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JCVD

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2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Now like many I too accept that Jean Claude Van Damme isn't the greatest actor in the world. He's an action hero after all and much like Steven Seagal, he's someone we wouldn't usually expect a 5 star acting performance from. He's just used to kicking people in the head and looking all attractive whilst doing so. Now he's older and currently a man who's career was absolutely dying a death, at least until this film was made and now he has the possibility to be back on form and revive his career as a more serious actor.

So what makes this film different from all the rest? I hear you ask. Well for one he's not playing some clichéd character who you end up shouting "kick his head off" at. He's actually playing himself in a fictional setting and as strange as it sounds it actually allows him to display much more acting talent than you would have first thought.

So what's the film about? I hear you secondly ask. Well, JCVD's life isn't going too well and is constantly in battle to win movie roles but is constantly beaten by his rival Steven Seagal. His wife has divorced him and is in legal battles for the right to have access to his daughter. He also has quite a few tax and money troubles to boot, so to escape his troubles he decides to go home to his native Belgium only this isn't as peaceful as he'd hoped.

Upon his arrival in Belgium he goes into a Post Office, and after his fans tell a local policeman that the legendary Jean Claude Van Damme is home and in the local post office. Then out of nowhere a gunshot rings from the post office sending people into a panic and shocked that it turns out to be the movie star himself holding up the post office, or is it?

Well what entails is a film about hostage negotiation and a traumatic movie star life that is topped off with a difficult situation. It's not the typical JCVD film as it contains very little fighting karate style, but the film is made truly special with the defining monologue. Roughly half way through the film, JCVD is brought away from the story and the film in quite a strange style that allows him to deliver a monologue that gives the impression it comes straight from the heart. He talks about his life and career and how he wants to be remembered as a more serious actor. I got the impression that a lot of the monologue although in a scripted movie, was actually improvised or at least written by JCVD himself.

I would highly recommend this film to any JCVD and non-JCVD fan as it's truly his best work to date. This is seriously a possible breakthrough movie for him to bring his career back up to speed and rather than continuing to star in "straight to DVD" movies like this one, sadly, he may be given more movies that start in the cinema and give him a wider appeal as the man is still a name that captures peoples interests.

Get it, you wont be disappointed.

JCVD is just what all the other reviews claim, it is a tour de force for Jean-Claude Van Damme the actor. If you're renting this expecting anything at all in the way of action then you are going to be extremely disappointed because apart from the opening scene (which turns out to be a scene from a movie he is supposedly filming) there is a total of two kicks, an elbow, and maybe a punch. I think that perhaps as Van Damme nears 50 has realized that his career as an action star is living on borrowed time and that this film might serve as his calling card to the world of serious film-makers, at least in Europe. And it definitely does that in a most impressive fashion. With the making of this film the Muscles from Brussles proves himself to be undoubtedly the most talented thespian of all kwailo martial artists, and probably most Asian martial artists as well. Here he presents himself as amiable-- though world weary, down trodden, and scrambling to hold together the last vestiges of his fading career, and he does so very convinvcingly. Its been said that the most difficult thing for an actor to play is himself. If that's the case then Van Damme deserves an Oscar.

I came upon a crowd outside a movie theater bearing the title: JCVD. The theater is jammed with dedicated fans having memories of Van Damme's past International super star status from the 1988 Bloodsport.

What a movie! It likely surpassing the collective expectations from the start of the entire audience. The opening scene rocks. A 4-minute film within a film begins with vintage-like Van Damme moments of high energy action. This single-shot sequence unfolds vamping up Van Damme's pre-existing persona in dynamic fashion. Then this incredible assembly of action ends with a hilarious fake wall falling over when a door is simply slammed too hard by a winded and exhausted Van Damme blithely complaining to a movie director, who couldn't care less (as in real life), that he is 47 and it is simply too hard to do these mad action scenes at his age!

The film then pivots under the young but world class directorship of Mabrouk El Mechri to the main story, where the audience is treated to a Van Damme they have never seen before acting with incredible depth and character. This transformation from a shallow bigger-than-life action hero to portraying true down-to-life emotions will be worth the admission alone.

Van Damme's dramatic performance and his featured monologue --- are remarkable. The director caught Van Damme on film in a way to make any audience celebrate with rousing enthusiasm alongside Van Damme as he convincingly relates his belief in the American dream, then address his marriage and drug problems of his past, and how he wants a second chance to make a difference in the world. It is one of those cinema moments bordering on being a masterpiece; it re-invents Van Damme.

The camera floats through the chaos of Van Damme's life and caresses Van Damme's face that has taken on a good amount of character. Van Damme has stories in his eyes. Van Damme has life in his eyes. Van Damme has sadness in his eyes. Van Damme has regrets in his eyes. Van Damme has a message to deliver. The movie cleverly uncovers the pitfalls behind celebrity status with humor that Van Damme does very well.

The plot borrows on Van Damme's trying past. Playing himself, a beaten and depressed Van Damme returns to his native Belgium in hopes of getting out of the limelight. Van Damme is financially drained and makes a bee line to his home bank. But the Belgium bank is in the midst of being robbed. Van Damme is caught up in the ensuing mayhem as the police on arrival wrongly assume Van Damme is part of the robbery team. The actual criminals are enjoying extravagant good luck. Not only do they have Belgium's biggest movie star in their control, but through his ill-luck he is also taking the fall for them! In trying to find a way out, Van Damme realizes his Hollywood action roles of his past all fall flat when a real gun is pressed to his head.

This is a movie to be seen, not merely read about. Not only is Van Damme re-born but so too is the audience through a shared experience with Van Damme's factual failures and triumphs! (Dr. R. Witmer, Ph.D. co-author of Van Damme's Biography appearing [...])

The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)

1. Who is he? JCVD is JCVD
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? Himself
3. Does he take his shirt off? No, but he wears his heart on his sleeve
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? No, but he gets screwed in the end
5. Is there a tournament? Well, court is kind of like a double-elimination tournament
6. Is training needed for this tournament? No, but law school would have been nice
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? Unfortunately not
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? Punch + Kick = SWAT officer gets carried away in agony, desperately craving an ice pack like a long lost lover
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? More than enough to satisfy a true JCVD fan
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? How does one truly conquer one's own demons?
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? In life, in court, and in a precarious post office predicament, JCVD is constantly plagued by his own shining star.
12. Does he win? The most revealing win of his career.

Beginning with an introspective peek inside production at a JCVD movie, we learn that he is no longer the man he once was. Sure, he's still dynamic, powerful, and above all a bona fide superstar, but he's also not quite as capable as he once was at a younger age. Despite the fact that he's 47 - something his new director disregards like a slave driver - he still manages to put together a pulse-pounding intro in a single take, with multiple attackers, countless weapons, a wall falling over like in a Buster Keaton movie, and even his patented testicle attacks.

The plot of the movie itself is rather ingenious. It's JCVD playing himself, in a movie soaked in the realism of his every day life. What it must be like to be one of a few superstars in a smaller country. He handles his situation with class, poise, and humility. Facing a ruthless child custody hearing, he must display those traits just to maintain a semblance of sanity. All that changes when he walks into a robbery and the criminals decide to use his celebrity to their advantage. What ensues is a battle of wills and wits, as Van Damme uses his status to gain the trust of his fellow prisoners, as well as to manipulate the mind and break the bond between the trio of robbers.

Most impressive about JCVD is a lengthy, heartfelt monologue midway through the movie. He talks directly into the camera and completely exposes his innermost thoughts. Separated from the cast and the set for a moment, similar to how a play differentiates group acting and audience interaction - a break from the other characters - he pours out raw emotion. Directly mocking Hollywood stardom, he struggles emotionally through real life references to his marriage and drug problems; it's personal, and it's deep.

His stardom is obviously a difficult subject. How he feels both vindicated and tortured by his success at the same time - why can't others be as lucky? On the verge of tears, a breakdown must have been difficult to hold back; it wouldn't be surprising to discover the scene took multiple takes. It reinforces his frailties, and it supports the script that proposes his humanism, his mortality, that would clearly take over were a real gun placed to his head.

The monologue is also where JCVD displays his acting ability. He's actually a good actor - something obvious to anyone who has seen In Hell, Wake of Death, or Nowhere to Run. Speaking in his native language, it's easier to express emotions. In all actuality, it's probably the language barrier in other films that makes him less believable. When working with familiarity, the acting range flows as easily as the dialogue (the subtitles are fast, unobtrusive, and seamlessly integrated). It's hard not to side with Van Damme, from the very beginning the viewer is privy to the behind the scenes treatment he often receives, and the undeserved lack of respect he commands as an actor

JCVD deserves similar praise to the fawning Mickey Rourke has received for "The Wrestler". This film poignantly proves that he has real acting chops, and that he can truly tap into that deep-seeded trauma which all great actors grasp when needed. He's painfully sincere, and completely fascinating in this exposition. His jump may have lost an inch, his kick may have lost some power, and his splits may not be as straight as they once were, but he is revitalized in this tour de force. Even for non-fans, JCVD comes highly recommended.

It's been a long time since I've willfully watched anything starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, but the premise of JCVD just kind of caught me off guard. Van Damme basically does play himself here: a washed up actor who blew his Hollywood stardom and is stuck in a bitter custody battle over his daughter. He's reduced to starring in sub-par B-movies, and on top of it all, he's broke. Now back in Brussels, Van Damme goes on his way to the post office to sort out his money situation, only to walk head first into a robbery, where the crooks make it look like he's the one behind it. Despite many of the reviews on here, JCVD is neither fantastic nor dreadful, it just falls somewhere in between. However, for Van Damme fans, JCVD is a must see. Van Damme is unusually good playing himself, and his monologue to the camera towards the end of the film is especially heartfelt. The film's main flaws lie mostly in its pacing and dialogue, but for what it's worth, JCVD ends up being more or less a shining moment for Van Damme, and that in itself is quite an accomplishment.

In JCVD, Jean-Claude Van Damme, stretching himself artistically, plays a washed up actor named Jean-Claude Van Damme, whose history parallels the real man's life, and whose string of violent B-movie films are used as ammunition against him in his suit for custody of his children. Beaten, broken, and bankrupt, he returns to his native Belgium to try and regroup and start over, only to step into the middle of a bank robbery in his hometown.

At this point, according to the movies of Van Damme's that I've seen before, I would expect him to mop up the place with the three less than competent gunmen, but JCVD hews closer to reality, and Jean-Claude does what any sane person would do when someone puts a gun to their head - he shuts up and does what he's told. Through a mix-up, the police initially think that Van Damme is the bank robber, and the gunmen seize on that fact, forcing him to negotiate for them.

As the hostage situation drags on, director Mabrouk El Mechri breaks the 4th wall, and Van Damme speaks directly into the camera about his life, his success and failure, and intimates what it means for a regular joe to wear the shell of a celebrity. I wouldn't ordinarily have expected JCVD to be different from any other Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, but this monologue was what made me curious about the film in the first place. I'd heard of it, and heard it highly praised. Over-praised, I think, now that I've seen it, as it was presented as a genuine and moving cri de coeur - but while the plight of broken and exhausted celebrities may be terrifically sad, I have a hard time empathizing. Plus, not only was there the image of the sadder but wiser older man, but I caught a distinct impression that his regret over past actions might cause him far less heartburn if his star status hadn't dimmed as it has.

Maybe I'm being unfair, but it doesn't matter because JCVD doesn't depend on the frankness of Jean-Claude's confession to make it an interesting film. Interesting - not great - though I enjoyed it for what it was. I though it was a clever look at what makes a person a person, about the illusions we hold concerning other people and about ourselves, and a nice skewering of the film industry.

Unfortunately, if the film were viewed as Jean-Claude Van Damme's personal story, it could also be considered a celebrity peep-show, and a blueprint for actors who wish to recast themselves as genuine people via the fiction of film - and its success is likely to bring imitation. As a convention, I think it would grow tiresome quickly.

Mr. Van Damme is also applauded for his acting in this film, which does seem above par, though I've always thought that his acting suffered mostly from his having to appear solely in English speaking movies. That and how his movies generally went to such goofy lengths to explain his accent. In JCVD, he carries his acting chores well, but after all, he is playing himself. That certainly makes it easier to get in character.

This movie is likely to receive mixed results, as longtime fans of Mr. Van Damme aren't going to see the action movie they might have expected, and viewers who may appreciate the subtleties of JCVD may not realize that it ISN'T the action movie they expect. I will say that, barring anything unfortunate, this movie should resurrect Mr. Van Damme's film career. After the catalog of challenges that such a career brings, which he listed so effectively in his monologue, only he knows if it was worth it.

The stereotypical Jean-Claude role involves a high focus on action and strings together a series of A-B plot sequences, which works effectively and cleanly in most karate/kung fu films. JCVD is not one of these films. This is a landmark achievement and deserves praise and consideration. If you have ever looked upon the action film star in a derisive manner, if you have ever brushed off the ability of Jean-Claude as both an actor and a martial artist, or if you have ever criticized someone for leading their life the way they choose without having all the details, then this movie is without question for you.
I will not give a plot summary, or attempt to go into the details of the movie, nevertheless it should be noted that this film is in many ways a critique of hollywood's abusive treatment of a hard-working class of people. It is a critique of destructive media practices, of the prying star stalker that hounds an individual for attempting to earn a living doing something he or she loves. It is a critique of parenthood and family and what matters most in life.
This film documents real emotion in a surreal manner, taking the spectator into a highly produced piece in order to offer a perspective from the inside looking out. Jean-Claude masterfully utilizes his life experience to convey his true feelings about his aspirations, his dreams - both fulfilled and shot down, and his undying hope in his work. This is more than a comeback movie. This film is Belgium.
Belgium is a highly interesting country, having three national languages and being the home of the United Nations, and its history in media is even more curious. Very often, artists and writers from Belgium will publish in France in order to gain a larger public, since there are more French-speakers world-wide than Flemish speakers, and yet, since the time of Baudelaire's Fleurs du Mal Belgium has had received a bad reputation in literature and the arts, mostly thanks to France's elitist narcissism. JCVD is set in Belgium and is made for his fans in Belgium. Despite the obvious language tie to the French here, this movie is Belgian through and through.
Rent it. Buy it. Watch it. It will take you by surprise and most likely be a delightful change of pace from the typical action movie role you are used to seeing Jean-Claude play.
Jean-Claude...Continue making movies! Don't quit, no matter how difficult it may seem! You are your dream, and although it may not be apparent at times, know that your work is appreciated.

JCVD is a French language film set around the international action star. The film expresses a toughness with a perfect blend of vulnerability. Beautifully filmed and extraordinarily performed. JCVD has lived a full spectrum life of fame, family, riches and falls from grace. The now middle aged actor bears his soul in this one. His mature face shows more character and depth than the average plastic hollywood actor his age. I was blown away by this one. I'd love to see him in more serious roles. Give this veteran actor his studio flick! The suits out there need to know. The fans want more JCVD! Oscar material for sure.

"JCVD" exhibits another side of Belgian action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, who gives an affecting dramatic performance that pokes fun at his movies, his age, his aphorisms, and his fans. Of course, he's playing himself. Returning to Brussels after a disappointing trip to Hollywood, Van Damme politely poses for pictures with a few fans before hurrying off to withdraw some money from a Post Office bank. But the bank is being robbed by three men who take Van Damme hostage. A police officer who sees Van Damme through a window assumes he is one of the criminals. The criminals decide it's a good idea to go along with this perception. Meanwhile, a crowd of fans gathers in the street outside to cheer their favorite action hero on.

Mabrouk El Mechri directed and co-wrote this smart dark comedy. He spares neither Van Damme nor his fans. Van Damme, the character, is an aging action hero whose career is on the skids, his personal life at a low point, and he's short of cash. He's a nobody in Hollywood, but everyone in Belgium worships him and knows the details of his private life. Stressed and sleep-derived, Van Damme ends up in the middle of a robbery, where everyone's expectations of him make it difficult to do the right thing. He's a sympathetic character with real troubles. The film has a dark aesthetic that borders on murky at times. But its impressive melange of ideas build tension and incorporate some action, all the while being clever, funny, and insightful. In English and French with subtitles.

The DVD (PeaceArch 2009): The film is available in several language versions. The theatrical release is in French and English with English subtitles for the French. There is an English version that dubs the French in English. And there is also a French version that subtitles the English in French. And there are Spanish and English SDH subtitled versions. Bonus features are a theatrical trailer (English, 2 1/2 min), 2 deleted or extended scenes (5 1/2 min) with optional English subtitles. The disc includes a copy of the film with a lower resolution, smaller file size for use on portable devices.

I'm going to keep this review short, because there are plenty others that have went into fine detail about the film. I must confess that I was a hugh Van Damme fan all through the 90's. Since Bloodsport, all the way till Maximum Risk I've always paid to see his films. As we all know he fell off making only R rated films all through the 2000's, but I feel JCVD is his tickets back into a second wind of stardom!

I never thought through his career that he acted badly, as some others protrayed. But in JCVD is definitely showed that he is without a doubt, an actor! I feel this movie opens the door for more great films to come from him.

Also, the film is partly in French, which really isn't all that bad, because I'm a big fan of films being authentic. Regardless if you are a fan of Van Damme's or not, this is worth at least checking out once.