The Best of Jean-Claude Van Damme by Première
The essential JCVD summarized in six snapshots, filled with devastating kicks and scented with sweet madness.
While at 64 JCVD still hits the tatanes Gardenerto protect Michael Youn – to watch on Prime Video – a look back at the anthology career of the most Hollywood of Belgian actors.
His best fight
THE END OF FULL CONTACT (1990)
Of course, there is the finale against Bolo Mountain in Bloodsport. Obviously, there is the confrontation with the “crushed glass” fists in Kickboxer. But the best definition of myth JCVDthis is the last sequence of Full Contact who formulated it: the incredible violence of the blows delivered, the consummate art of slow motion, the pure grace of the dancer highlighted by the narrowness of the ring. The icing on the cake: the cowardly look of the bourgeois watching the fight established Van Damme as the great pro-pro hero of his time.
His best crazy
UNIVERSAL SOLDIER, JUDGMENT DAY (2012)
Little screen time (20 minutes max) but an authentically lit performance as neo-Colonel Kurtz (foufou monologue, shaved head, face repainted in white and black). Unbelievably ultra-violent, the fight against Scott Adkins is worth its weight in peanuts. He also says that, even sentenced to DTV, JCVD remains the complete opposite of a has-been. Always in shape, always looking for a challenge, always wanting to have fun with us. How can you not love it?
His best performance
REPLICANT (2001)
All those who still doubt his acting abilities can take a look at this astonishing B series, directed by one of the great geniuses of HK crime fiction, where JCVD plays both a bloodthirsty serial killer and his clone, not very smart but very gentle. The double performance is stratospheric and the final fight between two JCVD is completely galvanizing. Bad stroke of karma: this summit comes when the star is a little burned out in Hollywood, it will never be released in theaters there.
His best surname
EXPENDABLES 2 (2012)
By Léon Gaultier (Full Contact), via Luc Devereaux (Universal Soldier), Chance Boudreaux (Manhunt), Alain Moreau (Risk maximum) or Christophe Dubois (THE Big Tournament), his names on screen have always given a little accordion air to his greatest Rican successes. Stallone took the joke to his last
retrenchments when he offered him the role of the bad guy in Expendables 2. His little name? Jean Vilain. Mic drop.
His best worst
INFERNO (1999)
Directed by the man who shot RockyJohn G. Advilsen, and which is inspired here by Kurosawa (it’s a sort of loooong remake of Yojimbo), this psychedneck madness, filled with 80s faces and almost devoid of action, is absolutely stunning. Impossible to decide whether what we are watching is a pure nonsense comedy or an object that has completely escaped its creators. In any case, it is the assurance of a successful evening.
His best split
THE EPIC SPLITVOLVO TRUCKS ADVERTISING (2014)
The sun is setting, two 33-tonners are driving in reverse, side by side, on a deserted highway. Placed between the two, one foot on each retro, the body of JCVD will slowly (relax) as the machines move away from each other. A chamomile hit by Enya resonates as if we were being ordered to calm down. And the legs spread, spread, endlessly. The kilometers pass and Jean-Claude remains imperturbable. Seven years later, we still pick our jaw up from the floor every time we watch this.
