JCVD (2008)

Does it make sense to see this film if you know very little about Jean-Claude Van Damme yet? His only other movies that I've seen are Last Action Hero, in which he cameos as himself; and Kung Fu Panda 2, in which he voices a minor character. Beyond that, I'd heard that he could do quite a split kick and his accent makes Street Fighter unintentionally funny. Oh, and he made an over-the-top Volvo ad.

Nor did I know much about JCVD going in. It sounded semi-comically self-deprecating for the 47-year-old martial artist, possibly like Birdman with the star's real name. But it's not all that strange. It's not even primarily about the travails expected of a has-been, tho it repeatedly touches on his issues of child custody and fewer role offerings. It's a would-be action flick in which the "real" Van Damme (or Van Varenberg, his non-stage name) gets into a scenario that he can't easily fight his way out of like one of his alter egos.

Specifically, he visits his native Belgium (most of the dialog is in French) and happens to enter a bank while a robbery is in progress. The robbers realize that he could serve them -- if not as an expensive hostage, then as their "face." Sure enough, the police believe wholeheartedly that he had a breakdown and is committing the robbery himself. He doesn't dare make a move against a gunman, so there's not much he can do to change their minds.

I tend to like hostage movies. They have an effective way of keeping the tension high with minimal action. If only JCVD ran long enough to flesh out the details along that theme. I wouldn't have minded more attention paid to the other hostages. We do get some fun yet credible supporting characters, both inside and outside the bank.

Speaking of which, outside the bank, we see the most support of any alleged bank robber since Dog Day Afternoon. Apparently, once you've provided decades of entertainment, you can get away with just about anything in the public eye, even (perhaps especially) on the local level.

I should mention artistic aspects. The colors are largely muted, almost to a sepia. We get a couple of flashbacks as well as time jumps for alternate perspectives. At one point, a peculiar effect allows Van Damme to deliver a monologue straight to the audience. At an extra serious moment, the sound cuts out altogether; don't chalk it up to a DVD flaw.

In the end, JCVD is not as smart as it could have been, but neither is it as hackneyed. It pretty well stands out from anything else in the genre -- whichever genre you take that to be. If you're looking for a badass, keep looking; if you're content with "reality" ensuing, albeit in a highly stylized way, tune in.