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IMDbPro

JCVD

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
39K
YOUR RATING
Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)
JCVD: Trailer
Play trailer2:22
1 Video
36 Photos
ActionComedyCrime
Jean-Claude Van Damme gets involved in a bank robbery with hostages situation and reflects about his life during it.Jean-Claude Van Damme gets involved in a bank robbery with hostages situation and reflects about his life during it.Jean-Claude Van Damme gets involved in a bank robbery with hostages situation and reflects about his life during it.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
39K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Mabrouk El Mechri
  • Writers
    • Mabrouk El Mechri(scenario)
    • Frédéric Benudis(in collaboration with)
    • Frédéric Taddeï(original idea)
  • Stars
    • Jean-Claude Van Damme
    • Valérie Bodson
    • Hervé Sogne
  • Director
    • Mabrouk El Mechri
  • Writers
    • Mabrouk El Mechri(scenario)
    • Frédéric Benudis(in collaboration with)
    • Frédéric Taddeï(original idea)
  • Stars
    • Jean-Claude Van Damme
    • Valérie Bodson
    • Hervé Sogne
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 152User reviews
    • 168Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos1

    JCVD: Trailer
    Trailer 2:22
    Watch JCVD: Trailer

    Photos36

    Jean-Claude Van Damme, Karim Belkhadra, Zinedine Soualem, Jean-François Wolff, Mabrouk El Mechri, and François Damiens in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jenny De Chez in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme and Karim Belkhadra in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)
    Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jean-Claude Van Damme
    Jean-Claude Van Damme
    • JCVD
    Valérie Bodson
    • Veuve Film Budapest
    Hervé Sogne
    • Lieutenant Smith
    Rock Chen
    • Réalisateur asiatique
    Huifang Wang
    • Traductrice asiatique
    John Flanders
    John Flanders
    • Avocat ex-Femme
    Renata Kamara
    • Juge Tribunal Los Angeles
    Mourade Zeguendi
    • Client Vidéo club
    Vincent Lecuyer
    Vincent Lecuyer
    • Vendeur Vidéo Club
    Jenny De Chez
    • Taxiwoman JCVD
    Patrick Steltzer
    • Policier 1
    Bernard Eylenbosch
    • Technicien Telecom
    François Damiens
    François Damiens
    • Bruges
    Pascal Lefebvre
    • Le deuxième képi
    Jacky Lambert
    • Le troisième képi
    Norbert Rutili
    • Perthier
    Olivier Bisback
    Olivier Bisback
    • Docteur GIGN - Eric
    Armelle Gysen
    • Journaliste 1
    • Director
      • Mabrouk El Mechri
    • Writers
      • Mabrouk El Mechri(scenario) (adaptation and dialogue)
      • Frédéric Benudis(in collaboration with)
      • Frédéric Taddeï(original idea)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the opening intro scene, Jean-Claude Van Damme's comment about not being able to film in one shot was his own ad-lib, partly in response to Mabrouk El Mechri actually wanting to shoot the scene in one shot.
    • Goofs
      When the two guys talk about movies in the Video-store the one claims that Stallone fought against Arabs in "Rambo 3". But actually in "Rambo 3" John Rambo was fighting FOR Afghans Muslims in Afghanistan and against the "bad" Russian troops.
    • 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... stalking producers, actors, 'movie stars', going to clubs hoping to see a star, with my pictures, karate magazines. It's all I had. I didn't speak English. But I did 20 years of karate. 'Cause before I wasn't like that.

      [points to flexed bicep]

      JCVD: This... this is me today. I used to be small and scrawny. And I took up karate. Hence the Dojo, hence respect, thou shall believe people who say, "Oss!" It's Samurai code. It's honor, no lies. So this guy in the US, it's not the same thing. No one says "Oss" to you. Sometimes people in show business say, "We're gonna fuck em". I believed in people, in the Dojo. I was blessed and had a lot of 'wives'. I always believed in love. It's hard for a woman with three kids to say, "Which one do I love more?" A mother... If you have 5, 6, 7, or 10 wives in a lifetime, they've all got something special, but no one cares about that in the so-called media. What about drugs? When you got it all, you travel the world. When you've been in all the hotels, you're the prima donna of the penthouse. And in all hotels the world over, traveling, you want something more. And because of a woman... well, because of love, I tried something and I got hooked. Van-Damme, the beast, the tiger in a cage, the "Bloodsport" man got hooked. I was wasted mentally and physically. To the point that I got out of it. I got out of it. But... it's all there. It's all there. It was really tough. I saw people worse off than me. I went from poor to rich and thought, why aren't we all like me, why all the privileges? I'm just a regular guy. It makes me sick to see people... who don't have what I've got. Knowing that they have qualities, too. Much more than I do! It's not my fault if I was cut out to be a star. I asked for it. I asked for it, really believed in it. When you're 13, you believe in your dream. Well it came true for me. But I still ask myself today what I've done on this Earth. Nothing! I've done nothing! And I might just die in this post office, hoping to start all over here in Belgium, in my country, where my roots are. Start all over with my parents and get my health back, pick up again. So I really hope... nobody's gonna pull a trigger in this post office... It's so stupid to kill people. They're so beautiful! So, today, I pray to God. I truly believe it's not a movie. It's real life. Real life. I've seen so many things. I was born in Belgium, but I'm a citizen of the world. I've travelled a lot. It's hard for me to judge people and it's hard for them... not to judge me. Easier to blame me. Yeah, something like that.

    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Informers/The Soloist/Tyson (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Hard Times
      Written by Curtis Mayfield

      Performed by Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters

      © Warner-Tamerlane Publishing

      With Permission from Warner Chappell Music France

      (p) 1971 Rhino Entertainment Co. for the United States and WEA International for the world outside of the U.S.

      Courtesy of Warner Music France, A Warner Music Group Company

    User reviews152

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    The direction makes all the difference
    I just saw this movie at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montréal (Canada), and allow me to tell you that it's a must see film for everyone. I'm a big Van Damme fan and I have all the films he ever made so I'm gonna concentrate my comment around Van Damme. The first thing I'll say is that this movie is his best and possibly one of the best movies of the year. Going to the theatre, I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, after all it's Jean Claude Van Damme and you see his movies for the action and his high kicks not for his acting. But the director made all the difference in Jean Claude's performance. The concept itself helps a lot. Van Damme is playing himself, so he's not playing one of his stereotyped roles. Furthermore, him speaking in his native language made a huge impact on his performance. He's more natural and more authentic which made him more credible. Compared to all other movies he appeared in, this is a revelation. The comedic tone of the movie is also something to be noted. The jokes are well done but what makes the difference is the jokes focused on Van Damme. The reference to his roundhouse kicks are just hilarious. Two moments especially shine in this regard. The first one is the demonstration in the post office and the second one happens towards the end of the film. You just can't miss them and they have that good old classic Van Damage feel to them. Also worth mentioning are his personal goofy quotes in french. The one when he's interviewed by a french journalist who asks him about the total of 1+1 will leave you breathless. Not to mention the courthouse sequence which was so funny. But the best moment of the movie remains his monologue to the camera. For five minutes, or so, he goes back to his life. He talks about how he believed in the American dream, his drug and marriage problems, how Hollywood screwed him up ,how he wants so bad to be granted a second chance etc. It's a classic cinema moment in all senses. It felt more a confession than anything else. It was moving and genuine and you can feel the human being behind The Muscles from Brussels image. The other thing to be noted is the long shot at the beginning of the movie. It was hilarious and it summarizes in a sense all of Van Damme's career: Gunfights, high kicks, goofy acting you name them. In the end, the direction of the film really sets it apart from any other Van Damme's movies. The director knew how to get the best of Van Damme and put together a film that felt genuine and true. However, some questions remain. What's Van Damme going to do from now on? Will he be recognized as an accomplished actor? Will he get scripts that show him more as a human being rather than a bulk of muscles? Will he be making more European films rather than keep on making straight to DVD films? I can't say, but one thing remains for certain: JCVD is the rebirth of JCVD.
    helpful•68
    15
    • dridi_i
    • Oct 12, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 2, 2019 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Belgium
      • Luxembourg
      • France
    • Official sites
      • Asmik Ace Entertainment (Japan)
      • Atlantic Film (Sweden)
    • Languages
      • French
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kod adı - JCVD
    • Filming locations
      • Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium
    • Production companies
      • Gaumont
      • Samsa Film
      • Artémis Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €10,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $470,691
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $20,119
      • Nov 9, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,342,211
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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