Customer Reviews

Maximum Risk

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A cop (Van Damme) just found out about something new. He's had a twin brother all these years and didn't know it, but the bad part is that he just found out by finding his twin's dead body. Little does this cop know that his twin brother was a Russian agent. Since he looks just like the person that just died, everybody around town thinks he's someone he's not. When it comes to the mafia and FBI agents, this just might spell trouble.

Like he did in "Double Impact", Jean-Claude Van Damme once again plays the role of twins, although not as much this time around. "Maximum Risk" might be a bit shallow on plot depth, but who cares? Van Damme movies are known for their great stunts, action, and especially the fighting sequences, and let me tell you, there is A LOT of each in this movie.

The stunts, special effects, etc. come together as one to make "Maximum Risk" a fast paced, suspense filled adventure that all Van Damme fans should watch.

It might not be one of his top five movies, but if you're a fan of other Van Damme movies, then checking out "Maximum Risk" isn't that big of a risk to take.

I am a fan of action movies, but I've found some of Van Damme's previous flicks (most notably, Knock Off), to be below average. After seeing this movie on TV, however, I was quite impressed and ended up buying it.

As with most action movies, this one features a hero (Van Damme) who has to kick some butt, aided by a beautiful girl (Natasha Henstridge). The movie starts off with a pretty good car chase, followed by lots of scenes with guns firing and martial arts sequences. The plot isn't extensive -- Van Damme's character's twin brother is killed and he now assumes his twin's identity, only to be hounded by the Russian mafia and corrupt FBI agents.

I've only seen the VHS version, so unfortunately I can't comment on the DVD sound and video quality. Nevertheless, this is a good standard action flick -- in my opinion, Van Damme's best movie (or at least it rivals Bloodsport), and I recommend it for any action movie fan.

Van Damme has Derailed and went In Hell for some of his career, but this one I would say is his best, well next to Universal Soldier and Bloodsport I'd say its right up there with them. basically about Van Damme getting killed and then Van Damme coming into his brothers life. fast action and a good finale make this worth while

THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF VAN DAMME'S TOP 3 MOVIES. There is plenty of action and excitement that will make you want to watch it over and over again. Natasha Henstridge is down right sexy and georgeous. She played a perfect role in this movie. The movie was well-acted and thought it deserved a 5 star. This movie is a must-own on DVD. The sound quality is great as well as the picture. *Van Damme kicks plenty of...

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

1. Who is he? At first he's a Russian guy named Mikhail Suverov, then he's a French Policeman named Alain Moreau
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? When Suverov gets capped by the Russian mob, JCVDx2
3. Does he take his shirt off? In the most homoerotic of all places, a Russian bath-house, but he makes up for it later...
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? JCVD has never attained a higher level than Natasha Henstridge, who looks absolutely stunning
5. Is there a tournament? There is no tournament. But since there are two JCVDs, that wouldn't have been fair anyway, now would it?
6. Is training needed for this tournament? No training needed
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? No splits are done
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? An early knee to the sack is delivered just for the checkmark
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? Most definitely
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? The Russian mob and the FBI are formidable, but far from unbeatable.
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? He gets stabbed early on, but `tis a flesh wound.
12. Does he win? It's like pouring a gallon of win into a shot glass.

Opening with the greatest "mobile fruit stand being pursued by the Russian mafia"-chase scene in cinema history, JCVD teams up with director Ringo Lam for his first completely jaw-dropping JCVD experience - they later paired up for Replicant (another JCVDx2 venture) and Wake of Death (JCVD's best acting job). From the very beginning, there is no doubt that awesome-factor 10 is about to ensue.

The plot is typical of Van Damme movies and soap operas: A relative of JCVD gets killed (i.e. JCVD #1), it turns out to be his twin brother, and it's up to JCVD to spin-kick and ball-punch his way through the Russian mafia for the answers. Without going to deep into it, this is tied for first place for all JCVD movies. A few reasons why:

- Natasha Henstridge completely nude, multiple times
- Claustrophobic car chase on narrow European streets
- The only JCVD movie to feature strippers
- Three of the best fight scenes in cinema history against a Russian behemoth (who looks like NFL-bust Brian Bosworth):
a) best fist fight inside a fiery inferno in cinema history
b) best elevator knife fight in cinema history
c) best non-gay bathhouse fight by two guys in nothing but towels in cinema history

To top it all off, I'm completely convinced the game Crazy Taxi (released in 1999) and Mel Gibson's character from Conspiracy Theory (1997) - conveniently one year after Maximum Risk - were completely plagiarized from an insane New York cab driver from this movie.

This is a very good van damme action film. Too bad its only out in a full frame version now. Maybe the widescreen version will appear again in the future.

Another twin movie, but without a twin. Yes! Van Damme gets killed at the beginning of the movie and his twin brother fills his shoes to find out why he died. Natasha Henstridge pays tribute to the immortal that is Van Damme and helps him deliver major risky business! Van Damme acts again for, the third time? It's a real exotic picture and it feels like a jacuzzi. Steamage! Van Damme fights guys all over the world in this one. You could say 'same old, same old,' but NO! This movie has a fight in a fire and in an elevator where the bad guy gets stained toes. Ouch! Cut back to the chase now, Van Damme and Henstridge make this movie work and it deserves to be purchased immediately.

This was a great flick that had action from start to finsh! If you like a lot of shootouts, car crashes, and SUPER HOT women like Natasha Henstridge then you will love this movie. The director Ringo Lam (from Replicant) does a great job with all the camera angles. The best angles were when JCVD does his shooting and the stunts were amazing. This is plain and simply a great movie.

During his glory days, Jean-Claude Van Damme was somewhat of a vehicle for Hong Kong directors wanting to break into the American film market: previously, he had saddled the freshman outings of Corey Yuen, John Woo, and later Tsui Hark. While those directors were mostly interested in what they could get out of the Muscles from Brussels in terms of guns, car chases, and karate, Ringo Lam of City on Fire and "Maximum Risk" here seemed more intent on developing Van Damme beyond his action hero image via a step into the thriller genre. Whether he was successful is a matter of opinion, but it's unquestionable that this film is one of the most mature outings from this stage in our hero's career and definitely one of his most entertaining and interesting.

The story: when French policeman Alain Moreau (Van Damme) uncovers the death of a twin brother he never knew existed, he assumes his identity to uncover the reason behind his death and his underworld connections in America.

The script by Larry Ferguson (writer of The Hunt for Red October and definitely one of the more respected people to pen a Van Damme movie) places storytelling over action setups and, in general, feels a bit smarter than the average Van Damme vehicle. There isn't any real mystery to the story, though: the revelation of Alain's brother and his affiliation with the Russian mafia is dealt with without too much buildup, and the story begins to revolve around Alain retreading his brother's unsuccessful steps to distance himself from the mob and escape from corrupt FBI agents. His relationship with his brother's old flame (Natasha Henstridge, Species) is interesting at first but is then more or less dropped into your lap. Nevertheless, the movie never loses a sense of suspense: Alain doesn't seem quite as empowered as other characters Van Damme was playing at the time, so it rarely seems impossible that he could be killed. Soundly-weighed production values by director Lam help set a good mood and the art direction is, at times, inspired.

While the film's not built on it, the action content soundly supplements the package. Shootouts, car demolitions, and some on-foot chases are all fun enough, but it's the hand-to-hand fights that really catch your eye. This was arguably the first film in which Van Damme moved away from flashy karate moves and indulged in a slightly more realistic style of fight scene - inclusive of plenty of gritty brawling and grappling - and he couldn't have had a better opponent than vale tudo champion Stefanos Miltsakakis. Though their rematch in Derailed was a disaster, their three encounters here are among the few instances in movies wherein MMA-esque fighting isn't a bore to watch. The battle in an elevator is especially entertaining and features brutal close-quarters choreography that wouldn't be matched until the Bourne movies.

The film features a pretty good cast, including Jean-Hugues Anglade (Betty Blue) as Alain's partner and David Hemblen (Exotica) in a limited role as the leader of the Russian mafia, but the unexpected dramatic moment of the picture belongs to Van Damme for a surprisingly adept instance of silent acting near the end of the movie wherein Alain listens to a recorded message by his late brother. Ringo Lam would continue to bring a little something extra out of Jean-Claude in the future, even directing him to his first-ever dramatic award nomination five years later, but "Maximum Risk" is probably the most palatable of all their collaborations for its all-around strengths and mainstream appeal. Van Damme fans can't go wrong, here.

Director Ringo Lam and Executive Producer Roger Birmbaum bring us one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's most adventurous, erotic thrillers. "Maximum Risk" is Van Damme at his maximum best. This high budget, lavishly produced, emotionally packed action film has a great plot with numerous chase scenes and daredevil stunts unfolding against a background of exotic locales. All are highlighted by a suspenseful score form Robert Folk.

Van Damme is police officer Alain Moreau who is investigating the death of his estranged twin brother, Mikhail Suverov, in the South of France. His investigation leads him to New York City and his brother's girlfriend, Alex Minetti (model/actress Natasha Henstridge who was the alien femme fatale in "Species"). She works at a club operated by Russian mobsters. Mistaking Alain for his twin, the mobsters soon try to kill him. Corrupt FBI agents are using him to find a safe deposit box that can expose their illegal operations. Meanwhile, Moreau is falling in love with Alex. Held captive by Russian mobsters inside a hotel room, fearing for their lives, they make passionate love against the bathroom sink.

Also hot on Moreau's trail is Red Face (Stefanos Miltsakakis), a blonde, muscular grim-faced hit man, who is an unstoppable fighting machine. They engage in sweaty hand-to-hand combat inside a burning Parisian office building; they grapple with a knife in the cramp confines of a bank's elevator; and they kick box in a steamy Russian bath house. Famous for his bad guy persona, Miltsakakis has appeared in several of Van Damme's films including "Lionheart," "Cyborg," and "Derailed." He had a major role in "Bloodsport: The Dark Kumite."

"Maximum Risk" is a must have for fans of the "Muscles from Brussels." If you're not a fan, this is a great introductory film. After watching "Maximum Risk," you will want to see more of Van Damme's action adventures.