JCVD (Van Dammage) Reviews

Mr Van Damme finally makes the leap to a grown up film and some proper acting, the film itself is rather weak really, the plot is basic and its been done many times before, 'Killing Zoe' comes to mind. The acting is good but the characters are slightly cliched and the look is pretty thin on the ground.
The best thing is indeed Mr Van Damme who does really serve up a slice of true inner acting from the heart. It does come across as a kind of ego trip for Van Damme as he seems to want us to feel sorry for him, there is one moment where he does seem to crack in front of the camera which is a very strong moment but it does come across as wanting sympathy, hard when your a big movie star.

Still he does prove he can act seriously and could make better films, although he does sound better in French than English haha
The start of something more interesting than martial arts maybe.

The premise is fantastic: You have a former action star who didn't have a hit in years playing himself at rock bottom: law suit for custody, money problems, stalling career. While still being beloved in his home country of Belgium Van Damme gets in the middle of a bank robbery and one shouldn't give away more than that. The delivery of this insane idea is just as awesome, the great soundtrack, a fantastic opening sequence, non-chronological narrative perspective and very unusual camera work really make this work. To top it all Van Damme delivers what's easily the best performance of his career, really making you care for this man who has hit rock bottom. The highlight is a 5 minute monologue, that may or may not have been improvised, reflecting upon his career and life, when real life and fiction melt into each other. That's confusing, often funny, sometimes touching but extremely entertaining. Only the ending doesn't entirely hold up to the great promise, but that doesn't ruin the overall crazy experience this film offers.

"It's hard for me to judge people and it's hard for them... not to judge me. Easier to blame me. Yeah, something like that."

Those of you who actually read my reviews, have probably understood that I'm not a big fan of Jean Claude Van Damme. Until now...

I've seen lots of Van Damme films, most of his earlier works and some of his newest. I'll admit that 'Kickboxer', 'Bloodsport' and 'Cyborg' are somewhat special to me because I was into martial arts in my teens and early 20's (before I got beaten up REAL good in the ring = grade A concussion). Van Damme with his roundhouse kick and splits! You gotta like it!

But when I grew a brain and started to think of movies at a higher level, it came to me that Van Damme films actually suck. Just like all of the other B action stars like Lundgren and even Stallone. But this film' JCVD' changed everything.

In 'JCVD', Van Damme plays himself. Troubles with money, child custody etc. A vulnerable man, not a bulletproof action hero. I'll say this once... Jean Claude Van Damme, "The Muscles from Brussels" can act. I'm not getting that much into the story but later on in the movie, Van Damme has a couple of minutes long monologue that made me kinda misty, weepy or whatever you may call it...

The acting is, I still can't believe I'm saying this, top notch, especially the star of the film, Jean Claude Van Damme, gives a career best (and saving?) performance. The story is somewhat realistic and the director who was totally unknown to me, Mabrouk El Mechri, has done a fine job putting this film together. The camerawork is stellar with a bit too dark visual image. But all together, the production of the movie looks very good.

So, I'm glad that I saw this movie. I've skipped a lot of Van Damme movies in the past and for a reason, but 'JCVD' was a pleasure to watch. It gives us a sight on what kind of a person Van Damme really is. I just hope that he mamages to give us good movies in the future, instead of all these 'Second In Command' or 'Double Team' kind of crap flicks.

I'll recommend this movie to all fans or haters of Van Damme. A real surprise and come to think of it.. One of the better films of 2009.

A great film with an amazing opening long -take and an even more amazing central performance by JCVD himself. He was definately snubbed for an Oscar nom last year.

This film shows the action star in a way we havent seen him before. Not as a hero but as a regular broken down man with problems, issues, dept and emotions. A great drama that strips the character down to being seen as a very vulnerable and scared man, Van Damme portrays it beautifully. Jean Claude Van Damme gives a riveting tour de force performance, he can actually act and what a hell of a amasing portrayel. A rough, nakedly emotional, remarkable, muscle stripping and very human performance. If he was ever gonna get an Oscar Nomination for best actor, this would be the tickett. A breathtaking, shattering and powerful film. A surprise gem. It's moving, groundbreaking, stunning and exhilerating. A teriffic and superbly original film thats well-crafted and incrediably well-performend. A pure knockout. It shines with humanity and brute force. An outstanding, funny, knowing and kick ass film that has a great style.

I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Sure, I had my problems with it, but to watch Jean Claude Van Damme deliver what is probably one of the most moving and raw monologues I have ever seen is worth the price of admission. He is astounding. If Mickey Rourke was a shoe in for an Oscar (how did that work out?) with his performance in The Wrestler, then, honestly, Van Damme should have been right there with him in the nominations. In fact, after watching both films now, I can honestly say that Van Damme's performance is better than Rourke's. My problems lie in the actors surrounding Van Damme who come off as cartoonish cut outs of characters from other movies (I don't know if the guy who looked like Cazale from Dog Day Afternoon was an homage or an impression of the guy in Killing Zoe). I have to say that this film has hit a soft spot for me because guys like Van Damme and Seagal introduced me to watching movies on a consistent basis. Seeing my hero from Bloodsport come full circle in a film like this was really cool.

This action-alike documentary of Jean-Cluade Van Damme film is powerful action-packed, thrilling and even funny. It's easily the best film Van Damme has done in recent years. This is no spoof. I knew he could kick, but who knew he could really act?! I'm happy to hear about his latest film that brought Van Damme back to top because I like his own movies better than Steven Seagal.
This is a coup de cinema, invoking the spirits of Fellini, Truffaut and Godard - no, seriously - which, like the rest of the film, shows two sides of Van Damme few have seen before: the human being, and the skilled actor.
Cynics may doubt the film's sincerity, detecting the whiff of a fallen star's vanity project, despite a darkly funny, partly improvised script that doesn't always show him in the best light. But there's no mistaking the gusto with director-co-screenwriter Mabrouk El Merchri shoots the siege, imaginatively photographed by the brilliantly-named Pierre-Yves Bastard. Ultimately, what could have been a direct-to-video curiousity becomes a highly unusual and strangely compelling collision of Being John Malkovich and Dog Day Afternoon.

Not bad, Monsieur van Damme...not bad at all.

It definitely has that wry french - BELGIAN - humour to it...and there are other parts...where we see that even actors can be desperate at times..in the most drastic of measures.

...but that soliloquy...that was just bloody incredible.

Review? TBC! :P

J.C.V.D.: . This... this is me today. I used to be small and scrawny. And I took up karate. Hence the Dojo, hence respect, thou shall believe people who say, "Oss!" It's Samurai code. It's honor, no lies. So this guy in the US, it's not the same thing. No one says "Oss" to you. Sometimes people in show business say, "We're gonna' fuck em'". I believed in people, in the Dojo. I was blessed and had a lot of 'wives'. I always believed in love. It's hard for a woman with three kids to say, "Which one do I love more?" A mother... If you have 5, 6, 7, or 10 wives in a lifetime, they've all got something special, but no one cares about that in the so-called media. What about drugs? When you got it all, you travel the world. When you've been in all the hotels, you're the prima donna of the penthouse. And in all hotels the world over, traveling, you want something more. And because of a woman... well, because of love, I tried something and I got hooked. Van-Damme, the beast, the tiger in a cage, the "Bloodsport" man got hooked. I was wasted mentally and physically. To the point that I got out of it. I got out of it. But... it's all there.

A great concept that delivers on its premise. A movie about a broken down action star being taken hostage, actually being played by the broken down action star.

Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as himself. After a great opening sequence where JCVD is in the middle of filming one of his Direct-to-Video projects, perfectly lampooning his action status as he barrels through multiple bad guys and dodging explosions, all in one long shot, we find JCVD at court battling a nasty custody case.

Soon after this, JCVD appears in downtown Brussels, heads to the bank, only to suddenly be taken into a hold up situation. Further problems ensue when the police arrive, all convinced that it is JCVD that is the hostage taker/bank robber.

This is a very intriguing film. It has a low lit, grainy quality and scoring that gives it the feel of a 70s exploitation flick. At the same time, the movie is very much a human drama that has JCVD as the anchor, and he proves that he does have the chops to pull off much more than just split kicks. The vulnerability that is shown by him is quite effective, letting this film achieve its goal.

Its a strange film, with a plot that could be seen as silly, but I loved the concept and the courage that Van Damme had to be involved in this flick.

J.C.V.D.: It's all there. It was really tough. I saw people worse off than me. I went from poor to rich and thought, why aren't we all like me, why all the privileges? I'm just a regular guy. It makes me sick to see people... who don't have what I've got. Knowing that they have qualities, too. Much more than I do! It's not my fault if I was cut out to be a star. I asked for it. I asked for it, really believed in it. When you're 13, you believe in your dream. Well it came true for me. But I still ask myself today what I've done on this Earth. Nothing! I've done nothing! And I might just die in this post office, hoping to start all over here in Belgium, in my country, where my roots are. Start all over with my parents and get my health back, pick up again. So I really hope... nobody's gonna' pull a trigger in this post office... It's so stupid to kill people. They're so beautiful! So, today, I pray to God. I truly believe it's not a movie. It's real life. Real life. I've seen so many things. I was born in Belgium, but I'm a citizen of the world. I've traveled a lot. It's hard for me to judge people and it's hard for them... not to judge me. Easier to blame me. Yeah, something like that.

While the framing story isn't as compelling as I would have liked, Van Damme's performance makes this a must see. Yes, you heard me. He's terrific. A life of celebrity, of being mocked, of difficulties with his personal life, all laid bare with an astonishingly honest performance. This deserved a better reception in theaters.

Do you remember how disorienting it was to watch Frailty as discover what an untapped talent Bill Paxton was? All these years you'd been watching a really gifted horror director acting onscreen. That's how blind-sided I was seeing Jean-Claude Van Damme in this, and how immensely talented an actor he is. I think this is the first real character I've ever seen him play and when he gets the chance he can project genuine versimilitude. He had just never gotten the chance, until now.

His entire acting career, Van Damme has played larger-than-life superpeople, sometimes quite literally. This movie shows him as the antithesis of his characters and it's really quite refreshing. It's especially refreshing to see him interacting with his fictitious personas, and how they colour everyone's perception of him. All the action movie artifice is peeled back here to reveal that being a burly martial artist does nothing to protect you from the blows that hurt the most. Van Damme's monologue into the camera toward the end of the film stands out as incredibly honest, heart-rending, moving and remarkable. I am so glad I saw this. His transformation is especially jarring if you've just seen one of his action films. I saw this as a double-bill with Hard Target. I was floored.

"Be Aware"

Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in this meta crime comedy that finds him garnering mores headlines than he's had in years after stumbling into an in-progress bank heist. Down and out, with only straight-to-DVD titles under his belt, and a recent job lost out to fellow has-been, Steven Seagal, the aging action star returns to Belgium a broken man fresh from losing a custody case for his daughter in Hollywood. Upon his arrival, the bad news continues with a disastrous ATM encounter that leads him into the bank and straight into a robbery situation, for which he's about to be blamed. Soon, crowds grow outside on the street, with the cops quick to point the finger at him and his fans cheering for his release.

Review
With a tour de force monologue scene that itself makes the film and actor one-of-a-kind, JCVD sets out to "redeem" the action genre with a "metacommentary" that is much more than clever or ironic. JCVD is a film within the subgenre of "meta-reality-drama" (see "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" as another example). Van Damme plays himself in a flashback cross-cutting fictional narrative about his "real" personal life complicated by a post office heist-gone-wrong that Van Damme stumbles into. Not an action movie per se, but a semi-comic drama with action elements, JCVD is mainly a showcase for the serious acting chops of Van Damme -- and (surprise) Van Damme gives a performance that is -- yes, believe it -- Oscar-worthy.

Even if you've zero interest in action films, or zero interest in Van Damme, JCVD will surprise you and possibly move you emotionally. But if you're a true action genre aficionado, JCVD is a film you won't want to miss. More than simply offbeat, JCVD offers a critique of comic-book movie violence and a transformative performance from a major action star that separates him from the rest of the pack. Seagal, Schwarzenegger, Stallone or any of the major action stars could only dream of a film as distinguished and accomplished. JCVD will likely be the best of Van Damme's career.

While Sylvester Stallone is grasping at his past glories with recent outings for both Rambo and Rocky, Van Damme has taken a more highbrow and delicate road. In JCVD he plays a version of himself. An action star who is aging, has money and family problems and has hi own demons to face. JCVD is not a parody of the man himself but rather a dramatic deconstruction of his life and works. It throws the real Van Damme into an action movie scenario and cleverly puts his acting on screen for all to see. There are few moments of raw emotion that can equal his monologue to the camera. The reaction of the police and media is what one would expect if an action star was faced with such a predicament, but Van Damme's reactions are nothing but human. It's a brave step and one that pays off. The direction is faultless as is the wonderful cinematography. A film that may alienate his hardcore fanbase, but will show the man in a new light to naysayers of his talent. For once he is an actor first and a martial artist second.

Definitley the surprise of the year. Don't expect the famous split kicks and violence and bad scripts. Noone knows what to expect from this film... except maybe humanity. Cause in the end, you can be JCVD, but you are still human.

This movie really blurs the lines between reality and the entertainment world, Van Damme protraying his life from his own eyes and the emotion and pain he suffers as his career and personal life hits rock bottom.

Now... ever imagine a movie star in a situation way out of his control? Reduced to nothing? I guess none of you wont like it either.

What you will like: Van Damme actually ACTING!! He put in a great effort to show the vulnerable side of himself, and it was great. it just goes to show you tha a super human being can be bent, broken, left lying in the gutter without a hand of support... and hit what is utlimatley the depths of his own personal hell.

Thrown in the midst of this emotional drama is a little humor, well obviously, since people do go a little crazy when a mega star shows up in town to rob a post office.

The moment when we enter Van Damme's mind and he pours out all his feelings and views is certainly a good show of the softer side of stardom. As he says, its not right to judge others... but its hard for US NOT TO JUDGE HIM. Being in the public eye has its virtues and its curses...

Anyways, the ending is left unspoken, but a fresh start is what Van Damme needs... this movie, clearly showing one path of near self destruction leads to a rebuilding of character and life, is an allusion to what Van Damme wants now... people to take him seriously as a cinema icon and a legend.


And I loved his action films except for recent b grades... but now I can finally say I can take a Van Damme movie seriously and credit him with some innovation and a performance which did get everyone's attention.

Aside that, the music and tension was great, the cinematography was spot on... the crew behind this certaintly are not B grade, they have style and the right touch that pulled this off into a sleeper hit.

This is probably as far away as you can get from the typical Van Damme movie. Because in this well-directed dramedy, he not only displays extraordinary new depths as an actor, but has some fun with the popular image of him, and proves that his talent isn't limited to playing brainless action heroes. A movie out of the ordinary to say the least, and one that will really surprise you. Heck, I may even go as far as to say that he has completely redeemed himself here for all his past sins. So let's all hope it's not just a temporary fluke, because it would be nice to see if he kept up the good work.

"JCVD" is a perceptive and surprisingly smart movie about celebrity, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as himself. In this movie, he is depicted as being down on his luck at the age of 47, enduring a long and costly child custody battle for his daughter Gloria(Saskia Flanders), broke and worst of all being replaced in a movie by Steven Seagal, after he cuts off his ponytail. In a hearing in America, the opposing attorney gives a lengthy list of the violence in his films and his daughter says she is teased about who he is.

In his native Belgium, Van Damme, however, is seen as something of an actual hero and it is there that he gets caught up in a bank robbery. While that might seem like a normal occurrence for one of his films(I've seen two: "Hard Target" & "Time Cop," so admittedly I am not that much of an expert), the overall structure of "JCVD" is really different from anything he has probably done before, even with a bit of "Dog Day Afternoon" street theater thrown in. To start, "JCVD" is shot in a faded color scheme, with shifting perspectives, that at first suggest that Van Damme himself might be behind the robbery, long takes and complex camera work. Most striking, is a scene of him talking directly to the camera, which is as honest a confessional as I have ever seen on film, that makes him seem very much down to earth. But is this the real him?

Mac-posted entry! What fun!

Best of 2008 list, in thread-form, should be my next production.

7.3/10

Don't you love it when a crummy actor is given one moment of true glory? That moment of glory, for actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, is the film "JCVD". Throughout his career, Van Damme has starred in various generic action films; all of which have been forgettable and ultimately convoluted. It's almost kind of strange how this film doesn't mimic or mock the quality of his other films. No, this film is better than that. It features Van Damme playing a semi-fictitious version of himself; in a real-life situation in which he has to prove to himself that he can do the right thing outside of acting. The premise makes for a good movie; and this is Van Damme's best performance yet. In fact, Van Damme is what makes this film work so well. Aside from being a pretty fascinating film on its own, Van Damme has found his dramatic and emotional side. His character makes us feel for him, and there are those little moments where we realize just how treasured this film deserves to be. I don't think it's a great movie, but it has enough style and substance to win me over; and I'm not even a Jean-Claude Van Damme fan in the slightest. I guess your ability to enjoy this film is measured how much you hate Van Damme or on the contrary, how much you love him. Either way, this film is enjoyable and rewarding. There is a plot going on, with Van Damme as the only character worth giving a damn about. The film could have done better in those areas, but I'm not complaining due to the fact that this film is more artistic than anything Van Damme has ever been involved in. This is the kind of movie that makes you look at a star in different ways, and I think Van Damme will always remember this as his rebirth. Here he has put effort into a performance; so much effort, in fact, that the film itself could be called a "performance piece". I don't know if it's a character study, but I like the "movie stars have horrible lives" message and how the filmmakers put an unexpectedly affectionate twist to it. There's plenty to look at while watching the film, so yes; I recommend "JCVD" to most. There are not a whole lot of reasons why not to watch the film, since love Van Damme or hate him; this is his best work yet. And I have no doubt on my mind that it will be his first and last good film, since I think Van Damme has met his match. But since he's still got stuff like the "Universal Soldier" sequels coming out, maybe he hasn't. However, if he is proud of this film, than he is a smarter man than we may have thought he was. I still hate Van Damme; but not in this film. He's great here. And that's what I liked about "JCVD".

Jean-Claude Van Damme is a big Hollywood action star; generic, among other things. He's been living the life, as it would seem, for quite some time. However, when speaking of his personal life, things are rough. He is forbidden to see his young daughter for most of the time, and American isn't giving him the right kind of satisfaction. On top of that, his credit cards have stopped working, and now he's flat-broke. He decides to return to his home-town in hopes of finding himself once again, as well as escaping the torture of American culture, although finds himself in a whole new kind of mess. He goes to a bank so that he can get some cash, although ends up being thrown in the middle of a heist. Unfortunately, everyone on the outside of the Bank thinks he's the head of the heist plan, so whether he makes it out alive or not, he's in some deep shit. Most of the film finds Van Damme trying to cope with taking the blame for the criminal act, but what's fascinating here is not the plot; and it's not even what's going on. What I liked about this film was the character of Van Damme, and how slowly he realizes that life just isn't like the movies. Will he live through this ordeal? It's not up to me to decide. You need to see the movie for yourself, since there's a lot of good to be found. The film itself is very well-made, although without Van Damme's flawed career history, it wouldn't have been as good. However, I hope this doesn't inspire directors to make the same kind of movie for other poor actors. I mean, who wants to see GB: Gerard Butler? Nobody does, and that's why nobody should turn a movie like this into a trend. I hope to god that it remains at least somewhat unique.

Jean-Claude Van Damme runs this movie; he owns it. He's the reason it's good stuff. I've hated Van Damme ever since I heard the name of both the actor and the movies he was in, although this is the kind of film that makes you consider the star in a whole new way. He's actually very, very good in this film. Here, the actor displays emotions that I never knew he had; and he gives his character both depth and substance. I liked this movie, and Van Damme was enough to entertain. I won't say it's amazing, since it's not, but as a character study, it's mighty damn fine. I don't think it's worth it to discuss any of the other actors because frankly, Van Damme is the star of the movie, and his performance should be the center of attention. Whether you like the "Muscles from Brussels" or not, you'll probably end up liking this movie. Take it for what it is.

Now here is a film built in a way that is so alien to the rest of an actor's filmography, that it almost feels artistic. This film is not only a spectacular display of talent from Van Damme, but also a well-made production as a whole. The film is visually stunning; making great use of camera work and lighting to create an almost eerie atmosphere. The film has the capacity to be dramatic, gritty, and wholesome in one sit-down; and that's something that most films can only hope to accomplish. So does this film have artistic merit? I would say so. There's definitely some artistic craft that goes into taking a horrible actor like Van Damme and making him an addicting and intoxicating character. You won't want to take your eyes or ears off Van Damme or his dialogue; which is more than enough reason to ponder this nice little movie. I enjoyed the film because it does not build itself like an action film; but rather a drama. There's an almost powerful tone to the movie; although it's never explored as thoroughly as I would have hoped. But overall, this is pretty great for Van Damme. For once, he's in a GOOD film. Unfortunately, this is somewhat of a "one-time star change" for Van Damme; considering that he went from this to "Universal Solider 2". But at least he has this film at all; some bad actors don't get moments like this. Look, if you like Van Damme, then see this. If you don't like him, then see it anyways. Don't go to the film assuming that it's going to lampoon the guy's career. Take my word for it and go for the ride; expecting nothing more or less than a sweet, affectionate take on an actor's life-style. It's accurate and never pretentious. I can totally live with that.

Van Damme should have gotten an Oscar for his performance in this film, or at least a nomination. It's not every day that a star like him surprises us in a way such as this. He has gotten a film worthy of his inner talents. I specifically like the scene in which Van Damme makes a heartfelt, touching confession. He makes us realize that, in the story of this film, his character has not had a real breath of reality in quite a while. He has inhaled plenty of smoke from cigarettes; but never enough realism. I like this film for various reasons; Van Damme's performance, the visual style, and the direction. Everything seems to come together in the end to create a flawed but intriguing little movie. I will not force you to watch the film; it's not THAT good. But since it's still pretty damn good, I'd say it's a definite recommendation. There are few who will deny that this is Van Damme's best film to date; since he's been in a lot of crap lately. But this...I mean, this is just plain unexpected. Van Damme's performance attacks the audience with relentless force; and I kind of like that. He lets out his inner emotions and feelings into one great hell-of-a-performance. It's memorable, it's honest, and it's brutally kick-ass. Van Damme alone is enough reason for this film to be worth seeing. And considering all the crap that comes out these days, why not see it? A star can make a change; but not often. This is a moment of awesomeness, not just for Van Damme, but for the film's director and writer(s) as well. You have to appreciate the craft that went into the film, as well as the entertainment that it offers. Van Damme has never been so great. He is awesome in this movie, and I loved watching him. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Boring even when the real life version of him collided with the movie star version...I had a hard time staying awake!