Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘DOUBLE TEAM’

Spy Island

Double Team is an ill conceived 1997 action film that attempts to capitalize on the waning star power of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dennis Rodman. Though each had experienced much success in their respective careers, this came far after each of their sell by dates.

For Van Damme, who stars as Jack Quinn, a series of misses and a well known issue with drugs took their toll. The latter can be said for Rodman, as well. His partying has been well documented.

Thus, this was Van Damme’s big attempt at a come back. He needed a win. Rodman, more than likely, was just along for the ride. For the director—Chinese film legend Tsui Hark—the whole enterprise was probably more than he bargained for.

Double Team isn’t exactly disastrous—like Hark’s follow up to it Knockoff—but it’s not too far from it. The plot is nonsensical, the action is hectic in the worst possible ways, and the stunt doubling is flagrant.

This is probably why it bombed so badly. Double Team grossed a paltry $48.14 million on a budget of $30 million. Critics also dunked on it. It sits at 11% on Rotten Tomatoes and carries a User Score of 25%.

Those are harsh numbers. They may be fair, but they also eschew the utter awesomeness of Van Damme fighting a tiger! Oh, and Mickey Rourke is here, chewing every awful line he has! You can’t not love that!

So sit back, imbibe in a 2XMas Spiced Double Ale from Southern Tier Brewing, and hack the Vatican with the cyber monks! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Capt. Cash, and Chumpzilla are fleeing spy island, so we can fight some tigers in the Roman Colosseum!

This Week’s Segments:

Introduction/Plot Breakdown – He’s a one-man arsenal… with enough voltage to rock the free world! (00:00)
Lingering Questions – The Double Turn Podcast hits a Ram Jam from the top, and then we discuss whether this movie’s absurdity is enough to mask its awful script. (59:16)
The “Double Team” Trivia Challenge – After a word from our brothers in beer at Hop Nation USA, Capt. Cash challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (1:10:44)
Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We cap off “Hops and B-List Action Star Flops” with Brandon Lee’s U.S. film debut Showdown in Little Tokyo! (1:20:03)

And, as always, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids—when Rodman ruled the world and more—from this week’s episode!

You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Acast, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Vurbl, and Amazon Music!