I've watched a few Damme movies in the past, and never expected much out of any of them. It's all been high flying kicks and slow motion. There have been a few that I've loved, even though they've been "Damme-movies"; The Universal Soldier was fun to watch when I was younger, and Hard Target since it's a Woo movie.
I wasn't expecting to see much martial arts, since Damme is...let's face it...kind of old already. Some of his moves still look good enough for the screen.
As a movie, I liked it. Not one of the best I've seen, but deserves a 7 for all the effort. It never really stopped for too long, and the story seemed to go along fluently. There were a few moments when I had to scratch my head, since the characters weren't introduced as well as I would've liked. As a "second grade" action movie, or a "Damme-movie" it was very nice, and I was pleasantly surprised.
What amazed me though, was Damme's performance. Not as a martial artist, but as an actual actor! I mean... Why hasn't this guy acted this well before? He was very convincing in almost all his scenes, and his range of emotion was much wider than what I've used to seeing from him. I would've loved to have seen some of his earlier work with this much "skill" in acting.
Maybe it's because he can't really kick as high as he used to anymore. :) Anyways, I liked the movie, and I hope he keeps doing these kinds of "real" movies, where he's not just showing off his body and doing high kicks. Oh, and that brings me to a point... There was a sex scene in this movie, much like in the old 80's movies. Perhaps a bit shorter and less graphic, but a what I would call an 80's sex scene anyways. You don't really see those anymore, for a good reason, since they usually break the pace of the movie entirely. This one seemed to fit in the movie though, so it too was a pleasant surprise.
So, if you're going to watch the movie, don't expect much, and you may yet be pleasantly surprised with some of it's elements, such as Damme's acting. :) My 2 euro cents.
I wasn't expecting to see much martial arts, since Damme is...let's face it...kind of old already. Some of his moves still look good enough for the screen.
As a movie, I liked it. Not one of the best I've seen, but deserves a 7 for all the effort. It never really stopped for too long, and the story seemed to go along fluently. There were a few moments when I had to scratch my head, since the characters weren't introduced as well as I would've liked. As a "second grade" action movie, or a "Damme-movie" it was very nice, and I was pleasantly surprised.
What amazed me though, was Damme's performance. Not as a martial artist, but as an actual actor! I mean... Why hasn't this guy acted this well before? He was very convincing in almost all his scenes, and his range of emotion was much wider than what I've used to seeing from him. I would've loved to have seen some of his earlier work with this much "skill" in acting.
Maybe it's because he can't really kick as high as he used to anymore. :) Anyways, I liked the movie, and I hope he keeps doing these kinds of "real" movies, where he's not just showing off his body and doing high kicks. Oh, and that brings me to a point... There was a sex scene in this movie, much like in the old 80's movies. Perhaps a bit shorter and less graphic, but a what I would call an 80's sex scene anyways. You don't really see those anymore, for a good reason, since they usually break the pace of the movie entirely. This one seemed to fit in the movie though, so it too was a pleasant surprise.
So, if you're going to watch the movie, don't expect much, and you may yet be pleasantly surprised with some of it's elements, such as Damme's acting. :) My 2 euro cents.