Ernie Barbarash’s 2015 action film Pound of Flesh is a fascinating artefact. It is not due to its screenplay or production values, which are poor, nor is it due to its star Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film is set in Manila, yet … Continue reading REVIEW: Pound of Flesh (2015)
God help me, it is like I have opened Pandora’s box, and all of the Jean-Claude Van Damme action films have started pouring out into my life. I first encountered Van Damme’s work when attending junior high school. At a … Continue reading REVIEW: The Order (2001)
Bear with me. Knock Off is an action vehicle for Jean-Claude Van Damme, released in 1998 when his Hollywood career had arguably peaked and his films were on a rapid one-way highway to the video store. It was not a success in … Continue reading REVIEW: Knock Off (1998)
Of the popular action stars of the 1980s and 1990s, Jean-Claude Van Damme managed to develop better-than-average features by working with strong directors. Along with American filmmakers such as Peter Hyams in Timecop (1994) and Sudden Death (1995), and John G. Avildsen … Continue reading REVIEW: Maximum Risk (1996)
The requirements for a good sequel are fairly clear. The audience wants more of the same, but they also want something different. A change of tone, a progression of the characters, a raise in stake, or whatever transformation a filmmaker … Continue reading REVIEW: The Expendables 2 (2012)
‘You come here prepared to fight a madman,’ says the evil General M. Bison, ‘and instead you found a god!’ Well, not a god exactly. What Colonel Guile (Jean-Claude Van Damme) does find is one of the most blindingly and … Continue reading REVIEW: Street Fighter (1994)
French-Canadian firefighter Darren McCord (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has retired from his career following a traumatic experience, and now works as a fire marshal for the Pittsburg Civic Arena. When the Stanley Cup Final is invaded by a group of criminals, … Continue reading REVIEW: Sudden Death (1995)
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