JCVD (2008)

Jean-Claude Van Damme gets involved in a bank robbery with hostages situation and reflects about his life during it.

Director:

Mabrouk El Mechri

Writers:

Mabrouk El Mechri (scenario), Frédéric Benudis (in collaboration with)

Stars:

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Valérie Bodson, Hervé Sogne

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	JCVD
Valérie Bodson	...	Veuve Film Budapest
Hervé Sogne	...	Lieutenant Smith
Rock Chen	...	Réalisateur asiatique
Huifang Wang	...	Traductrice asiatique
John Flanders	...	Avocat ex-Femme
Renata Kamara	...	Juge Tribunal Los Angeles
Mourade Zeguendi	...	Client Vidéo club
Vincent Lecuyer	...	Vendeur Vidéo Club
Jenny De Chez	...	Taxiwoman JCVD
Patrick Steltzer	...	Policier 1
Bernard Eylenbosch	...	Technicien Telecom
François Damiens	...	Bruges
Pascal Lefebvre	...	Le deuxième képi
Jacky Lambert	...	Le troisième képi

Storyline

Between his tax problems and his legal battle with his wife for the custody of his daughter, these are hard times for the action movie star who finds that even Steven Seagal has pinched a role from him! In JCVD, Jean-Claude Van Damme returns to the country of his birth to seek the peace and tranquility he can no longer enjoy in the United States.

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Plot Keywords:

filmmaking | entire title is capitalized acronym | actor playing himself | actor name in title | brussels belgium | 

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Taglines:

Be Aware

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mabrouk El Mechri didn't write much dialog for Van Damme, as he did not want Van Damme to be limited by the words, as he has 'his own music'.

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Goofs

Police chief Bruges tells Van Damme the decision to act was GIGN's move, not his. GIGN (Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale - French SWAT) exists in France but not in Belgium where the movie story takes place. In Belgium, police's tactical unit is called ESI (Escadron Special d'Intervention).

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Quotes

JCVD: This movie is for me. There we are, you and me. Why did you do that? Or why did I do that? You made my dream come true. I asked for it. I promised you something in return and I haven't delivered yet. You win, I lose. Unless... the path you've set for me is full of hurdles where the answer comes before the question. Yeah, I do that. Now I know why. It's the cure, from what I've seen here. It all makes sense. It makes sense to those who understand. So... America, poverty, stealing to eat... ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The Gaumont logo has an animated Jean-Claude Van Damme appear in the logo and deliver roundhouse kicks to the boy and the sunflower.

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Connections

References Goodfellas (1990)

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Soundtracks

Down
(2006 Digital Remaster) Labi Siffre (as Labbi Siffre)
(p) 2006 EMI Records Ltd
Courtesy of EMI MUSIC France
© Edited by CHRYSALIS Music Ltd
Courtesy of Chrysalis Music France

User Reviews

The best I've seen from Van Damme

OK, I saw the movie today and here's my review: This movie is by far the best movie I've seen with Van Damme. Not his best action movie, because it's not what you would expect of a Van Damme movie, but the best movie he ever made. For me this is the highlight of his career and he'll probably never make a better movie.

The movie had indeed a dog day afternoon, even a Tarantino feel to it. The story is told in pieces and by the end of the movie all the pieces come together.

The beginning with the action scene is nicely done, and the one-take scene puts you right in the action.

Then the story continues with Van Damme arriving in Schaarbeek and going to the postoffice. From that moment one the story unravels.

Van Damme plays a portrait of himself and does this extremely well. He does have a sense for drama, and he really acts well. I do believe this has something to do with him being more comfortable in his native language.

The other main characters are perhaps not very well developed, no real background story, which for me is a bit off a flaw. But the movie off course centers around Van Damme.

The famous monologue is definitely a must see and is a summing of what he has encountered in his life, very moving.

This movie, for me, shows us that he definitely CAN act given the right director and script. I hope this opens eyes, and also his.

The direction for me was excellent and I think the director will go far. He clearly has talent.

I think the movie should've given a chance on the festival circuit, it definitely would've found an audience. (maybe they should do this in te states).

So conclusion? The best I've seen from Van Damme... A must see.

8/10.

Details

Official Sites:

Asmik Ace Entertainment [Japan] Atlantic Film [Sweden]

Country:

Belgium Luxembourg France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

2 August 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

JCVD

Filming Locations:

Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium

Box Office

Budget:

EUR10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,119, 9 November 2008

Gross USA:

$470,691

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,342,211

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont, Samsa Film, Artémis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1