Dir. Mabrouk el Mechri
"It's stupid to kill people...they're so beautiful!"
JCVD is about Jean Claude van Damme (played by himself, naturally) going through a mid-life crisis of sorts. He's facing the problems of old age, losing roles to other C-List action stars (Steven Seagal I'm look at you), and he's going through a heart-breaking child custody battle, where the prosecution is tearing his image by condemning him for the thoughtless, violent films he made in his heyday.
And on top of it all he manages to stumble into a bank heist.
JCVD is an odd film, one that manages to intrigue and fascinate throughout it's running time, but one that also manages to make some really off the wall choices, such as stopping the film completely to have Jean Claude deliver a six minute monologue about himself, his films, his audience and peers and the critics. It's almost like a surrealist painting, with so many ideas to convey, but they all seem to get lost here. It's clear that this film is meant to be unlike any other film starring van Damme, but one that isn't too radically different from other bank heist films.
The only noticeable difference would be van Damme's supposed personal life put out in the open here, which for fans might be a huge plus and a treat. I've not seen many of van Damme's previous works, because I'm not much for brainless action flicks, but I'm sure that he's evolved as an actor here, and at times comes really close to channeling Mickey Rourke (a compliment to JCVD), but for the uninitiated it's not really anything special.
JCVD is a good, solid film, but nowhere near the revelation people and critics make it out to be. Is it worth seeing? Most definitely, but it's not a film you should go out of your way to see, unless of course, you are a huge fan of Jean Claude van Damme, as this is probably his best work. I say that, again, because I'm not familiar with his career. JCVD is severely flawed, but entertaining, and manages some truly great moments (the opening long shot, and several of the more humorous moments).
3 out of 5
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