Jean-Claude Van Damme Plays Himself In 2008's JCVD!
Written: Nov 07 '09 (Updated Nov 07 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Van Damme; intriguing, memorable story; DVD's special features
Cons: drags some on second viewing
The Bottom Line: Not in theaters now. I'm a fan of the star, but you don't have to be to enjoy this suspenseful, sometimes amusing caper.
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| jankp's Full Review: JCVD |
Ok, I confess that I once had a big crush on the famous action movie star with the bulging muscles and high karate kicks called Jean-Claude Van Damme. I watched many of his movies whether or not they were that good, such as Bloodsport, Hard Target, Timecop and Universal Soldier, only reviewing one (Replicant) on this site. Finally I picked up his latest movie, JCVD, where he plays himself, an aging action movie star with big financial problems and a custody battle in L.A. for his daughter (although in reality he has a son). Although you don't necessarily need to be a fan of his movies to appreciate his spoof of himself, action movies and small-time bank heists, it may help. If you are a fan like me you will probably see Van Damme (Van Varenberg in reality) in a whole new light and be rather stunned. He is a real person, you'll realize, who wonders what he's accomplished in his life and why he became a movie star when he doesn't feel so special.
JCVD, directed and ultimately written it sounds like by Mabrouk El Mechri of France, not only sounds clever as well as 30 percent improvised, but looks interesting because Mechri tells the story like Pulp Fiction does in a less-than-chronological way. This style adds some suspense because you're not sure what's going on, whether Van Damme really is robbing the post office/bank in his Belgian hometown after learning that his credit card didn't pay his lawyer for his custody battle. He's just returned home to reevaluate his life and live with his parents for a while, but before he can do so he gets that call from his lawyer and runs into a bank in the process of being robbed by incompetents. His fans on the street have watched him enter the bank and after hearing a shot and a cop notices Van Damme's face in the window before it's shuttered, they all assume that the star is pulling the heist himself! I'm not revealing anymore than the DVD cover or theatrical trailer when I tell you that Van Damme is one of the hostages, but the crooks use him as a cover. It's funny, sad, suspenseful, a little bloody. JC is faced with bad guys who could really kill him and he breaks down (in his own language) in a soul-baring, six-minute monologue shot by a still crane. It's very powerful. IMDb.com has the full monologue in the film's quotes section.
You may be wondering if there was much action for the star like fans are used to. Well, not a lot after the long, opening sequence where he's hilariously shooting an action movie that has him huffing and puffing while high kicking and throwing punches. This is definitely showing us the star as he really is now behind the Hollywood curtain. He keeps getting asked for his autograph or picture or a demonstration of kicking a cigarette out of a poor man's mouth before the fan eagerly tries the stunt himself. We see his confusion, great fatigue, humiliation, fear, developing rage and desperate violence at the first opportunity which doesn't proceed quite as he had hoped. The film doesn't give him much of a break, but Van Damme allows us to laugh with him.
JCVD was a tight, ninety-seven minutes and rated R for some language and violence, but his other films deserve the rating more. I didn't know any of the other actors, but Francois Damien played the police chief in a fairly understated way. The movie may be a spoof of Van Damme, but not in a Pink Panther sort of a way. It ends in a quietly devastating, somewhat ironic way that is delivered quickly, but Van Damme's last grunted word and frustrated gestures say all you need to know.
Last Thoughts
It's a haunting movie that promises a new movie career for Van Damme in other, such dramedies. In the movie he claims to be 47, but looks a bit older maybe because of his hard living. I think like most movie critics that he's got the talent to move past his action movies if he wishes to and I hope he does. JCVD may be the best movie he'll ever make, although it drags a little in a second viewing. Maybe he should keep working with French directors like El Mechri. Van Damme has already done Hollywood.
Recommended:
Yes
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jankp
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Member: Jan Peregrine
Location: Lincoln, NE
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