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Movies / On DVD / Maximum Risk
Maximum Risk

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Maximum Risk (1996)

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Reviews Counted:30

Fresh:9

Rotten:21

Average Rating:4.4/10

Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: After making several violent Hong Kong action films in the style that's come to be known as heroic bloodshed, Ringo Lam came to Hollywood to make his first American film with Belgian martial arts... After making several violent Hong Kong action films in the style that's come to be known as heroic bloodshed, Ringo Lam came to Hollywood to make his first American film with Belgian martial arts star Jean-Claude Van Damme. MAXIMUM RISK, like Van Damme's previous DOUBLE IMPACT, is the story of twin brothers. Unlike the earlier film--in which he played brothers with contrasting characters--here he's a French policeman, Alain Moreau, who takes on the identity of his dead brother, Mikhail. They were separated at birth when their mother, Chantal, played by veteran French film actress Stephane Audran, gave one up for adoption to a Russian diplomat. He grew up to become a member of the new Russian Mafia operating out of the Little Odessa section of New York City. When Mikhail is murdered in France after a wild chase through the streets, Alain goes to New York, where he's assumed to be Mikhail by everyone from the local Russian crime boss to his brother's beautiful girlfriend, Alex (Natasha Henstridge). Working with a seemingly unlimited budget for car crashes, Lam stages the action scenes with a kinetic flair and smartly knits them together with the help of sharp editing by Bill Pankow. [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Natasha Henstridge, Frank Van Keeken, Zach Grenier

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Natasha Henstridge, Frank Van Keeken, Zach Grenier

Director: Ringo Lam

Director: Ringo Lam

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Aug 12, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Prepare for Maximum Van Dammage when action superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme is joined by sexy newcomer Natasha Henstridge (Species) in their most explosive roles yet! Alain Moreau's (Van Damme) investigation into the death of his identical twin brother leads him from the beauty of the south of France to the mean streets of New York City and into the arms of his brother's beautiful girlfriend (Henstridge). Pursued by ruthless Russian mobsters and renegade FBI agents, the duo race against time tosolve his brother's murder and expose an international conspiracy. Sparked by the erotic chemistry between Van Damme and Henstridge, spectacular stunts, and globe-hopping adventure, MAXIMUM RISK is "vintage Van Damme" -Bob Ross, TAMPA TRIBUNE.
  • Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Maximum Risk

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    1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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    Jean-Claude does little Van Dammage to his lukewarm reputation with this standard actioner.

    Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    E! Online
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    03/24/02
    Boston Phoenix

    The plot holds together pretty well, which is not always the case in Van Damme's movies, and does not require the concoction of labored explanations for his pronounced accent.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    11/02/08
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    Maximum Risk equals minimum impact -- even by Van Damme standards.

    Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Bob Thompson
    Bob Thompson
    Jam! Movies

    Action flicks should be fun, and this one is a bloody bore.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Bruce Westbrook
    Bruce Westbrook
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    For sweet bloody thrills, this one beats the summer blockbuster competition hands-down.

    Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
    09/25/03
    Bryant Frazer
    Bryant Frazer
    Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

    Fights ensue. Van-Damme kicks a lot of ass. Explosions occur. The end.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    08/01/02
    Christopher Null
    Christopher Null
    Filmcritic.com

    Premium Van Damme...Henstridge is eye-poppingly appealing

    comment Comment
    04/27/03
    Clint Morris
    Clint Morris
    Moviehole

    A standard Van Damme pic, competently assembled but with little of the manic edge found in director Lam's Hong Kong movies.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Derek Adams
    Derek Adams
    Time Out

    Those who approach Maximum Risk with minimal expectations will, in the end, experience at least the occasional pleasant surprise.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    04/16/03
    Dragan Antulov
    Dragan Antulov
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/06/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    The generic nature of the plot and action sequences, not to mention the presence of Jean-Claude Van Damme, made everything seem all-too-familiar.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The plot moves along so that a mandatory fight scene is sure to pop up every fifteen minutes to make sure the audience isn't snoozing, but Lam manages to botch at least half of these scenes with shaky camerawork and scrappy editing.

    Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
    02/27/01
    James Kendrick
    James Kendrick
    Q Network Film Desk

    So full of holes that exciting stunts can't cover them all.

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jeff Vice
    Jeff Vice
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City

    Zesty chases and Van Damme's always exciting fights scenes fit well within a story that carries more intrigue than the average kick-and-crash extravaganzas.

    Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
    06/18/02
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

    Those who have seen Lam's best work know he might have pulled it off...if, just maybe, he had a more capable leading man.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Joey O'Bryan
    Joey O'Bryan
    Austin Chronicle

    ...the movie has some good moments of intrigue and adventure, and with a more charismatic hero it might have worked better.

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    08/20/08
    John J. Puccio
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com

    Lam not only handles the bravura action set pieces with ease but also a capable international cast as colorful and varied as the film's many locales.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    02/14/01
    Kevin Thomas
    Kevin Thomas
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    From start to finish, Maximum Risk presents spectacular stunts choreographed and coordinated by Charles Picerni and some hair-raising, stomach-churning automotive chases attributed to Remy Julienne, the French master of the art.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Lawrence Van Gelder
    Lawrence Van Gelder
    New York Times

    It's a visceral delight that refuses to be deterred by niceties of plot or character consistency and prefers sweat to emotion.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    07/08/08
    Leonard Klady
    Leonard Klady
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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