User reviews

To his credit, Van Damme made this film really good! And it wasn't his acrobatically motivated martial arts. There was more drama than action and he was pretty darn decent. I don't like spoilers, so..

The movie starts a little slow but the storyline picks up and the plight of Van Damme's character is apparent. It's him against the world that kicked him to the dirt and people want to step all over him. His character is submissive and weak but yet, still has the inner strength to do the right thing in the end.

Again, I was pleasantly surprised with Van Damme's acting and character in this film, not the typical Van Damme action movie, this one has heart, character and a good story. 7 out of 10 for me.

In New Orleans, the abusive narcotic detective Anthony Stowe (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a dirty cop, addicted in heroin and booze, hated by his colleagues and divorcing from his wife Valerie (Selina Giles). While trying to arrest his former partner and drug lord Gabriel Callaghan (Stephen Rea), the mission fails, two undercover officers are killed and the drug, the money and the monitoring tapes vanish. Later, Tony is shot by a criminal in the head and miraculously does not die. After months in coma, he wakes up trying to fix the errors of his past life.

After many bad movies, Jean Claude Van-Damme finally makes a very good film. His character is very well developed in a story that uses clichés, but is also interesting, full of action and without a final redemption with a happy end. When the viewer sees this movie, wait for the credits because there is an important footage of the missing surveillance tapes, disclosing what happened in the house and how the officers were killed. I hope this movie be a milestone and a second chance in the career of Van Damme, and like his character and Phoenix, he raises from the ashes to please his fans. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Até a Morte" ("Until the Death")

This was a dramatic and interesting film. It has its usual Jean Claude standards though such as Graphic Violence, Language, Sex, and Drugs. But hey, that's why I and a lot of other fans watch these movies. I thought Van Damme was a vigilante on the loose in this, especially when he came out of that coma. Stephen Rea is also playing his usual confusing and mean character who likes to screw up people's lives just like in Fear Dot Com, which was a stupid movie unlike this one. I had hight hopes for this movie and it came through well. Since I was little I have always loved watching Van Damme and Steven Seagal movies, I just hope that they keep up the good work! 8 out of 10

I watched this on DVD today and was stunned to see that it's a nearly scene for scene remake of one of my favorite Hong Kong films, the 1995 crime melodrama Loving You (ok, bad title) directed by Johnny To that starred Lau Ching Wan and Carman Lee. I don't understand why the original Hong Kong flick is mentioned nowhere in the credits but nearly every single scene and plot element and much of the dialog comes directly from the Hong Kong film. Until Death wasn't bad, but the problem is that Jean-Claude Van Damme isn't half the actor that Lau Ching Wan, the star of the original is and director Stephen Fellows is no Johnny To. The love story between the recuperating police officer and his pregnant wife is handled much more effectively in the original. I highly recommend that anyone who enjoyed Until Death (and can tolerate watching movies with English subtitles) seek out the original version, which was released last year on DVD in Hong Kong and can purchased from places like Ebay. It's a much better movie.

The picture packs noisy action , shoot-outs , twisted intrigues and characterization enough . It's exciting and tense , at time lackluster action film , but the violent confrontations, struggles , gun-play are well done in this routine actioner , being better than Jean-Claude flicks . The story is plenty of firepower , action packed , fights though is added an interesting suspense with attractive roles . Anthony Stowe (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a dirty cop, he's separated his pregnant wife Valerie Stowe (Selina Giles) and fighting to capture his ex-partner. His ex-colleague named Gabriel Callaghan (Stephen Rea) is working to become the new leader of the gangsters in local organized crime in Nueva Orleans and he will stop at nothing to get his purports and at whatever cost. Callaghan sends his henchmen after Anthony, who's shot in the head and comes very close to death, falling into a coma. Months later, he wakes up wanting to put things alright and becoming a better person, and better husband , while taking on the nasty goons . It's not the plan, it's the execution !. They put him in a coma, now he's going to put them out of their misery !. Vengeance Is His !.

This movie direct to video packs violent action , suspense , shoot-outs , and struggles , resulting to be quite entertaining. The main issue of the film is Van Damme himself , a very interesting role playing as a dirty cop who is hooked on heroin , and everyone dislikes him; because of a deadly set-up he is put into a coma, and comes out of it a better person , equally he awakens from the coma with the idea of finishing off his former partner . Suffering Van Damme plays finely a sad and affected cop called Anthony Stowe, a narcotics lieutenant addicted to heroin, he has a bad attitude, and everyone hates him, including his soon-to-be-ex wife, but later he changes the mind . Jean Claude Van Damme is stunning as action hero become a good man in this middling budget film . Long time ago he played big budget movies (Time cop, Universal soldier, Double team , Hard target) , he nowadays makes low budget and directly to video (Derailed, Wake of death, In hell) like in his first films (Black eagle, Cyborg , Bloodsport). Being accompanied by a nice cast , such as : Stephen Rea, William Ash , Mark Dymond , Adam Leese ,Stephen Lord ,Wes Robinson, Alana Maria , Fiona O'Shaughnessy, among others.

Financed in medium budget by the prolific producers Avi Lerner , Danny lerner , Boaz Davidson , Illana Diamant , Moshe Diamant, Danny Dimbort , Trevor Short who have produced other vehicles for two-fisted and violent heroes , such as : Steven Seagal , Chuck Norris , Jason Statham and Silvester Stallone himself . The film was well photographed by Douglas Milsone (Dungeons and dragons, Sunchaser, Body of evidence) in natural scenarios of Nueva Orleans , Louisiana, US and Sofia , Bulgaria . The movie is pointlessly energetic , occasionally intense and enjoyable enough and that's why it will appeal to real devotee Van Damme . The motion picture was professionally directed by Simon Fellows who made a Wesley Snipes vehicle (7 seconds) and he recently shot this ¨Until death¨and ¨Second in Command¨ again with Jean Claude Van Damme . The film will appeal to action genre enthusiasts . It is a decent film but only for the true devotee of the main actor . It's a must see for Van Damme fans . Rating : 6/10. Acceptable and passable.

I must admit that in my younger years I liked Van Damme's films. As I grew older, Van Damme's films were becoming less intriguing. Though, what is left from those films in my memory is the respect and admiration the kid I was.

If you are an action/thriller fan, then you probably do not mind watching a B-movie just for the action and the fighting. In that case, "Until Death" may not be your favorite of the year. "Until Death" shifts track from the fast, super martial arts moves, such as in his films, "Double Impact" and "Lionheart." Instead, this film has more dialogue, more talking, and still, but less, fights. Most of the fighting is the protagonist's, Stow, struggling to get his life back, which is not that apparent until later in the film. Although, there is more words and somewhat worked-on dialogue, Van Damme's English pronunciation did not develop much.

"Until Death" seems like it wants to be counted as a major production, but it does not quite reach there. The film, simply, is about a cop, who may or may not be "bad," who needs straighten out his life, and thus, he must face the ruthless antagonist, Callahan (so very close to messing with Dirty Harry here), played by Gary Beadle. Unfortunately, the story line does not hold, and it reveals itself more than it should.

The editing and the scene shifts, as time elapsing or progression, is a little gore. I think it is more disturbing than being helpful with plot tracings. Therefore, sitting down and watching the film is not most pleasant, for me, that is.

Van Damme looks older than he ever was, of course, but the makeup did fine with hiding things. The lighting was fine, the camera angels were fine. Besides Van Damme and Gary Beadle, the cast was not an Academy Award selection; however, each played his/her part well enough.

The time of early 2000 was an amazing era for Jean-Claude Van Damme. He produces two good films "In Hell" and "Wake of Death." Amazingly, I did like "In Hell" much more than any Van Damme movie. It offered some serious depth and great cinematography. "Wake of Death" was not a bad film, yet not superb, but it offered more action and fights. I think that "In Hell" is what made me think that the level of Van Damme films has progressed; unfortunately, however, "Until Death" only brought Van Damme, and his movies, back to the gallows where they belong. The only reason is I am awarding this film four stars is for effort.

Action legend Van Damme give another excellent performance in this tough Cop film. I've always said it that Van Damme is the best actor out of those old school action heroe's we grew up watching on video. Van Damme has proved he's a damn good actor with films such as the excellent, WAKE OF DEATH & REPLICANT & SECOND IN COMMAND just to name a few & here he's excellent again in UNTIL DEATH.

Van Damme plays a very different role here as Anthony Stowe, a junkie Cop who everyone hates & who doesn't give a shi#!!! Stowe is a dirty cop that will rat on anyone to better himself & is hooked on heroin but still manages to function enough to do his job. Stowe is a New Orleans Narc Cop who is obsessed with tracking down his ex partner, Callihan but it's ruined his life. Van Damme plays Stowe as a horrible man, a violent junkie who doesn't care about anyone or anything until he's shot & put in a coma. Stowe awakens from his coma & wants to start fresh as a better man & right his many wrongs but his evil gangster ex-partner Callihan wants to finish him off once & for all. British actor Stephen Lord has a part as a henchman & he's a decent actor who has appeared with Van Damme in, The Shepherd: Border Patrol but the main villain "Callihan" isn't particularly good or interesting or threatening at all but it's not about him it's about Van Damme's Detective Stowe & he's a flawed-as-hell character & the movie looks great for a low-budget production & often reminded me of those old 70's crime cop films like Serpico for example as the violence here is very realistic, grim & brutal. The tone of this movie is harsh & hard-hitting & isn't afraid to show you the bad stuff. Van Damme looked cool in his fitted black leather jacket & baretta & has some excellent shootout scenes like the late-night diner sequence. Until Death is definitely a well made movie & is very impressive considering the budget & the fact it was destined for a straight-to-dvd release & Van Damme gives an excellent performance that is so different from anything else he's ever done. I still think that Van Damme's greatest performance is in WAKE OF DEATH but his 2nd best is right here.

OK i had high hopes for this one. Not that Van Damme was in it thou. I've seen his movies and i have to admit that i was a big fan of his many years ago. Bloodsport for ex was a favorite when i was a lot younger then I am today ;) Thou his latest movies have not been much to say the least. So when i looked at the ratings here i was very pleased. "7.7 for a van damme movie?? God damn i have to see this". It started out good with van damme playing a cop that have seen better days. He was not in this movie to show off his ass that was for sure ;) But oh my god.... The acting SUCKED so bad... I can not say that any of the actors on this movie was worth the money seeing this movie. And the story was so predictable. I wont spoil anything for you unlucky people that are going to see this after all but if any of you do not guess the end after 30-40min then I do not know what to say :)

Well good part in this movie was that van damme was more then just a "kick-show-ass" guy in this movie. And well MAYBE he acted a little better then he use to but it is not enough for me anymore. I am sorry but this movie goes down the toilet. Take my advice and spend 1.41h of your life on something more meaningful

I used to like Van Damme movies as a child, then when I grew up I realized he wasn't such a great actor, just charismatic at the most. But at least for his early movies he had the lack of experience, but for this one there is no excuse.

An extremely simple plot and role, yet he managed to play it so bad it's unrealistic to the core. Bad lines, bad acting, redundant characters and scenes, and worse fight scenes than the early wild west movies. Not to mention the movie is predictable to the very end, including the final "twist".

Guess it is true what they say, that you see one Van Damme movie and you've seen them all.. Why he keeps trying is beyond my comprehension.

Van Damme hits form again, big time! Until Death is a dark, dirty, damn nasty and repugnant film, but in a good way. In a Get Carter, Death Wish, Marathon Man kinda way. It's a 70's style thriller with all the grimy darkness, pessimism and degeneracy of so many great flicks of that time. Sure Wake Of Death had that feel, but somewhere along the way with director Phillipe Martinez's unsure hand, it attempted artiness, and relied far too heavily on the editing room, while also playing and drawing out needless scenes. Until Death is honed, grounded and above all consistent. All those who doubted Simon Fellow's because of his previous two films, should note that both were filmed in Romania and that the notoriously iffy company Castel were responsible. Here however, under the guidance of Moshe Diamont, Fellows is given more freedom to express himself, and he keeps things simple, grounded, allowing scenes to play out. He's far more sure of what he wants here, and delivers. He adds in a few touches that feel experimental, and a bit dangerous, and that only adds to the 70's vibe. A 70's vibe does not a good movie make, but it's a welcome part of an overall good movie.

Now in my honest opinion, I found this to be Van Damme's best film overall, period! At the same time it's hard to even call this a Van Damme movie. It's like a lost movie from Bronson or Eastwood, circa 70's. It's like Siegal and Peckinpah joined forces and took on the reckless abandon and excessiveness of Michael Winner. Those who want the new Bloodsport will not take this to their hearts as Van Damme's pinnacle, but still, they should enjoy Van Damme in a film with genuine atmosphere, in a role he stamps real authority on. Van Damme, minus the flashy kicks, plays a walking turd! He's a degenerate drug addled morally abstruse cop, and a borderline maniac. Van Damme has a role split into two halves if you like, pre-coma, post-coma. Pre coma is the dirty cop Stowe who's lost all regard for the people close to him, and his co-workers. He lives only for himself, and only to bring down ex-partner Callaghan (Rea). He'd sell his own mother to get the collar. Van Damme gives his best performance. He's really playing an unlikeable character whose judgement has become clouded. He thinks he's doing right, trying to do right, but loses track of the right and wrong ways to get what he wants. Van Damme is just a mean, badass machine in the first half of the film, not a man to be crossed at all. When Stowe wakes from his coma, having been left for dead by Callaghan, he wants to turn his life around, while he has to fully recover from his injuries. Here Van Damme is equally good. The film is a real departure for him. He really immerses himself in the role and vanity is so far from his mind here. Van Damme looks outta shape (and should do), and early on is really made to look dishevelled. Elsewhere Stephen Rea kind of flitters in and out in an extended cameo, but he gets to really chew scenery in a great scene at the end, when he and Stowe come face to face for the first time since Stowe's resurrection. Rea is simply picking up his paycheque, but he gets the one scene to let loose and deliver, and he leaves a lasting impression. Selina Giles as Stowe's wife enters the film with a bang! It's not a good one either, cause she's not delivering a good performance. However no sooner than Van Damme gets shot in the head, she begins delivering a fine performance. It's quite strange in that respect. There's also decent support from Adam Leese and Gary Beadle.

The action is short and swift. It's supposed to hit hard, and hit fast. They're simple scenes but they pack a punch, in a way that The Hard Corps and Second In Command were lacking. Ditto Wake Of Death, while supremely violent was a letdown in the action. Here though it's all about the violence. It's efficiently choreographed and edited and it has impact. When people die, you know they're dead. Those eagerly awaiting plenty of hand-to hand will be disappointed it, there's only a few quick little flourishes, but for this film Van Damme is far better armed with a shotgun than unleashing his kicks. The action isn't meant to be over the top, drawn out and excessive. It's about the forceful violence dished out. To see what I mean simply check the end action sequence in Straw Dogs.

Simon Fellows does well here as I mentioned, and he keeps the film ticking over nicely. Doug Milsome's cinematography is the best in a Van Damme movie for a while now. It looks great, and really keeps that dank 70's vibe going. There's also great sound design and Matthew Booth does a good job piecing everything together in the editing suite. A real standout though is the score from Mark Sayfritz, a blend of orchestra and synth effortlessly combining. Occasionally there's a real Massive Attack vibe in the music. It's arguably the best score in a Van Damme film, and Sayfritz will be a welcome returnee for Van Damme's next film, The Shepard. All in all, those who like a good gritty action thriller with some vicious violence, need look no further than Until Death. Those who saw Wake Of Death as a turning point were seeing a false dawn, cause this is Van Damme's career defining moment. It proves he's now an actor, and that WOD wasn't a flash in the pan. This is the best DTV film I've seen, and as those who know my love of Lundgren's Mechanik, will realise that means a lot. ****

I am not afraid to admit I am a fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. As corny as most of them are, they are usually a pretty good example of the more showy aspects of martial arts. Most of them are simple revenge stories, with Jean losing a loved one (or several) and then relentlessly killing everybody until he gets to the big bad guy.

This movie is a different kind of Van Damme vehicle. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, he gives a subtle performance here, even if it is yet another revenge movie. As a broken down cop, addicted to booze, heroin and sex, he's just not the hero. In real life Van Damme has had problems with drugs, and his face is now aged and somewhat tired-looking.

There isn't as much physical action (martial arts) as you would expect, but there is significant gun play.

While Until Death is a little too long (very common these days), it's a revelation to watch Van Damme actually act. At a few points you still get that feeling that he's overreaching his abilities as an actor, but for the most part his work in this movie is actually pretty impressive. I for one would love to see someone put him in a real A list movie, playing a character role, I really think he could pull it off after watching this one.

New Orleans is practically a character itself in this one, with practically every cop corrupted in one way or another. On a side note, they should have gotten another actress to play his estranged wife, as the actress here has marginal talent at best. Recommended for Van Damme fans who want to see him grow up a little.

Im inclined to think that all the people who gave this an average of 8/10 must be the cast & other crew who worked on this movie. Im astonished that this almost awful movie has got such kudos from the voters so far - did these people view a different movie to me?? because the one I sat through was poorly directed & poorly acted by all involved.

The story sets out to make you dislike Van Damme's character, it does this, but not in the way the I think that the director intended. I guess the intent was to reveal this character later in the movie as a reformed man & give us all a glimmer of hope that we can all better ourselves no matter what we've done - sadly, due to the way that the movie unfolds this 'feel good factor' ending misses the target by miles and you could'nt care less about Van damme's character because of this. In all honesty, its a tough roll to play - it requires a great deal of skill to pull it off & I think it was a little beyond Van damme's capabilities. In my opinion, this is more of a Nicholas cage or John travolta type of roll & Travolta would've been my pick - though with the script & poor direction he & Cage would'nt have touched this howler with a 10 foot clown pole! Perhaps with better direction this could've been a blockbuster - the story, despite its flaws, is'nt that bad - if Smokin Aces can excell then its not inconceivable that Until death could too.

Van damme's accent is quite hard to understand too, there are parts of the movie where I missed the dialogue due to this - which is very frustrating because you really need to hear what the LEADING character is saying because, after all, the story is about him! Disapointingly, the entire cast are all weak in this, the bad guys are laughable, Selina Giles acting contains more wood than a rainforrest and Gary Beadle's attempt at a stereotypical angry black police captain wont be winning him any Oscars either. I have to say, the supporting cast seems to have been picked at random on a $50 budget, a very poor choice indeed. And what was Stephen Rea thinking when he accepted his roll in this? I know he's not the greatest actor in the world but he just was'nt convincing enough warrant his fee for this movie.

Van damme is so very different in this movie, there's no over exaggerated fight scenes, he does'nt do the splits or throws his legs & arms around like you would expect him to - this is a little weird. I liked the idea of casting Van damme in this way and was really hoping he could nail this part, but his final effort seemed hollow & unpolished. I would like to see more of Van damme in these type of rolls because he is due a great movie part & although his career has never been a shining one he has been with us now for such a long time and he really deserves a great movie roll to top his career off nicely. I don't think he wants to go down in Hollywood history as the European Steven Segal with nothing but 'B' movies under his belt. Its a real shame that Jean Claude has had such poor rolls throughout his career & has been overlooked so many times.

To summarise, go see/rent this only if you are a die hard Van Damme fan or you are a budding film critic with needs to practice your skills - you'll find it easy to pen a 1000 word article on this film. I've only briefly scratched the surface with my comments & from what I have seen with regards to the high score this has received from other viewers votes, I seem to be in the minority with my low opinion of this film....

But did I expect too much from a Jean Claude Van Damme movie?.....

Yes, I watch dumb movies, sometimes finding intelligent ones. This happens even in porn, though the slog through is rough going.

Violent movies are porn, pure and simple. Segal, Van Damme, Conner, are simply action toys for three and four year old boys and viewers who wish they were. But this is a bit different. No, it blazes no new ground; in fact the notion of a late in life "coming of age" film with little violence has been well plowed. But its something rather important to see someone who we know is actually dumb and violent singularly shift his career path and do one.

The story is simple: broken man, broken heart. Very, very bad guys out there that he is singlehandedly battling, over the obstructive but typical black chief. (Is there a more prevalent film type than the honest, caring but tough black police boss?) He nearly dies, then revives, and settles the score. But instead of the simple "good guy is stronger so beats the bad guy's butt," we have a similar dynamic but with presumed growth. That seldom happens. The folding of battling with marriage and battling (the bad parts of) society is clear.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Jean-Claude van Damme has pleasantly matured, moving away from Dudikoff-type of acting, showing more emotions than anger and revenge. He has become more dramatic and serious, not just using martial arts and strong language in possible and impossible occasions. Of course, the real star in this film is Stephen Rea - but he is an Academy Award nominee after all.

The plot is also above average, clichés and product placement seem to be inevitable in such movies, but there are several turns and unexpected moments. The number of supporting characters is, for some reason or other, rather big and most of them do not provide additional value or meaning.

Recommended to all fond of good and compressed action - the movie is around 1,5 hours.

I see a lot of positives here about this new Van Damme film. I was really wanting it to be a success but its riddled with flaws that cannot be ignored. the acting is sub-par, even for Van Damme who looks like he's at least trying to be good actor. The writing is just not very good as can be seen by all the little holes in the film. I thought it was a good effort but ultimately it was a bad film that was horribly slow and boring with the same old storyline rehashed and spewed out. And what the hell was Stephen Rea doing in this film?

I don't blame anyone for the tragedy that is this film because it is not Van Damme's fault that he is unable to make a good dramatic film. He's only good when he's kicking but.

i kind did not like the movie all the drugs and the way van dam looked whats wrong with his head there's a knot on his head what is that from. my dad thought it awful but i liked it a little try to do better next time you make a movie lion heart 2 or something this movie had a lot of drugs and killing and drinking i did not like the way he was acting in this movie i liked all the other movies he made but this one was OK i guess i give this a 6 out 10 there was a lot romance and i would consider buying it just because i collect movies but thats about all not to put him down but try to do something with the knot it looks bad also make another no where to run that was a cool movie thats about it

This is living proof that movie companies' hired staff are promoting god awful movies by providing reviews to movies so you'd believe this is Oscar winning stuff....

The acting was subpar, the plot had holes big enough to build a parking lot in it and the cinematography is so choppy and clichefilled that it became hard to watch.

We know and love JCVD for the action hero he was and forgave him for his acting because we know what to expect when you hire someone who came from the karate circuit instead of drama school, but to take him seriously in this movie is ludicrous.

The stark raving mad reviews that usually top the first few pages of any movie which are submitted before most movies are even released is a dead giveaway that the promotion teams are boasting out full on propaganda...

I really hate it when action stars are given no kudos for they're acting like Sly Stallone who wowed everyone in Copland and Jet Li who surprised as well with Danny the Dog.Jean Claude Van Damme is no different and while he has put in decent gigs in such movies as Lionheart,Double Impact,Hard Target and Maximum risk that were overlooked rather unfairly.

Something has happened since JCVD's fall into dtv land is that he has been a lot choosier most of the time with his projects that are top-notch like Replicant,In Hell,and Wake of Death.Its a shame these have been neglected to DTV being that they are better than some of his last big screen theater releases!

Until Death continues the trend of JCVD playing darker and more sinister characters as he plays a corrupt cop named Anthony Stowe who seems like he was ripped from an Abel Ferrara movie.

Anthony it seems has blurred the line between good/bad that his fellow cops despise him,His emotionally neglected wife is cheating on him,Stowe has a nice heroin habit to contend with,and a twice-as corrupt(sublimely played by Stephen Rea) ex-partner gunning for him who has designs on being the new mob boss.It changes with the flash of a gunman's bullet that leaves Stowe in a coma for several months and upon awakening he sets out to ease his conscience as well as bloody retribution.

This has got to be Van Dammes best ever acting job as he leaps onto the scene growling,snarling and making life difficult for everyone around him.His deranged look in the first half of the movie was striking and a lot of viewers are going to be surprised into thinking he let himself go.Even better is the after effect of the coma.

Selina Giles does an good job as the wife.Adam Leese has a couple of nice moments as Van Huffel.The actor who plays the fat Sargent gets the loud cop mode just right and has some good moments near the end.

The real shock is Stephen Rea and how sublimely underplayed Callaghan is by him.I thought we would get a real tour-de-force from him along the lines of Lance Henricksen as He only seems to come to life in his scenes with JCVD at the end which are fun to watch.If only he had put more into it than just taking a paycheck.

Simon Fellows does a good job here with his creative touches that seemed to fail in SIC and its pretty clear his strength is getting the performances and working with the actors.The grimy New Orleans setting is also plus.Some of his shots recall Early De Palma.

The only real fault of the movie is the action.Its not that the action scenes are done badly,but it needed more kick.The gunfights are good and bloody,however the last gunfight is a bit of a jip.

Where was the commentary on the state of a post-Katrina New Orleans?That would have been great explaining on the crime wave that is going on there right now.

It seems to me after the Shepherd JCVD might have just couple more action movies in him.What more does he need to prove if his best efforts get dumped to dtv?Dare I say he might wanna nab another drama?

Until Death was a nice surprise after the down shift into the average SIC and okay Hard Corps.

Even better to watch JCVD out-act Stephen Rea!

I must start by saying this is by far the best DTV action movie I've seen for along time, i know thats not saying much the out put from Mr's Snipes, Van Damme and Segal have been really bad of late. Until Death however is a very different beast indeed more a cop drama than an action movie this sees Mr Van Damme moving into uncharted acting territory and he succeeds and impressively so.

This is not a perfect film, there are some bits of wooden acting and stilted action on the whole though this film work. First off Van Damme plays the role of a wretched drug addicted cop expertly, the man has seriously pulled up a gear in the acting stakes, I was genuinely surprised at how he portrayed Anthony Stowes decline and redemption, never over playing it he mumblers and curses his way through the first half of the movie. Post coma we see him go from bumbling recovery through to as close to redemption as he can get. The only main let down is the actress playing his wife who at time misfires the delivery which is a shame as the scenes are quite important in terms of Anthonys motivations. That said this is really Van Dammes movie almost a showcase of his new improved acting chops. The music must also be mentioned quite low key for most of the movie but the brooding parts worked well. Stephen Rae is a bit wasted here but again, its all really about one mans demons.....again Mr Van Damme. Van Damme fans will love it Im sure but hopefully some others may take a chance on the Muscles from Brussels and end up genuinely surprised.

I think I am predisposed not to like Van Damme movies...but, since I can not remember ever watching one in the last 20-years I am willing to give "Until Death" a try based on the overall positive reviews here.

Did I watch the same movie? Well, perhaps...But, I'm wondering. Good-guy, bad-guy, bad-cop movies are in the cliché' category so this type starts out with plenty of "been there, seen that" apathy. I think what makes a movie like this work is if you are rooting for the central character and if his situation rings true. That said I could never "root" for Van Damme's character, even in his redemption phase and the bad guys, though bad, had no reality to them. They seemed like video game bad guys who just are there for no reason other than it's a game. Call it plot holes or whatever. While the larger story of a bad cop turning into a redeemed cop should have had merit, the movie never fulfilled that.

On a positive note I enjoyed the scenic back drop of New Orleans. I admit that Van Damme can play a tortured soul as well as say...Nick Nolte or Mel Gibson, which I believe shows some chops, but unlike those two you never "get-behind" Van Damme to really hope he succeeds in his travails. Perhaps with a better storyline and better supporting actors this could have been the non-action Van Damme career turn? I think he's ready, but this movie wasn't. 4.5 out of 10.