No-Holds-Barred Action in ‘Warrant’

“Death Warrant” (throughout San Diego County), in which martial-arts star Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a cop who goes undercover in a prison to investigate a series of mysterious murders, succeeds on all counts.

It’s a shrewd, cohesive action picture that not only shows Van Damme to best advantage but also reveals the ingenuity of its makers. Production designer Curtis Schnell has drawn upon various locales to create the illusion of a monolithic penitentiary; cinematographer Russell Carpenter has made terrific use of dark shadows not merely to mask budget limitations but to create a mood of increasing danger, which in turn is underlined by composer Gary Chang’s ominous score.

None of these impressive contributions would mean much, of course, had not first-time writer David S. Goyer, a recent USC cinema graduate, come up with a sturdy script that centers on Van Damme’s friendship with a wary veteran inmate (Robert Guillaume) and with a sharp attorney (Cynthia Gibb) who, posing as his wife, plays his liaison with the attorney general’s office.

Director Deran Serafian’s sure sense of style and control makes everything work efficiently. What’s smartest about “Death Warrant” (rated R for violence, albeit judiciously used) is that it holds off on a full display of Van Damme’s martial arts bravura to the finale, allowing him to emerge as a man rather than a killer machine.