In 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme has his first international hit with the movie Bloodsport. I was 13 years old when this movie first came out and thought it was the second best movie ever made right after America Ninja. Hey, give me a break I was just a kid. Anyway, I went on and became a big fan of Jean-Claude, and through the 90’s I enjoyed many of his works including Kickboxer, Lionheart, Death Warrant, Double Impact, and Hard Target. Some time after Hard Target, Jean-Claude kept doing the same thing and I grow up and lost interest, that is until now.
I’ve always which that the action stars of my childhood, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Michael Dudikoff, would stage a comeback. Here with JCVD, in my opinion, Jean-Claude has come close. In JCVD, Jean-Claude shows that he is much more than an action star and can portray the emotions required of a dense character.
Director Mabrouk El Mechri has crafted a wonderful crime/drama which only problems are a bit of clumsy editing and a couple of strange scenes that don’t exactly fit. The movie is a glimpse into the life of Jean-Claude Van Damme in a alternative reality, but leaves the viewer guessing as to how much is really about Jean-Claude. Here after losing custody of his daughter and a failing film career, Jean-Claude returns to him childhood home of Brussels and gets mixed up in a big mess that seems at times comedic.
The support cast is excellent and did a very good job maintaining the seriousness of the film. However, for those looking for their karate fix, I’m sad to say they will not find that here. The only knock out punch Jean-Claude does deliver involves an emotion portrayal.
Peach Arch Entertainment is not having a big release for this movie; the DVD is very basic. The DVD has two deleted scenes and includes a digital copy. However, do not let this dissuade you, this is a damn fine movie and it would be a shame not to watch.
Review By Brad Peterson
Release Date: April 28, 2009
