Synopsis:
The film establishes Jean-Claude Van
Damme, who is playing himself in an alternate reality, as an out of luck actor.
He's out of money, his agent can't find him a decent production, and the judge
in a custody battle is inclined to give custody of his daughter over to his
ex-wife. He returns to his childhood home of Brussels: where he's still
considered a national icon.
The Freak's
Rating: A- :
I am the definitive target audience for JCVD,
without question. Bloodsport and the film
that brought John Woo to America, Hard Target,
are some of my favorites. I even have soft
spots for Timecop and Death Warrant. Van
Damme was an enormous success in America and
then slowly fell away from mainstream after
multiple divorces and drug issues. JCVD is
a fascinating spin on the man, blending
documentary with drama, action and comedy.
There
is a wonderful style to this film, bringing life
to the man most of us have forgotten. In
one personal reflective scene, Van Damme has a
heartwrenching monologue that properly makes you
take notice. It is so difficult to
quantify where the film sags, so it must be in
the A category. Some moments are very
amusing, some tense, some sad. If there is
any noticable lack of A+ talent, it is with the
acting (of supporting characters primarily), but
this is still one I would watch again and worthy
of any JCVD fans to make sure they pick up.
Brian's Rating: A-
: I am not a Van Damme fan. I had to look
into IMDB to even remember the movies of his
that I watched. Cyborg, Kickboxer, Universal
Soldier, Double Impact, and Nowhere to Run. I
was a teenager, and they looked cool on the
video shelf, however I remember vaguely that
every single one of these movies was crappy.
So I never saw Hard Target becaues at that point
I was thoroughly over Van Damme and deep into
Arnold. I didn't even know that is what brought
John Woo to the US until it was mentioned in
JCVD. Being a huge John Woo fan now, I have
half a mind to got watch Hard Target now.
All of this is setup to say that even not being
a Van Damme fan, and even carrying a bias
against him, I enjoyed this movie very much. I
think everybody can enjoy this movie. It is a
fascinating look into the man, and really makes
you feel sorry for him. As in JCVD, nothing
goes right for the guy. He made plenty of
mistakes in life, and owns up to them in the
monologue that Scott spoke of, but still you
cannot help but feel for him as everything
possible is falling apart.
Another highlight of this movie is the
innovative directing that was done to capture
scenes. In the aforementioned monologue that
could so easily feel out of place and break up
the movie unnecessarily, the directing on how
the shot is setup really reigns it in and makes
it feel at home. A lot of the cuts are sharp,
an imagined sequence near the end is fluid, and
the use of different perspectives on the same
scene is well done. I am not usually one to
notice good directing as I don't really know
what I am talking about, but if this film is not
the example of a good director, I don't know
what is.
A final note for this longer review is the
acting of Van Damme playing himself. I thought
he did excellent. Somewhere along the line he
learned to act and actually portray real emotion
and frustration. Granted, its probably easier
to act when you are playing yourself, but
nonetheless he carries out the monologue
mentioned before in heart-wrenching, top-notch
talent.
Again, you don't need to be a Van Damme fan, or
even a fan of action movies to like this movie.
It is very well done and I would recommend it to
all.
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