Text Size:
A|
A|
A
Email
Print
So just when I'm ranting against dumb superheroes in dumb action films (see "Punisher" review on this page), along comes Jean-Claude Van Damme -- a violent-action star I've never much adored -- in the charming and disarming "JCVD."
Those are his initials, of course, and this is an exceptionally dark, original, crime-caper-cum-satiric-drama about his (and Everyhero's) life. I can't think of anything quite like it except "Being John Malkovich" -- which puts "JCVD" in weirdly good cinematic company.
Playing himself, Van Damme (nee Jean-Claude Van Varenberg) has fallen on hard times. He's 47 but looks 57. He's broke, he owes the tax man a bundle, he's fighting a losing battle for custody of his daughter, and he's losing even lousy action roles to Steven Seagal. The antidote to his identity crisis, he hopes, is escaping to his native Belgium for a welcome respite from Hollywood. He was, after all, "the Muscles from Brussels" in his karate-king heyday.
- Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme (above), Francois Damiens
- Rating: R for violence, profanity and subtitles
- Movie trailer: youtube.com
Once there, however, his ATM card is rejected. Dashing into a postal bank for some money, he finds himself in a hold-up and a real-life hostage situation. Fans spot him, meanwhile, and tell the cops Van Damme is the perp. The place is soon surrounded, the crowd grows, and if it's Tuesday, it must be "Dog Day Afternoon" in Belgium.
Director Mabrouk El Mechri artfully exploits the confusion, while mercilessly critiquing the nature of his star's career, private life and mystique. There are hilarious conversations between Van Damme and his agent (money, percentages) and arguments among the three dysfunctional robbers, one of whom keeps begging the star hostage to "Show me the move!" -- kickboxing a cigarette out of another hostage's mouth.
The picture begins with a breathless sequence in which Van Damme chops, slugs and shoots his way through a maze of stunt-men villains and absurdly choreographed explosions. A lot of John Woo in-jokes follow. Late in the film, at a suspenseful moment, Van Damme breaks the fourth wall and delivers an anguished existential monologue directly to the camera in a "Strange Interlude" worthy of O'Neill, if not an Oscar nomination.
He was a good sport (and brave) to play this role, which is above and beyond any self-mocking Bruce Willis kind of cameo. It's a perverse send-up of biopics and crime movies in general -- you'll enjoy the appearance of his parents, tearfully imploring him to let "his" hostages go -- but it also seems like a redemptive therapy exercise for sad-eyed Van Damme himself, and evidence that he's got the makings of a damn good character actor in his premature old age.
