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	...	Képi 2
Jacky Lambert	...	Képi 3

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

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:

Ж.К.В.Д.

Filming Locations:

Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium

Box Office

Budget:

€10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,119, 9 November 2008

Gross USA:

$470,691

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

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: Once in the film "Hard Target", I took a shot from a blank. It took salts to reanimate me.
Arthur: "Hard Target"! John Woo! What an ass!
JCVD: Don't say that!
Arthur: C'mon, Jean-Claude, wait a sec!
[to the hostages, referring to Van Damme]
Arthur: He's the one who brought him to the US. Without him, he'd still be filming pigeons in Hong Kong!
[to Van Damme]
Arthur: And then what? He drops you!
JCVD: At least, he did "Face/Off".
Arthur: So what? He could've picked you!
[...]

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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 Citizen Kane (1941)

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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

Meta Good

JCVD (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a struggling B-movie action actor trying to maintain some artistic integrity despite everyone around him. He has custody problems and returned from family court in LA. He has been sleepless for 2 days. He goes into the bank and shots ring out. He's taken hostage but the cops think that he's the hostage taker.

JCVD shows some acting chop or he's tapping into his inner self. It's so fascinating that he is such a mess. It's also a mess that isn't unrealistic. There is a bit of action but that's not the heart of this movie. It is to watch JCVD break down his public image and then break down his character. The movie could use an A-list actor to be the bad guy as his foil. Nevertheless this is one of the greatest performance from JCVD ever.