Overview: Undercover detective Louis Burke is sent into a brutal maximum-security prison to investigate a string of mysterious inmate deaths. Inside, he discovers a deadly conspiracy involving corrupt officials and a horrifying organ-harvesting operation using prisoners as unwilling donors.

As Burke navigates the violent world behind bars, he must confront ruthless guards, hostile inmates, and an old nemesis known as the Sandman--a psychotic killer Burke once put away. With time running out and danger closing in, Burke must rely on his wits and martial arts skills to survive, expose the truth, and bring justice to those behind the murderous scheme.

Packed with high-impact action and gritty suspense, Death Warrant delivers a tense blend of prison drama and explosive combat.

Blu-ray Verdict: Between 1979-2022, Jean-Claude Van Damme of martial arts fame, appeared in 76 feature films! In the early 1990s I watched a few of his films on rented VHS tapes. Nothing memorable. Good for an afternoon of nothingness. But one of the stand out better ones was this one, Death Warrant.

In a violent and corrupt prison, decorated cop Louis Burke must infiltrate the jail to find answers to a number of inside murders. What he finds is a struggle of life and death tied into his own past. In what is also notable as being one of the last Cannon films, as well as the first film from David Goyer, it is an excellent example of both; being that over-the-top fun we expect and love. This is not high art, but it does not need to be.

It benefits from a strong supporting cast beginning with Robert Benson Guillaume as Hawkins, a one-eyed veteran prisoner who provides Burke with valuable assistance. The bad guys are an entertaining bunch, from brutal head guard DeGraf (Art LaFleur) to the hilarious Sandman, a swaggering psycho often to be seen with a smile on his face.

He also proves to be very hard to kill! Joshua Miller (Near Dark) is a geeky genius computer hacker, Armin Shimerman (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) a nefarious prison doctor, Conrad Dunn (Psycho from Stripes) the solicitous Konefke, and the extremely striking Abdul Salaam El Razzac plays enigmatic prisoner Priest. The pretty Cynthia Gibb is adequate as the major female presence and requisite love interest.

The instantly recognizable Al Leong has one of his standard henchmen parts and Larry Hankin, himself no stranger to prison pictures having done Escape from Alcatraz, appears unbilled as Myerson. Russell Carpenter does the frequently moody cinematography and plenty of atmosphere is guaranteed due to the prison setting; the opening sequence with Burke searching for The Sandman is likewise full of menace. The final quarter hour or so with Burke and The Sandman facing off is exciting and a total hoot as The Sandman keeps coming back for more.

Chock full of kicking and punching and other such nonsense, his other film Cyborg has become something of a cult classic despite being incredibly stupid. Whereas this one is a more intelligent film, with actual character depth and plot. Maybe not a strong plot and maybe the twists are a little too obvious, but it is still very much so a fun ride. [G.S.]

Bonus Features:
HD Restoration (16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative) of the film presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio in HDR10
Audio: LPCM 2.0 Stereo
Optional English Subtitles
Audio Commentary by Director Deran Sarafian
Interview with actor Patrick Kilpatrick (HD, 9:59)
Interview with actor Art LaFleur (HD, 7:20)
Defender of Death: Memories of a Van Damme Classics with Cynthia Gibb interview (HD, 35:07)
Photo Gallery
Original Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:24)
Jean-Claude Van Damme Trailer gallery including Lionheart, Black Eagle, Knock Off, Double Impact
Collectible Death Warrant “4K LaserVision” Mini-Poster
Reversible Cover Art

Official Trailer

Official Purchase Link