Guess who we don't talk about nearly enough here these days ... the muscles from Brussels himself, Jean-Claude fuckin' Van Damme. I'm not gonna lie, there was a point in formidable youth where I actually looked forward to the next Van Damme feature as much as looked forward to Christmas! (Well maybe not that extreme but you get the point). Classics films like Universal Soldier, Timecop, or Bloodsport. What I'm trying to say is that it's been a lonnnggggg time since I've enjoyed more than one of his movies at a time. Thanks to the power of Netflix I've been catching again on some recent movies that have been released in the last few years and they're .... not that bad. I know, I can't believe it either. And let's get this out there right now, these movies are not going to be winning any Oscar's for acting or anything like that but in terms of just a good old fashioned action shoot em' up these movies offer everything I'm looking for!
First up I've got a movie that was released in 2012 called 6 Bullets. Van Damme stars as Samson Gaul, who is well known as a man that goes into dangerous situations to rescue children were have been kidnapped into the slave trade. After a botched mission leaves many children and innocents dead in a huge explosion, Samson retires from the trade and for some reason decides to run a butcher shop in a small European town. Enter a prized MMA fighter named Andrew Fayden, played by Joe Flannigan, who witnesses his daughter getting kidnapped after arriving in the same foreign city. They might have mentioned which city it was but damned if I remember. So of course who is the man Andrew and his wife turn to, to help bring back their daughter? Why Van Damme of course! But maybe he doesn't want to come back, maybe he's just too damaged from the previous botched job but we all know that's not how this is going to play out.
This movie plays a lot like a pseudo-remake of Taken from a few years previous, with Van Damme playing the Liam Neeson character. He's got a specific set of skills to help get the job done. The action in this movie is surprisingly good, not too much of the ridiculous shaky cam nonsense that you see in a lot of present day action movies. Also this turns very much into a family affair as two of Van Damme's children show up in the movie, a son as a police officer of sorts and his daughter as one of the child abductor's. Don't go watching this for the acting however because this won't be winning any awards any time soon. We do get to see some great classic fighting scenes too, although there are times that it can suffer somewhat from the quick camera cuts. If you're looking for a good throwback to 80's action movies look no further than this one right her. Or you could look to the next entry....
This movie plays a lot like a pseudo-remake of Taken from a few years previous, with Van Damme playing the Liam Neeson character. He's got a specific set of skills to help get the job done. The action in this movie is surprisingly good, not too much of the ridiculous shaky cam nonsense that you see in a lot of present day action movies. Also this turns very much into a family affair as two of Van Damme's children show up in the movie, a son as a police officer of sorts and his daughter as one of the child abductor's. Don't go watching this for the acting however because this won't be winning any awards any time soon. We do get to see some great classic fighting scenes too, although there are times that it can suffer somewhat from the quick camera cuts. If you're looking for a good throwback to 80's action movies look no further than this one right her. Or you could look to the next entry....
And for the second part of my double feature tonight I've got a release from 2011 titled Assassination Games. Van Damme this time stars as Vincent Brazil who will take any job if the price is right. His cohort in the "games" is Roland Flint played by the new name in action films, Scott Atkins. Seriously this guy has done more movies in the last few years than I can count, everything from unwarranted Undisputed sequels to a new series titled simply, Ninja. Brazil and Flint and not the type to work together but then they've never had a target before that both wanted so badly. A mob boss gets released from prison and Brazil wants him for the price on his head but Flint wants him because he's the man who raped and beat Flint's wife into a coma. Eventually the two decide that the best way to deal with this problem is to join forces to take down the target.
This movie has got some brutal kills and practical effects that I was not expecting. The opening scene sees Van Damme posing as a server at a wedding tasked with killing the groom before the night is out. What we get is a sneak blade attack to the throat of the groom and then in the ensuring getaway a butcher's knife to the head of a would-be attacker. The whole scene played out like a horror movie and practical effects were surprisingly convincing throughout. The action is frequent throughout and kills start stacking up quickly as the movie progresses. And as with the previous movie the acting is going to keep you at the edge of your seat but it's servicable for a movie like this. And I'm kinda thinking I might have to look into some of Scott Atkin's other movie because if this is any indication, he's a not a bad replacement for the Stallone's and Schwarzenegger's of the 80's.
Stay tuned folks cause I'll be added a few more reviews in the future to the current crop of kickass action movies ....
This movie has got some brutal kills and practical effects that I was not expecting. The opening scene sees Van Damme posing as a server at a wedding tasked with killing the groom before the night is out. What we get is a sneak blade attack to the throat of the groom and then in the ensuring getaway a butcher's knife to the head of a would-be attacker. The whole scene played out like a horror movie and practical effects were surprisingly convincing throughout. The action is frequent throughout and kills start stacking up quickly as the movie progresses. And as with the previous movie the acting is going to keep you at the edge of your seat but it's servicable for a movie like this. And I'm kinda thinking I might have to look into some of Scott Atkin's other movie because if this is any indication, he's a not a bad replacement for the Stallone's and Schwarzenegger's of the 80's.
Stay tuned folks cause I'll be added a few more reviews in the future to the current crop of kickass action movies ....