''Blackjack'' (also known as ''John Woo's Blackjack'') is a 1998 Canadian-American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

and an unsuccessful

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

directed by

John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun ...

and starring

Dolph Lundgren Hans Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957), better known as Dolph Lundgren, is a Swedish actor, filmmaker and martial artist. His breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in '' Rocky IV'' as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, Lu ...

as a leukophobic former

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforc ...

turned bodyguard who hunts down an assassin.

Plot

After crime boss Kamenev (Géza Kovács) threatens his daughter Casey (Padraigin Murphy), casino owner Bobby Stern ( Peter Keleghan) calls in his friend, retired

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

Jack Devlin (

), to protect her. Devlin fends off a squadron of Kamenev's henchmen sent to abduct Casey from the Stern mansion, but is temporarily blinded by a flashbang grenade in the process, and shot in the leg. While Jack and Casey survive, Devlin develops a debilitating phobia of the color white ( leukophobia) due to the traumatic experience of being blinded by bright white light while fighting for his life. Some time later, back home in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

with his roommate/sidekick Thomas (

Saul Rubinek Saul Hersh Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a German-born Canadian actor, director, producer, and playwright. He is widely known for his television roles, notably Artie Nielsen on ''Warehouse 13,'' Donny Douglas on ''Frasier'', Lon Cohen on ''A N ...

), Jack is receiving treatment for his phobia from psychiatrist Dr. Rachel Stein (

Kate Vernon Katherine Elizabeth Vernon (born April 21, 1961) is a Canadian-born American actress. She is known for her roles as Lorraine Prescott on the CBS primetime soap opera '' Falcon Crest'' (from 1984–1985), the stuck-up and popular Benny Hanson in ...

). A lawyer arrives at Devlin's apartment, telling him that Bobby Stern and his wife have died in an accident, and that Jack is now Casey's legal guardian. Shortly after this, Jack's old friend, fellow retired U.S. Marshal Tim Hastings (

Fred Williamson Frederick Robert Williamson (born March 5, 1938), also known as The Hammer, is an American actor and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s. Williamson is perhaps ...

), is badly wounded while protecting a rising-star fashion model, Cinder James (

Kam Heskin Kam Erika Heskin (born May 8, 1973) is an American actress. She began her career playing Caitlin Deschanel on the NBC daytime soap opera '' Sunset Beach'' (1998–1999), before appearing in films ''Planet of the Apes'' (2001) and ''Catch Me If Y ...

) from an insane, obsessive killer (Phillip MacKenzie), and left comatose in the hospital. Jack takes on Tim's job as bodyguard out of loyalty to his friend. Jack now has to juggle his duty as father figure to Casey, coping with his leukophobia, his difficult personal relationship with Cinder, and his rivalry with fellow bodyguard Don Tragle (

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

), all while protecting Cinder from further assassination attempts. Jack discovers that the killer is, in fact, Cinder's deranged, abusive ex-husband, Rory Gaines, a failed actor. Jack and Thomas manage to track Gaines to an abandoned distillery but, forewarned of their arrival, Gaines manages to incapacitate both of them and tie them up. Gaines comes close to murdering Thomas, but Jack manages to cut through his bonds in time to save him. Gaines exploits Jack's leukophobia to escape once more. Tragle conspires with Cinder's manager, Derek Smythe (

Albert Schultz Albert Hamilton Schultz (; born July 30, 1963) is a former Canadian actor, director and the founding artistic director of Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company. He resigned his position with Soulpepper after sexual allegations against Schultz bec ...

), to seize control of the bodyguard agency, forcing Jack out of his job, and leaving Cinder dangerously exposed at a big fashion show. Jack manages to gain entry to the event, and keeps Cinder covered with a rifle as she walks the catwalk. Gaines appears in disguise as one of the fashion show's costumed performers, and shoots a pistol, then draws attention to Jack- who is there illicitly, and armed- to create a distraction, allowing him to abduct Cinder, who he takes back to his distillery hideout. Gaines compels Cinder to have "one last dance" with him; as he is about to stab her, Jack appears and engages Gaines in a shootout. Overcoming his leukophobia- the room is hung with white curtains- Jack shoots Gaines dead, saving Cinder. Some time later, Tim has recovered from his wounds; Jack and Cinder part ways with a kiss, and go their separate ways.

Cast

as U.S. Marshal Jack Devlin *

as Dr. Rachel Stein * Phillip MacKenzie as Rory Gaines *

as Cinder James *

as Tim Hastings *

as Don Tragle * Padraigin Murphy as Casey * Tony De Santis as Detective Trini *

as Derek Smythe * Janet Bailey as Connie Hastings *

as Thomas

Production

The film was intended as a

backdoor pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

for a

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

, but was not picked up. Its September 15, 1998 showing on the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

garnered a 2.7 national rating.

Reception

Critical response

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' reviewed the film at 2 stars out of 4 and noted: "Though it boasts several rousing action sequences, the film is sabotaged by lackluster acting, thin characterization, and a derivative storyline."

References

External links

* {{John Woo 1998 television films 1998 films 1998 action films 1990s American films 1990s Canadian films 1990s English-language films American action television films Canadian action films Canadian television films English-language Canadian films Films about bodyguards Films directed by John Woo Films scored by Micky Erbe Films scored by Maribeth Solomon Television pilots not picked up as a series USA Network original films