Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as a border guard forced to fight Mexican drug runners in this adequate martial arts actioner that finds Van Damme in good form, and that has some really good fights. I'm not sure if this is Jean-Claude Van Damme's best direct to DVD effort but it certainly feels like it. The plot is of course negligible, the characters are thin as paper and the story is just an excuse to have Van Damme kick butt and showcase his martial arts. For a fan of such Shepherd:Border Patrol works as what it sets out to do, and it succeeds in a Bloodsport/Kickboxer/Universal Soldier way.In other words it feels like an late 80s/early 90s Van Damme flick and I was happy with such. Indeed Van Damme's one on one with Scott Adkins is great, the action is exciting and I had a lot of fun with this movie. This isn't of course as good as JCVD or even Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Universal Soldier, but it is Van Damme's most fun outing in a long time and Van Damme forgets the over the top melodrama (In Hell and Until Death) to deliver non-stop martial artistry. Sure the movie is stupid, but the pace is fast and it really does feel like a classic Van Damme movie, and really what's much better than that?
* *1/2 Out Of 4-(Pretty Good)
* *1/2 Out Of 4-(Pretty Good)