Tuesday 18 August 2009

REVIEW: JCVD


I was never really one for the straight to video action movie scene, so I've never seen a Jean Claude Van-Damme movie or a Steven Seagal movie for that matter. So I come into this movie perhaps unable to appreciate it in all its heritage, but I get its point, even if some if it may go over my head. But the jist of it sees Van Damme, playing himself, fresh of losing the custody of his daughter, goes into a post office to wire money to his lawyers only for the place to be held up by three criminals, which in turn turns into a hostage situation. The people outside believe Van Damme has gone batshit and is the one committing the crime. And so the hostage situation plays itself out as it has in many other movies lie this, only with a few Van Damme flashbacks put in there to mix it up.

The movie isn't the first into this kind of territory, but its pulls it all off quite well being both stylish and involving. Van Damme himself, is suprisingly good. I was expecting him to be OK, and the movie would try to work around him, but Van Damme holds his shit together and give an impressively world weary performance. Its an impressive epitaph to a career not really built around quality, but the guy knows this and there's quite a lot of self-deprecation going on here. Its certainly an intriguing movie and one that I'm glad that I've seen. Its far from perfect, and there's a couple of moments to induce groans. But on the whole its a clever little movie that will suprise you.

Rating: 6/10

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