I know JCVD isn't exactly young anymore and i am not expecting a full blown action movie, but somehow he manage to often book himself in roles where he is meant to appear discouraged with life, depressed and bored. His best roles in his second half of his career in my opinion are the likes of Welcome to the Jungle and Enemies Closer. Movies where he plays a full of energy over the top excentric character. The depress schtick has really gotten old for me.
Now if this was the movie only low point, but its actually one of the lesser problem. This script is dull... and barely has any action. A few sluggish boring hand to hand fights, altough one ill admit use an original perspective but it looks like its made to cover up for Van Damme lack of mobibility. Then a few very uninspired and boring gun fights.
Most of the movie's tough is Van Damme monologing, drinking, and i was just so bored. I litterally watched the movie in 3 shots. I watched 40 minutes and took a break to play some online games as i was too bored, then i came back and watched another 30-40 minutes, and when i realize it would basically be more of the same til the end i just turn it off and watch the remaining part a day later.
This movie looks basically like one of those scripts in the 2010s that Nicolas Cage would say yes just because he needed the money. The kind of script that was stockpile in the "bottom DTV" pile and that just needed a recognized lead to somehow draw a few fans to it. But no... JCVD actually co-wrote it, so he really wanted to make it.
In term of esthetic the movie does not look bad or "fake" but for the minimal action there is in, i think most of the budget got into the actors and cameos.
For some reasons you have Shannen Doherty and Cynthia Rothrock showing up in some of the most pointless cameos ever, and apparently Eric Roberts was in it, but i didn't even noticed him. Kristanna Loken wich still look fantastic plays his love interest and she's actually in the movie for a decent lengh, but the character's highlight remain an underwear scene...
Its true that we will always associate Van Damme with action and spinkicks, but there is ways to make movies in an older age and remain interesting without a need for big crazy action scenes. Sylvester Stallone did it brilliantly in Tulsa King and to an extent Arnold also made something fun and with decent action in Fubar. They are older than Van Damme as well.
Honestly for me this movie was like some of the last Steven Seagal movies he made before retiring (or being forced to maybe). A recycled predictable script, rather boring, and not even really entertaining as a disposable movie.
I will be generous and give it a 4 out of 10 because the movie was "competent" in some aspects, but its definately below average. Even for 1$ i wouldn't buy it on DVD to put it beside my other Van Damme movies. Its in the same category as other slugfests he did (We Die Young, Lukas and a few more...) that i would never watch again.
