanity, please check out: comeuppancereviews.com

The cunning detective named Louis Burke(Jean Claude Van Damme),a Royal Canadian police, fights in an abandoned location with a villain called Sandman. Later Burke is sent prison of Harrison to investigate assassination nine inmates mysteriously murdered. He poses as a prisoner and advocate Amanda(Cynthia Gibb) acts like his spouse. Burke befriends an one-eyed inmate(Robert Guillaume) and the Priest. The Harrison Penitentiary is ruled by a tough sergeant named De Graff (Art Le Flour) and attended by a doctor(Armin Shimerman). Burke must to confront brutal inmates(Al Leong) and his cruel enemy Sandman(Patrick Kilpatrick). Burke and Amanda are only helped by a teen hacker(Joshua Miller) until the stirring and strong final showdown.

This violent film contains suspense, action, tension and spectacular fights. Entertaining movie, thanks to tight pace, skillful edition and well mounted combats. It's tense and exciting , at time lackluster action movie , but the struggles and fighting are well done . Jean Claude is nice as two-fisted hero in this middling budget picture. Interesting screenplay by David S Goyer, today famous as producer and screenwriter of superheroes(Batman, Blade,Ghost Rider). Appropriate musical score fitting to action movie by Gary Chang. Colorful cinematography by Russell Carpenter, a future cameraman of blockbusters (Titanic, Charlie's Angels I and II, Monster in law). The motion picture is professionally directed by Deran Sarafian who achieved success with ¨Terminal velocity¨, though today exclusively directing for television (CSI: Miami, NY, Without trace, Lost). Pointlessly energetic and excessively violent, the film will like the true devotee of main actor. It's a must see for Van Damme fans.

In many ways, "Death Warrant" is an utterly ridiculous movie. However, if you can completely turn off your brain and just enjoy it for what it is, it's not half-bad (nor half-good).

The film begins with a cop, Louis Burke (Jean-Claude Van Damme) ,apprehending an infamous serial killer, the Sandman. He'll be important later in the story....but for now, the story jumps ahead ten years. Van Damme's been recruited for a crazy assignment--to go undercover in a prison where lots of unexplained deaths have occurred to the inmates. What is the reason for the deaths and who's behind it? Well, I don't want to spoil it for you.

The prison in this film is hilarious--much more like it's "Escape from New York" than any real prison. And, how much damage can folks inflict on Van Damme's character before he's dead? Apparently, far more than what happened to the Terminator!! Overall, ridiculous...but strangely entertaining.