JCVD is a crime / drama film that really blew my mind. The main reason for this is because the film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme (hence the JCVD title,) and it really shows a side of him that I would say, most of us have never seen before. I'm going to do my best to not have spoilers in this review.

If you are like me you remember JCVD very well from many years ago. He was in blockbuster after blockbuster and then --poof-- he disappeared from the scene entirely.

I did a little research and found out that back in the 90's when he was doing quite well and making lots of money, he suddenly became jealous of Jim Carrey, who at the time was the hottest star in the world. Upon learning that Carrey was making $17 million a film, Van Damme demanded the same amount of money and would not budge. His gamble did not pay off and the studios decided to not do his films at all. Later he would attempt to accept a smaller amount and eventually a MUCH smaller amount, but he had already been black-listed at this point and this is why we haven't heard anything from the dude until the Volvo commercial.

A little while after seeing this commercial I was told about the existence of JCVD (the movie) and my pal said "you gotta see this." Perhaps the movie is a bit more impactful to those of us that were alive during Bloodsport, Universal Soldier, and Time Cop. To those of you that aren't aware of JCVD's fall from grace, I've already told you about it above.

Basically, the film is fiction but a lot of it is true to life. Jean-Claude plays himself in the movie: He is out of money, his agent can't get him any meaningful roles, and he is in a custody battle with his ex-wife over his daughter - who doesn't care much for him. He returns to his hometown in Belgium, where he is still viewed as a local hero.

Some stuff happens that I wont reveal because you really should see this film especially if you speak French or can handle reading subtitles. I don't know if it was because of the fact that the film actually mirrors his own life that his emotion seems so genuine. I suspect it is, but his performance of someone seriously depressed, is just amazing. You don't expect him to be capable of it, but there he is giving an Oscar-worthy performance.

The pinnacle of this move is a 6 minute monologue where JCVD actually rises out of scene in-progress (literally levitates, I'm not speaking figuratively) and he gives a heart-to-heart directly to the camera, completely breaking character and speaking straight to us, the audience. This is truly captivating and touching. You start to wonder if his ability to perform these heart-breaking scenes are due to his own genuine sadness.

This trailer is overdubbed, but do yourself a favor, watch the movie in French or the emotion is totally lost.

Watch this, especially if you were alive during the early 90's and remember his earlier work.

8 / 10