Customer Reviews

Until Death

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am one of Van Damme's biggest fans and always have been. I am a martial artist and his films have always interested me, but I never pretended they were actually great movies from any other standpoint than they featured great fight scenes. I don't think I have rated any of his recent films above a 3 and frankly, with some, that has been generous. Until Death gets a 4 from me. It is a rather gritty movie, like many of his recent ones (i.e. Wake of Death), but has elements and scenes that raise it above subpar and any of the recent Seagal straight-to-dvd garbage.

Movie Description:

A Vic Mackey styled narcotics cop, Anthony Stowe (Van Damme), is basically a cop who doesn't care anymore as he has had his feel of seeing corruption around him and its influence on him (he is not necessarily a stereotypical good cop himself). Not only is he failing at his job, but also failing at his marriage (you will not like Van Damme for the first 30-45 min.). After a failed drug sting that was supposed to nab his former corrupt partner--Callahan--Stowe falls deeper into drugs and alcohol. Due to his drug abuse, he isn't on his toes and gets ambushed and put into a coma. After awaking from his coma, he is a changed man who realizes he has a lot of wrongs to right. He goes about doing this and in the midst gets dragged back into the conflict with his former partner in an ultimate showdown.

Plot - C

If you watch and think, "Been there, seen that," you are probably right. Pretty much any gritty cop movie or television show has had a plot similar to the plot in this movie. There is no originality and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The movie sticks to the grittiness of a cop movie/television show and never lets up. There is a lot of graphic violence (i.e. hands being blown off, people being shot graphically in the head), so it is not for the squeamish. The overall riding theme of redemption kicks in after Stowe (Van Damme) wakes up from his coma. The ending can be seen way before it happens and there are no surprises. Again, this does not imply it is a bad plot, just one that has been used many times before (i.e. Training Day).

Character Development/Acting - C/C

As with most Van Damme movies, there isn't much character development or acting. What is surprising with this movie is that Van Damme actually overshadows his fellow actors (which is usually the reverse) by doing a really good job at presenting a flawed, but overall good person. I'm used to seeing Van Damme in hero type roles instead of an anti-hero role. This departure really makes it hard for the viewer to pull for Van Damme, but shows that Van Damme is fully capable of playing a troubled soul. He is most effective in his acting after his character comes out of the coma. As for supporting actors/characters, none are very memorable except for Stephen Rea who plays Stowe's former partner, now turned crooked cop and the movie's main bad guy--Callahan. The criticism of the actors and development of their characters--particularly the lesser cops in the movie--is well justified. They really are not good and add very little to the movie.

Music/Sound - B/C

There was a recurring piece of music that I found memorable, though for the most part it was typical of this type of movie. The sound for the gun fights was very clear and effective. Nothing really stands out though.

Cinematography/Visual Effects - B/B

The movie featured some interesting set pieces (supposedly the movie is set in New Orleans, but I doubt it was actually filmed there) and has some memorable scenes, filmed very tightly and realistically. The diner shootout and the final warehouse shootout were filmed very well and were not too choppy or incoherent like is sometimes common in these films. There isn't much hand-to-hand fighting and no martial arts for the diehard Van Damme fans (there is one kick--if you blink you'll miss it). All the action revolves around gun fights. There were a few film tricks which the director used to emphasize Van Damme's inner turmoil and to tell certain parts of the story. They were interesting and added some uniqueness. The gun shots to body parts were very realistic as I mentioned above. The special/visual effects are very realistic. The film is shot mainly in daytime settings so it is very clear, except for a few nighttime scenes, which are still well lit and filmed. The movie has the look of a much more expensive movie.

DVD/DVD Features - B/F

As with most direct-to-dvd movies nowadays, the DVD picture and sound quality are very good, but there are virtually no bonus features. The only bonus (special) feature is a previews section of other direct-to-dvd movies (interestingly enough, no trailer for Until Death--but there are trailers for Van Damme's Second in Command and The Hard Corps, both of which did not have their own trailers on their discs either).

Overall - B

Most people will enjoy the movie, sans any martial arts, which may turn off diehard Van Damme fans. People looking for a great movie will be sorely disappointed. People looking for a slightly above average action movie will be pleased. It is far superior than the direct-to-dvd stuff Seagal is putting out. Interesting to note: I went to Best Buy and Circuit City and neither store was carrying this movie. They said it was an online store only title. IF YOU LIKE VAN DAMME MOVIES, PLEASE SUPPORT HIM BY BUYING THE MOVIES IN THE STORES. First he disappeared from theaters and now from store shelves. Not a good sign. Anyways, this movie is worth a rental (mainstream audience) or purchase (for Van Damme fans).

I gave this movie 5 stars because it is very watchable and will not disappoint Van Damme fans. There are several flaws to this movie though (Van Damme seems to be able to walk around and drive pretty well considering that he hasn't used his legs in 7 months), but overall there's great action scenes, good looking girls, a decent plotline, and some surprisingly good acting. It is not the greatest action movie of all time but it does the trick if you're in the mood for an action movie and it will definatly not dissapoint Van Damme fans.

What makes this film comes down to one thing - Jean Claude Van Damme, both the actor, and the character he plays. Gone are the days of Van Damme old school kick butt action. The aging actor has substitued martial arts for improved acting. In Until Death, thats exactly what you get - very little action, limited to a couple of shootouts in exchange for a guy who can now finally act quite well and create a sturdy character.

Van Damme doesn't play your everyday good guy cop. He is messed up pretty much from the start. A drug heist goes bad in the beginning of the movie, and everyone wants to blame him for the mess. With consistent anger and depression, alcohol, drugs, and a wife pregnant by someone else, you have to wonder where this is all gonna turn around - if it even does. It finally does, on the deathbed. He gets a second chance, and begins to turn things back around. Though I will admit, I thought the first half of this movie was more interesting when his charcater was going downhill.

This is basically a thriller with some small character twists throughout the story, but nothing more. The bad guy in the film did not impress me at all, and as mentioned earlier, forget any hopes of fights - just guns in this film. Most of the characters can act well, but no one surprised me with more than required. Again, its all Van Damme who steals the show.

If you are a fan of the old school Van Damme, you may just hate this. If you want to see how much this guy has changed, this is worth checking out. Van Damme looks to be in a transitional period here, and if he continues to perform as well as he has here, he may still have plenty of years ahead of him in the industry.

Acting - 4
Action - 2
Characters - 3.5
Story - 4
Overall - 4

I haven't seen all that many Van Damme movies, but the ones I have seen have all been pretty good (I'm one of the few people that actually liked Second in Command). I had my doubts early on this time around, though, as Van Damme looked like death warmed over, and his character was pretty hard to sympathize with, even for an anti-hero. But you know what? Van Damme himself may be showing some age now, but he is far from washed up. I see Until Death as a transition film of sorts for him; he shows that he can still be a tough guy without relying on elaborate martial arts displays and, more importantly, that he has developed into a decent actor. Anthony Stowe isn't your stereotypical, one-dimensional cop; there's a lot going on with this guy, and Van Damme does a really nice job of revealing both the bad and the good in the character.

Stowe is a NARC on the New Orleans police force, and he's carrying two huge monkeys on his back: a seemingly personal mission to bring down the city's most notorious gangster and a secret addiction to heroin. Obviously, he does not fit the description of a good cop. Watching fellow cops die as a result of his continually futile efforts to catch Callahan (Stephen Rea) doesn't do much for his already abrasive attitude, he has no qualms about roughing up potential criminals, innocents, or fellow cops, he doesn't work well (if at all) with a partner, and the heroin isn't helping his job performance. His personal life is in even more of a shambles, as he has just learned that the wife he has been neglecting is pregnant - with someone else's child. Yep, you'd think life couldn't get much worse than it already is for old Anthony - until the guy he's hunting finds him and leaves him lying in an alley with a bullet in his skull.

Miraculously, Stowe survives the shooting, but it is several months before he emerges from a coma. As his physical rehabilitation progresses, he starts taking steps to rehabilitate his life as well, apologizing and making amends to those he has hurt along the way. Unfortunately, though, the people he cares about the most remain in harm's way as long as Callahan is still out there - and he's really out there, having wiped out any and all criminal competitors and solidified his position as king of the criminal dung heap during Stowe's absence. You know an ultimate showdown between Stowe and Callahan is coming, and the movie does not disappoint, serving up an exciting, action-packed ending.

Van Damme isn't going to win any best actor awards, but he actually does quite a commendable job bringing out the nuances of his character, as Stowe tries to put his life back together again following his grievous injury. Until Death isn't focused entirely on action and more action; there's a really human element here that I wasn't expecting to find. If this film is any indication, Van Damme isn't going to disappear from the cinematic radar any time soon.

OK not much martial arts in this but a good movie for all action fans whteher they are Van damme fans or not.

Good work!

Until Death is nothing we haven't seen before. Some characters are badly under written. Supporting actors vary in believability as performers. Stephen Rea is given very little to do except put on a rather fake sounding American accent and spit out his lines and the final shootout is nothing special from director Simon Fellows and there is very little martial arts. The movie is also handicapped with a low budget. Having said all this, Van Damme gives the best performance so far of his career and shows even more range as an actor since his excellent performances in, In Hell and Wake Of Death. I've followed all of Van Damme's movies since Black Eagle and allot of his DTV output has been rather poor of late such as Derailed, Second In Command and The Hard Corps. In this one Van Damme carries the whole movie on his shoulders solely on his performance as an actor and not an action star and pulls it off very well. Where Van Damme movies seem to go wrong is when he tries to bring an acting performance to something that should be a straight action film such as The Hard Corps or Second In Command. In something like Until Death, In Hell or Wake Of Death, Van Damme giving an acting performance fits with the overall story. In Until Death, Van Damme is believable and I wanted to know what was going to happen to his character from start to finish. This is not an action film, it's more of a drama/thriller with a central character driven performance by Van Damme. It's a shame that Van Damme is still stuck in low budget DTV land after his performances in Replicant, In Hell, Wake Of Death and now Until Death but perhaps there is hope that he will someday find himself involved in an A-List American production once again. I think what I would like to see from Van Damme is for him to do one film in the mold of Until Death, Wake Of Death etc and do his acting thing and then the next film he does to be an old school straight out action film in the mold of Double Impact, Hard Target or Sudden Death which would satisfy both his fans and his need to improve as an actor. To sum up Until Death, action fans might want to look else where. For some Van Damme fans, you may be disappointed by the lack of martial arts but for others interested in watching a good time passer bearing in mind it's a DTV demi drama/thriller, this comes recommended.

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

1. Who is he? Anthony Stowe, New Orleans police officer with heroin issues
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? This time he must avenge himself
3. Does he take his shirt off? He's shirtless in the OR, that's it.
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? No, but his whore of a wife cheats on him and gets pregnant
5. Is there a tournament? None.
6. Is training needed for this tournament? Speech therapy is all JCVD needs
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? No splits whatsoever
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? No ball contact in site
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? I'm not even sure he kicks someone
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? Gabriel Callahan (Stephen Rea) is the antagonist, and I'm pretty sure he's one of the weakest villains in movie history. Very disappointed in the choice for this film.
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? Perhaps his biggest victory yet, JCVD comes out of a six-month coma to kick some ass.
12. Does he win? Of course, but it's unimpressive


In what essentially amounts to a remake of Steven Seagal's 1990 film Hard to Kill - with one twist - JCVD plays a cop who goes into a coma with something on his mind, and wakes up with a sense of purpose. Van Damme looks horrible in this film, which fits the plot, but man is he rough to look at. The close-range shotgun blasts (there are many) and haggard look only goes so far.

For purists, this is one of the most disappointing JCVD films to date. The combination of his appearance and lack of action really makes it seem like he has lost a step. Those unaware of his legacy may not be too disappointed because the gunplay is legitimate. No tourney, no groin blasts, no spin kicks, no splits. Someone bring back the real JCVD.

Jason Elin

Anthony Stowe is a down-and-out detective addicted to heroine whose days always seem to go from bad to worse. Lowe is coming off of a drug deal, in which two officers were killed, and the primary villain, the drugs, the money and the surveillance tapes are still at large. He is also dealing with his wife, who has just informed him that she is pregnant - but the child is not his. After a gunfight in which Stowe comes very close to death, After being severely wounded and losing all will to live, His body gives up and falls into a coma. After an inner battle with himself, He gains again the spirit to live again. While on the road to recovery, Stowe finds himself in a very personal battle to make amends with his kidnapped wife and to take revenge on his assailant once and for all. Van Damme, I think has always been a good actor. And with "Until Death" he hits it big time, he gives a great performance. This movie it's more of a drama than an action movie and it has a great story. It is a must see, you will be surprised by it.

Jean-Claude Van Damme stars in this bone-chilling, action picked thriller as Anthony Lowe, a down-and-out detective addicted to heroin whose days always seem to go from bad to worse. Lowe is coming out of a drug deal in which two officers were killed and the primary villain, the drugs, the money and the surveillance tapes are still at large. Lowe is also dealing with his wife, who has just informed him that she is pregnant-but the child is not his. After a gunfight in which Lowe comes very close to death, he falls into a coma. Whilst on the road to recovery, Lowe finds himself in a very personal battle to make amends with his kidnapped wife and to take revenge on his assailant once and for all. His boss formerly refused to employ Lowe as a detective again, but, the teenager Lowe paid to research for information comes out with nuggets of gold which would stop the criminal activities for a long time to come. This brings Lowe back his credentials and his old job.

Until Death(released Jan/07) takes JCVD back to the Crescent City as a backdrop;his other being Hard Target in /93.Until Death has alot of good moments and it allows us to see an actor who has matured and improved his acting skills considerably over the years.
The story revolves around a police detective named Anthony Stowe.As the film opens he is heading up a major take down of a local gangster by the name of Callahan.Stowe has dogged Callahan for years and in fact has done some shady things in trying to get him but has failed.The sting almost goes off until the end when Callahan asks the female undercover cop to undress.Both her and her male cohort are killed and Callahan once more slips through Stowe's fingers.
Stowe seems to be on everyone's dislike list and when a fellow officer(Walter Curry-played by Trevor Cooper) asks Stowe to help out his nephew up on pot charges because he kept Stowe's name off the blotter awhile back,Stowe strangely tells the police chief about it and the officer is fired;losing his valuable pension.As I said Stowe is not popular.In fact Stowe is so messed up he has been addicted to heroin for years and is a walking,talking human mess;physically and psychologically.
One night Stowe goes to a restaurant for a quiet drink with a female local.She excuses herself to go to the powder room but leaves the building completely.Enter Callahan's thugs loaded for bear.A close fire fight ensues and just as Stowe leaves out the back door he is caught in a head lock by another of Callahan's thugs and confronted by Callahan himself.While in the headlock Stowe is shot up through the chin with the bullet lodging just behind his skull.One thinks he is dead but he miraculously survives the ordeal and has to undergo months of therapy to come back to near normal.
An insurance check for 3/4 of a million dollars is given to him and his estranged wife,now pregnant(we're never sure by whom),comes back to look after him with her current boyfriend,who is clearly uncomfortable with the whole thing.When Stowe gets back on his feet,now clean and sober,he starts to right some wrongs.The first thing he does is write a cheque for some $450,000 to Curry,the cop he turned in.He arrives unwelcome at the doorstep but leaves a gob smacked Curry and his wife on their doorstep.His next wrong to right is his wife.That day she decides to leave his home and finally move away for good but he goes after her.She at almost the same time has had second thoughts and she returns to get captured by Callahan's thugs who take her as a hostage to lure Stowe to a warehouse.
This is where the final confrontation takes place and Stowe finds he actually does have some friends after all.A dirty cop who was Callahan's inside man for years on the NOPD is there with gun trained on Stowe,ready to kill him.He decides however to turn and points it at Callahan.Then Curry shows up guns in hand ready to help out.A good old Mexican stand off occurs then a prolonged pitched gun battle begins.Stowe fights his way through it all and finally he and Callahan are locked head to head,each with a gun pointed at the other.They both go off and the scene shifts to the future as Stowe's wife and he are reconciled and they have a three year old daughter who he happily lifts up.
The plot is a winding one no doubt,but the continuity seems to flow rather well all the way through.As I said Van Damme has certainly matured as an actor and he makes this hollow shell of a cop character come alive.He is ably supported by a troupe of lesser known actors but they give solid performances in his aid.Honourable mention goes to Stephen Rea who plays the cool but cold blooded antagonist Callahan.The movie,as you can guess,is quite violent at times and I wouldn't recommend this for the kiddies.
Technically the movie has been transferred quite well and it is in its' widescreen a/r of 2:35:1.It has been mastered in Hi-Def,is available in both English and French with Dolby 5:1 sound and the 101 minute film is crisp and clean throughout.This is a DVD with no extras;the film is it.
All in all an entertaining entry in the cannon that is Jean Claude Van Damme.Until Death will certainly please his fans and Van Damme shows he has matured and has a firm grasp of his craft.A solid 3 1/2 stars.