Maximum Van Dammage

I love Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. Seriously. Well, okay, not all of them. I don't love The Quest. Although it is pretty cool that the man directed it himself, and Lord knows he tries his best. But I love the old school Van Damme movies. The Bloodsports, the Kickboxers, even Cyborg. I think that last one was the first Van Damme movie I saw on video, but I can't be perfectly sure. It was a while ago.

There was even a long period in which I saw every film the man released in theaters. Double Impact. Universal Soldier. Nowhere To Run. This era. These are not great films. In fact, in many cases, they are terrible. I can't really explain why they're so great. Perhaps it's because JCVD's persona can't help but invade the films. He's such a cocky, gleeful little spaz that it just comes through, even when he's making an otherwise uninteresting slog like Lionheart.

Now, the guy's wandering around in a No Man's Land of low-budget European productions that only come out on DVD here. Titles like Second in Command, Legionnaire and Wake of Death. Hopefully, the upcoming sequel to Bloodsport, Kumite, directed by Jean-Claude himself, will turn this thing around.

I've been predicting a return to semi-popularity for JC for a while now. He's still young enough to make action films, but he also has built-in 80's and 90's nostalgia value.

It now appears that Brett Ratner may be the first man to seize upon the marketing value of bringing back Jean-Claude Van Damme. According to IMDB (which is regrettably prone to spreading outright falsehoods), Jean-Claude is being considered for the villain role in Rush Hour 3. And, of course, this can only lead to one place...

Van Damme as Gambit in X-Men 4.

Come on, you knew this was coming eventually. Don't lie.

For anyone interested in more information about Jean-Claude Van Damme, consult your local library. I particularly recommend this special feature on the Universal Soldier DVD, "A Tale of Two Titans," that contrasts the careers of Jean-Claude Van Damme and that film's co-star, Dolph Lundgren. I could watch a 2 hour film composed solely of these interviews, easily.