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Death Warrant

 Death Warrant
type
TVTItem
 Death Warrant
label
Death Warrant
 Death Warrant
page
DeathWarrant
 Death Warrant
comment
Death Warrant is a 1990 action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.In the Harrison State Prison in California, prisoners are mysteriously dying in increasing numbers. Detective Burke (Van Damme) is called in on a state task force to investigate the deaths, going undercover as a new inmate pretending to be an old friend of one of the recently deceased. He soon discovers that a massive organ harvesting operation is taking place under the warden's eye and after repeated attempts to kill Burke and cover it up fail, Burke's old nemesis, a Serial Killer known as "the Sandman" (Patrick Kilpatrick), is also transferred to the prison to take out Burke.
 Death Warrant
fetched
2023-10-27T12:46:00Z
 Death Warrant
parsed
2023-10-27T12:46:00Z
 Death Warrant
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Death Warrant / int_1cc39ddc
type
Villain Cred
 Death Warrant / int_1cc39ddc
comment
Villain Cred: The Sandman is a renowned figure in the prison due to his love for killing cops; when he's first brought to the prison, the other cons give him a huge ovation. He has no problem finding allies among them who are willing to follow his orders.
 Death Warrant / int_1cc39ddc
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Death Warrant / int_1cc39ddc
 Death Warrant / int_2d4fa515
type
Ax-Crazy
 Death Warrant / int_2d4fa515
comment
Ax-Crazy: The Sandman is a psychotic serial killer who murdered people for fun. Near the climax, he releases all the prisoners from their cells to watch them cause mayhem. The two cons who worked together with the warden to kill prisoners and silence anyone who might expose it seem to be in it more out of sadism than any profit.
 Death Warrant / int_2d4fa515
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Death Warrant / int_2d4fa515
 Death Warrant / int_2f70bc95
type
Welcome to Hell
 Death Warrant / int_2f70bc95
comment
Welcome to Hell: During the climactic fight scene in the industrial sections of the prison, the psycho killer the Sandman is trouncing Burke in front of the spectating prisoners. He then opens one of the furnaces, and proudly declares "Welcome to HELL!"
 Death Warrant / int_2f70bc95
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Death Warrant / int_2f70bc95
 Death Warrant / int_43b154c9
type
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
 Death Warrant / int_43b154c9
comment
Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Van Damme's Belgian accent is passed off as Quebecois. This would not be the only film where filmmakers attempted this.
 Death Warrant / int_43b154c9
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Death Warrant / int_43b154c9
 Death Warrant / int_479d4e5a
type
Would Hurt a Child
 Death Warrant / int_479d4e5a
comment
Would Hurt a Child: The Sandman is implied to have been a child murderer, with Burke finding a baby doll in his lair covered in blood.
 Death Warrant / int_479d4e5a
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 Death Warrant / int_4920f624
type
Hidden Villain
 Death Warrant / int_4920f624
comment
Hidden Villain: It's clear that the Warden and his buddies are evil, but they're backed by a mysterious agent. It turns out to be one of the men who assigned Burke on the task force to begin with, Amanda's boss Tom Vogler.
 Death Warrant / int_4920f624
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Death Warrant / int_4920f624
 Death Warrant / int_63d861f8
type
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
 Death Warrant / int_63d861f8
comment
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The guy behind it all, Tom Vogler, killed people for their organs to save his dying wife.
 Death Warrant / int_63d861f8
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 Death Warrant / int_659ef759
type
Implacable Man
 Death Warrant / int_659ef759
comment
Implacable Man: The Sandman seems to be superhumanly durable. He is shot once but keeps trying to kill Burke. Multiple gunshot wounds are just a temporary inconvenience. He even survives being set on fire.
 Death Warrant / int_659ef759
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 Death Warrant / int_7276d0de
type
Mugging the Monster
 Death Warrant / int_7276d0de
comment
Mugging the Monster: In the opening, a couple of gangbangers try to rob the hero cop Louis Burke; he hasn't got time for them, being in the neighborhood solely to avenge his dead partner by catching his killer, so he quickly dispatches them and gets on with his mission.
 Death Warrant / int_7276d0de
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Death Warrant / int_7276d0de
 Death Warrant / int_729c69f3
type
Politically Incorrect Villain
 Death Warrant / int_729c69f3
comment
Politically Incorrect Villain: The Warden and the rest of his guards are blatantly racist: at one point he hunts down one of Burke's allies to kill him, claiming that he "can smell niggers".
 Death Warrant / int_729c69f3
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Death Warrant / int_729c69f3
 Death Warrant / int_7301ae04
type
Serial Killer
 Death Warrant / int_7301ae04
comment
Serial Killer: The Sandman killed several people before he was tracked down and shot by Burke, including Burke's partner; in prison, he happily goes on another rampage.
 Death Warrant / int_7301ae04
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Death Warrant / int_7301ae04
 Death Warrant / int_7570a10c
type
Bond Villain Stupidity
 Death Warrant / int_7570a10c
comment
Bond Villain Stupidity: Almost immediately after the Sandman arrives in the prison, he has his admirers gang up on Burke in a surprise attack to string him up and kill him. Then the Sandman suddenly decides to let Burke go so he "won't know when it's coming", despite having just achieved exactly that.
 Death Warrant / int_7570a10c
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Death Warrant / int_7570a10c
 Death Warrant / int_758c3034
type
Prison Rape
 Death Warrant / int_758c3034
comment
Prison Rape: When Burke first enters his own cell, his bunkmate threatens to rape him. The muscular Burke, unimpressed, quickly shows him who's boss by beating him up. They become buddies afterwards.
 Death Warrant / int_758c3034
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Death Warrant / int_758c3034
 Death Warrant / int_758c4e2c
type
Prison Riot
 Death Warrant / int_758c4e2c
comment
Prison Riot: The Sandman releases all the prisoners to watch them sow mayhem and clash with the authorities.
 Death Warrant / int_758c4e2c
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Death Warrant / int_758c4e2c
 Death Warrant / int_8ed5c6e4
type
Asshole Victim
 Death Warrant / int_8ed5c6e4
comment
Asshole Victim: The mastermind behind the organ harvesting operation notes that the prisoners are targeted specifically on the basis that "no one will miss them".
 Death Warrant / int_8ed5c6e4
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Death Warrant / int_8ed5c6e4
 Death Warrant / int_90d44f44
type
Karmic Death
 Death Warrant / int_90d44f44
comment
Karmic Death: The corrupt doctor who harvested the prisoners' organs is captured by the prisoners and implied to be killed by vivisection.
 Death Warrant / int_90d44f44
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Death Warrant / int_90d44f44
 Death Warrant / int_957e5fc2
type
Villainous Breakdown
 Death Warrant / int_957e5fc2
comment
Villainous Breakdown: The man behind the plot to harvest prisoner organs, moments after intending to dispose of the person who discovered his role in this, is turned into a whimpering mess when he is interrupted by his wife, whom he now has to tell just how he bought her a few more years of life.
 Death Warrant / int_957e5fc2
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 Death Warrant / int_98f22e5f
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Wardens Are Evil
 Death Warrant / int_98f22e5f
comment
Wardens Are Evil: The Warden agrees with corrupt state officials to kill his prisoners to harvest their organs. Unlike the mastermind behind this scheme, his own motive is just profit. He's also a violent racist and a sadistic bully.
 Death Warrant / int_98f22e5f
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 Death Warrant / int_9fb2452d
type
Evil Is Not a Toy
 Death Warrant / int_9fb2452d
comment
Evil Is Not a Toy: The prison officials, on the orders of their mastermind, bring the Ax-Crazy killer the Sandman to their prison to kill Burke. The Sandman uses the opportunity to release all the prisoners and start a riot for his own amusement.
 Death Warrant / int_9fb2452d
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 Death Warrant / int_a3eea2ea
type
Cop Killer
 Death Warrant / int_a3eea2ea
comment
Cop Killer: The Sandman has a fondness for killing cops. This drives Burke to hunt him down in the opening for killing his partner, and the other convicts to admire him.
 Death Warrant / int_a3eea2ea
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Death Warrant / int_a3eea2ea
 Death Warrant / int_b5b3599d
type
Amoral Attorney
 Death Warrant / int_b5b3599d
comment
Amoral Attorney: The organ harvesting operation in the prison was masterminded by California's Attorney General Tom Vogler.
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Death Warrant / int_b5b3599d
 Death Warrant / int_c660bc15
type
Fan Disservice
 Death Warrant / int_c660bc15
comment
Fan Disservice: Burke is shown naked, but the context makes it unappealing, as he's been confined to solitary under suspicion of having killed his cellmate. Amanda is shown getting undressed at one point, but it’s for a forced strip search by prison guards and is presented as the unpleasant encounter that it is.
 Death Warrant / int_c660bc15
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 Death Warrant / int_e5d8460d
type
Unexplained Recovery
 Death Warrant / int_e5d8460d
comment
Unexplained Recovery: Burke shot the Sandman multiple times in the chest from close range in the past, and he seemed to be dead. Somehow, the Sandman not only survived but Burke had never heard he'd done this until they met again two years (very unlikely, and if he did Burke's likely to have been at least the star witness in his trial, so he'd know). Not only did he survive, but apparently he's in perfect health given his very athletic battles with Burke in prison, while such injuries would probably disable a person permanently even if they'd survived. However, it also seems he's Made of Iron, as seen later when he didn't go down after getting caught on fire and had to get his head impaled on a spike to kill him.
 Death Warrant / int_e5d8460d
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 Death Warrant / int_f07102a8
type
Infernal Retaliation
 Death Warrant / int_f07102a8
comment
Infernal Retaliation: In the climax, Burke kicks the Sandman into a furnace. The fight initially seems to be over, but the Sandman then jumps out in flames, still trying to kill him.
 Death Warrant / int_f07102a8
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 Death Warrant / int_f6370d13
type
Organ Theft
 Death Warrant / int_f6370d13
comment
Organ Theft: Corrupt prison officials have prisoners killed to sell their organs for profit.
 Death Warrant / int_f6370d13
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 Death Warrant / int_fd4f8299
type
Well-Intentioned Extremist
 Death Warrant / int_fd4f8299
comment
Well-Intentioned Extremist: The mastermind behind the plot, State Attorney Tom Vogler, killed violent prisoners (whom he claims no one will miss anyway) because of the desperate shortage of organ transplants on the market. He also did it to save his beloved wife.
 Death Warrant / int_fd4f8299
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Death Warrant / int_fd4f8299
 Death Warrant / int_fd76256a
type
Pervy Patdown
 Death Warrant / int_fd76256a
comment
Pervy Patdown: Amanda is subjected to this at one point by two male prison guards. When she demands a female guard do it she’s denied, and then she’s subjected to a strip search.
 Death Warrant / int_fd76256a
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 Death Warrant / int_name
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Death Warrant

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Amoral Attorney / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Cop Killer / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Cop Killer Manhunt / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Evil Is Not a Toy / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Films of 1990–1994 / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Hollywood Action Hero / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Infernal Retaliation / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Is That a Threat? / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Not Even Bothering with the Accent / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Organ Theft / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Prison Films / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Prison Rape / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Prison Riot / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Villain Cred / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Wardens Are Evil / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Welcome to Hell / int_cf98f283
 Death Warrant
hasFeature
Pervy Patdown / int_cf98f283