Thursday, November 20, 2008
JCVD kicks butt
Posted by Will Coviello on Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 11:39 PM
Sylvester Stallone and the Governator seem intent on defying the aging process. Rambo IV is a good indication of the futility of this. Jean-Claude Van Damme, however, has gamely decided to roll with the punches. This Van Damme as Van Damme flick is easily his best work, and not really for his typical action-hero audience.
In Mabrouk el Mechri’s film, JCVD, Van Damme plays himself – being run ragged on stunt sets, being told that his character doesn’t use a gun in order to symbolize his purity, being sued by his ex-wife and being lectured by a Belgian cabbie for not being the worldly and debonair actor she had always imagined. At an ATM, he can’t even get cash. But Van Damme handles a long, soul-baring, existential soliloquy with brilliant world-weary resignation. Yes, even a guy who once graced the covers of karate magazines can have regrets.
JCVD isn’t about self-doubt so much as celebrities getting a taste of the day-to-day grind. Though he’s embraced as a hero in the streets of his native Bruges, Van Damme has to face up to the fact that he is an embarrassment to his daughter, a nag to his agent and a decoy to some run-of-the-mill crooks.
This is an action film for those who hate action films. Mechri’s best work is in setting up scenes that confuse whether Van Damme is a man or indestructible action superhero, like when he coaches hostage-takers on the ins and outs of the law — all of which he knows from movies — and what a believable ransom demand sounds like.
Having Van Damme fight our expectations so hard and so ingeniously is what makes Mechri’s film fun. But the ever placid-faced Van Damme is so good in it, one wonders if he’s ready for a bigger role. This film is his first American release in a decade. It’ll be interesting to see what he does next.
JCVD has been held over at Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center and runs nightly at 9:30 p.m. through Thursday, Nov. 27. The film is in French with English subtitles.
Comments (1)
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This movie is very good. It is his best performance probably ever. It does make one speculate if he can continue to make dramatic films. Anyways, JCVD is great and eveyone should see it at least once. Go to your local theatres, i believe they are re-releasing it across the US. Go see it!
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