Review of JCVD (2008) by Viginti T — 02 Aug 2009

Meta-fiction is such a powerful narrative device that it tends to overwhelm all projects that evoke it, here however is a rare example of just how potent it can be when properly contained. The story is nothing new and these days the method isn't either, what sets this film apart is seeing the way that it reflexes back around upon itself again and again with the titular action hero the spirals core.

This isn't just a piece of intellectual pomp however as it works remarkably well as an, admittedly somewhat offbeat, Van Damme flick. The action is tense and the film never lags while the man himself is on-screen, the only difference is that the climax comes not in the form of a gunfight or explosion but in a stunning and shattering, both literally and fourth wall wise, monologue in which the star addresses the audience directly about the general state of affairs and their disrepair.

There is perhaps more that could be done with this concept, a greater deconstruction of the man and the myth than simple in jokes and ironies, and at times it was lacking a little subtlety ( What else should I expect from such a man?) but it remarkable in that it manages to delve as far as it does without ever betraying it's roots. It is much more homage than satire, much more man than muscle.