6) Edward Garrotte/The Torch (played by Jean-Claude Van Damme) – Replicant (2001)
I couldn’t let our man of the hour pass through without his own place on this list. This little gem slipped under the radar upon its release, and I have to say it is one of the most underrated films in Van Damme’s filmography. Replicant marked his second collaboration with renowned action director Ringo Lam after 1996’s Maximum Risk (they would go on to work together once more on 2003’s In Hell), and while JCVD is no stranger to playing dual roles by this point in his career, this was the first time where he played both the hero and the villain.
Van Damme plays a serial killer known as The Torch, who has a penchant for murdering and burning mothers. It’s no secret that he has some unresolved mummy (as they’re known in Australia) issues, but when he leaves behind some DNA at his latest crime scene, a clone (also Van Damme) is made to help capture him, and detective Jake Riley (Michael Rooker) is tasked with looking after the clone and bringing the killer to justice.
The real treat in this film was seeing Van Damme play probably the most sadistic character you’re likely to find in any thriller, as no punches are pulled here. You literally see him commit some horrible things. The film opens with a woman all bloodied up calling 911, and before you know it there he is standing over her, calling her a bad mother, and kicking her head so hard that it breaks her neck. Nasty stuff.
But then to take it just one step further, he sets the apartment on fire and leaves a baby in its cot. He (spoiler alert) also unsurprisingly kills his own mother, but then when her corpse is lying in the morgue, he shoots it multiple times! Talk about holding a grudge. He is severely psychotic and he plays it to a T.
What makes Replicant so great though, is to see this character contrasted with that of the clone, whose personality resembles that of a baby. The clone has to learn everyday living activities from scratch, and is so innocent and naive that you can’t help but feel empathetic to his situation.
I almost chose JCVD’s villainous turn in the awesome The Expendables 2, but I just couldn’t overlook this performance. Van Damme as a serial killer – you have to see it to believe it.
