JCVD

[RoundhouseKick]

I saw this last night. It was Van Damme good.

Seriously.....I was expecting an intentionally cheesy dark comedy, just JC poking fun at himself. What I got was much more than that. It's set in Belgium, and much of it is in French with English subtitles. The plot involves a heist with hostages taken. The underlying theme, of course, is JC's dying career and his various personal failings. There are many darkly funny moments. But the story of the heist told from different perspectives doubles as an examination of public perception. And it begs the question--what aspects of JC in this film are a character, and what aspects are the real man?

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that this guy can ACT. Of course, he is playing "himself," or some version thereof. But the vulnerability and honesty of his performance is striking. Apparently, Time Magazine rated it the 2nd best performance of the year (behind Ledger's The Joker), calling him a bold and gifted actor. This film is by turns poignant, suspenseful, ironic, elegaic, and satirical. It examines themes such as "going home," the nature of fame, and the emptiness that celebrity can conceal. Just go see it. For real.

 

[led224]

I second this recommendation. I saw this at Fantastic Fest this year and was blown away. JCVD gives an unexpectedly great performance.

 

[LHB_SOB]

I caught this the other night, and have to agree with y'all. I thought it might be some sort of slapstick thing, but not at all. I hope this propels him to some bigger things--in Europe if not in the States.

 

[Bookman]

JC = Jesus Christ or Jamaal Charles?

 

[thadccab]

I saw it as well and have to say I was shocked by the quality of Jean Claude's serious acting ability. He really impressed me.

 

[achooloco]

i liked it but the end kind of dropped off for me. put me down as not such a fan of the long sequence there.


spoiler



and the ending just didnt seem believable. how could he get convicted with so many witnesses and tape? just not realistic at all. its like they tried to hard to get me to feel bad for him and it worked to the opposite effect.

 

[RoundhouseKick]

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[falloutboy]

I saw this last night as well, being a huge fan of Kumite-based film. I thought it was a really interesting idea, and jcvd's acting was great.

Yes, in the end he was convicted for extorting the money from the Belgian government. He convinced the hostage takers to make it a demand because a superstar like jcvd demanding a million dollars just wasn't plausible (when in fact he did need the money). This doesn't make sense if you haven't seen the movie btw.

The scene at the end of the hostage situation that jcvd imagines is ******* hilarious.