JCVD
Stands for Jean-Claude Van Damme, who plays himself in this crime drama/comedy. JCVD attracted me because it has Van Damme mocking himself, or so I thought. There is some of that, but there are also a couple moments where he brags. It is a little disappointing.
The dubbing is also disappointing. I had the same problem with Let the Right One In. For some reason Netflix only streams dubbed foreign films. They don't offer the subtitled option. It makes the acting much harder to judge.
I'm a fan of Van Damme's work, but not because I think it is good work. It's fun work with good action sequences. In every other aspect, his movies are terrible. He's repeatedly cast as an American but doesn't even try to speak unaccented English. The plots are non-sensical. They are what the are, a showcase for action scenes.
There's a funny moment in the intro where Van Damme is filming and complains about things going wrong. The disinterested director comments, rightly so, that the audience won't care. While that's true, I don't believe any director, especially a young unknown one, would act like that and have a career. Back to the scene, the director also mentions that Van Damme thinks he's hot shit since he "brought John Woo to America." I found this an amusing thought. But they mention this again later in the movie. One comment is amusing. Two comments is gloating. I don't even know if it's true. Since Van Damme didn't get writing credit, I assume someone is bragging for him.
After that scene, the setup of the plot is good. JC gets caught in a bank robbery and the police presume he's the robber. The confusion in the robbery is well executed. After they set the situation, the film flashes back to how Van Damme came to the bank. Meetings with his agent, custody battle with his ex. The courtroom scene is funny. When his daughter says she doesn't want to live with her dad because her friends make fun of her, I do pity JC a little, although her reasoning makes no sense. They aren't going to stop making fun of you if you don't live with him. You're still his daughter.
My biggest problem with the movie comes from Van Damme's monologue. It's bad writing and completely took me out of the flow of the movie. They actually pause the movie, take Van Damme off the set, and have him give this "impassioned" speech about wanting a second chance. It's stupid, long, and pointless. Regardless of how Van Damme's life has turned out, there's no reason an average person should pity him. He's made and blown more money than most people can make in a lifetime. I'm supposed to pity his stupidity?
The monologue signals the downfall of a good movie. It took me out of the moment, then all sorts of illogical moments popped up. His lawyer drops him as a client, right after getting a huge payment, right when Van Damme really needs legal council. No lawyer would do that. It's a huge high-profile case. JC's lawyer would make a ton of money and get free pub from the case. I also couldn't figure out how JC went from grieving over a dead man, getting pulled away by the SWAT team, then inexplicably in the hands of a robber with a gun to his head. How'd the robber get a hold of JC? Then, after going to jail for extortion, his daughter suddenly wants to see her dad. Huh? His incarceration gives him more street cred with the grade schoolers, apparently.
I like the lighting technique used, giving the film a distinct look. The opening sequence, shot in one take, is neat. The acting is good, as far as I can tell through the dubbing. I had the thought that the dubbing might be covering up Van Damme's bad acting, but I can't honestly j. I love that one of the bank robbers looks exactly like John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon. I'm sure that isn't an accident.
First Viewing: 3+1+2+2+2 = 10
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