Review of JCVD (2008) by Karen S — 29 Oct 2009

JCVD is just what all the other reviews claim, it is a tour de force for Jean-Claude Van Damme the actor. If you're renting this expecting anything at all in the way of action then you are going to be extremely disappointed because apart from the opening scene which turns out to be a scene from a movie he is supposedly filming there is a total of two kicks, an elbow, and maybe a punch.

I think that perhaps as Van Damme nears 50 he's realized that his career as an action star was living on borrowed time and that this film might serve as his calling card to the world of serious film-makers, at least in Europe.

And it definitely does that in a most impressive fashion. With the making of this film the Muscles from Brussles proves himself to be undoubtedly the most talented thespian of all kwailo martial artists, and probably most Asian martial artists as well.

Here he presents himself as amiable though world weary, down trodden, and scrambling to hold together the last vestiges of his fading career, and he does so very convinvcingly. Its been said that the most difficult thing for an actor to play is himself.

If that's the case then Van Damme deserves an Oscar.