Jean-Claude Van Damme Movies
Belgian-born film star Jean-Claude Van Damme can be called an actor, although it would be more accurate to describe him as a bodybuilder and kickboxer. It evidently wasn't in the genes; Van Damme's father was an accountant and flower salesman. Taking up the study of Shotokan karate at the age of ten, Van Damme went on to win the middleweight championship of the European Professional Karate Association, where he thrilled one and all with his 360-degree leap-kick. Cashing in on his fame, the 18-year-old Van Damme launched the California Gym in Brussels. When he moved to L.A., he had 7,000 dollars to his name and spoke only French and Flemish. At first, he took many odd jobs, the least prepossessing of which was as a carpet layer. Van Damme's first film was a bit part in Chuck Norris' Missing in Action (1984). Groomed for stardom by Cannon Films' Menahem Golan, Van Damme became a big box-office commodity via such epics as No Retreat, No Surrender (1986); Bloodsport (1988); Cyborg (1989); Kickboxer (1989), which he co-wrote; Lionheart (1990); and Universal Soldier (1992). Fully cognizant of his own histrionic limitations, Van Damme didn't branch out into comedy or "sensitive" roles as has Arnold Schwarzenegger; when starring in the popular futuristic-action film Timecop (1994), Van Damme wisely left the acting to villain Ron Silver. He made his directorial debut with The Quest in 1996, and was so popular he made a cameo appearance in an episode of Friends that aired after the Super Bowl. He paired up with Dennis Rodman for 1997's Double Team and closed out the decade with Universal Soldier: The Return. Like many of his action star contemporaries, he lost some of his luster going into the 21st century appearing in a string of titles such as Replicant, In Hell, and The Hard Corps. However, in 2008 he earned some of the best reviews of his career with the meta action film JCVD. He followed up that success with Universal Soldier: Regeneration, Assassination Games, and joining up with other familiar faces for The Expendables 2. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2012
- R
Director John Hyams transplants Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo to the mean streets of New Orleans to tell the tale of a mysterious martial artist who pits two vicious street gangs against one another before setting his sights on the true cause of the community's problems -- the corrupt local sheriff. Rival crime bosses have turned the mean streets of the Big Easy into an all out war zone where no citizen is safe when Ryan Hong (Cung Le) drifts into town using the lessons of his master Tianto (Jean-Claude Van Damme) to clean up the city. Meanwhile, local Police Chief Mr. V (Peter Weller) gains a grudging respect for Hong's formidable fighting skills, but begins to see him as a growing threat to his grip on power. But when the two gangs unite to conquer a common enemy, it soon becomes apparent that Mr. V's corrupt regime is about to topple. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cung Le, Jean-Claude Van Damme, (more)
The saga of Po continues in this sequel that finds the newly anointed Dragon Warrior (voice of Jack Black) teaming with The Furious Five to safeguard the Valley of Peace. But when a new adversary launches a treacherous bid to seize control of China and obliterate the martial arts, Po must look back to his enigmatic origins in order to unleash his true potential, and defeat his most powerful opponent to date. Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Michelle Yeoh provide addition voices for this sequel directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson from a screenplay by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, (more)
Jack Conway and Derek Chase are the two best assassins in the world-but unknown to each other. These two rival assassins form an uneasy alliance to take down the head of a drug cartel, which is backed by the DEA.
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, (more)
- 2009
- R
- Add Universal Soldier: Regeneration to Queue Add Universal Soldier: Regeneration to top of Queue
Reactivated to do battle with terrorists who have taken over the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) comes face to face with a more powerful upgrade of his former adversary Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) in this action packed sequel from director Peter Hyams. Using stolen technology to transform a fearless fighter (Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski) into an unstoppable force of destruction, a rogue militia holds the world hostage by threatening to blow up Chernobyl. The prospect of a peaceful resolution to the ordeal fading, the decision is made to reactivate Luc Deveraux, and send him in. But Deveraux isn't the only decommissioned Universal Soldier to be resurrected; his old nemesis Scott is back in action, too - and stronger than ever before. Now faced with the prospect of battling not one but two powerful Universal Soldiers, Deveraux braces himself for a fight he might not walk away from. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, (more)
Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in this meta-crime comedy that finds him garnering mores headlines than he's had in years after stumbling into an in-progress bank heist. Down and out, with only straight-to-DVD titles under his belt and a recent job lost out to fellow has-been Steven Seagal, the aging action star returns to Belgium a broken man fresh from losing a custody case for his daughter in Hollywood. Upon his arrival, the bad news continues with a disastrous ATM encounter that leads him into the bank and straight into a robbery situation, for which he's about to be blamed. Soon, crowds grow outside on the street, with the cops quick to point the finger at him and his fans cheering for his release. The film garnered a cult following during its festival run and awarded Van Damme his first theatrical release in the States in almost a decade. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Francois Damiens, (more)
Upon awakening from a deep coma, a troubled police detective sets out to rescue his wife and seek vengeance against the men who nearly took his life. Anthony Stowe (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a heroin-addicted detective attempting to take down the city's most powerful drug lord. His life is in shambles, his wife is pregnant with another man's child, and when the bust goes awry, two of his fellow officers end up dead as Lowe lies in a hospital bed hovering between life and death. Miraculously, Lowe eventually wakes up from his trauma-induced repose. While he once thought his life couldn't get any worse, however, the ailing detective is shattered to learn that the very same men he had nearly died attempting to apprehend have kidnapped his wife. Now left with nothing to lose and every reason to live, the same man who had once written his own life off determines to rescue his wife and ensure that justice is served no matter what the cost. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Stephen Rea, (more)
Action icon Jean-Claude VanDamme stars in this explosive thriller following a former New Orleans homicide detective who leaves his post at the local police force in order to combat murderous drug smugglers as a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Jack Robideaux (VanDamme) is a former cop with a secret agenda. Robideaux is right at home observing freshly killed corpses and grisly crime scenes, so when he's assigned to patrol a dangerous stretch between Columbus and Las Palomas, Mexico, he readily adapts to his new surroundings. When Robideaux learns that a renegade American Special Forces unit has hatched a plan to smuggle $35 million worth of heroin into the United Stated he sets out to single-handedly take down the cartel while contending with suicide bombers, merciless torturers, and traitorous double agents who would have him killed in order to protect their dirty little secret. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Stephen Lord, (more)
A former Desert Storm special forces soldier is assigned the task of protecting a retired World Heavyweight champion turned powerful entrepreneur when the thuggish rap mogul he put behind bars comes gunning for revenge in this bullet-riddled action entry starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Vivica A. Fox. When Wayne Barclay testified against music industry heavy Terrell Singletery (Viv Leacock), he made an enemy for life. Now Terrell is being released from prison, and his time behind bars has only fueled his hunger for revenge. Vengeance won't come easy for this embittered ex-con though, because when Philip Sauvage (Van Damme) sets up a special team of vicious fighters and former soldiers to protect Barclay, the determined thug is will be forced to defeat a seasoned team of warriors with enough combat experience to wage a small war. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Vivica A. Fox, (more)
A skilled official assigned the task of protecting the U.S. ambassador to an unstable Eastern European nation gets trapped in the middle of a deadly coup d'etat in an action-packed tale of political intrigue starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and directed by Simon Fellows. Sam Keenan (Van Damme)'s job is to protect the U.S. ambassador to a troubled Eastern European nation at all costs. When a collection of heavily armed local insurgents stages a violent revolt and the country's president seeks refuge in the very embassy building where Keenan and his charge are based, the devoted officer soon finds himself guarding two men against an army of angry killers. With the embassy overtaken by insurgents and nothing more than a small detachment of U.S. Marines to fend off the fire, Keenan is forced to work overtime just to keep his men breathing and overcome the merciless invading onslaught. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme
Action star and goofball extraordinaire Jean-Claude Van Damme returns in this gritty tale of revenge between the Los Angeles mob and an invading Chinese Triad. The "Muscles From Brussels" stars as Ben Archer, an ex-mob tough guy whose wife is savagely murdered after she brings home an orphaned child who happens to be a Chinese kingpin's daughter. Racked with grief, Archer is forced back into the mob life as Van Damme stacks up the dead bodies until he finally comes face to face with his wife's killer in an explosive match to the death. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme
When Kyle LeBlanc (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is prosecuted for killing the man who murdered his wife, he is sent to the most notoriously violent prison in Eastern Europe, where brutality is an understatement. Guards force the prisoners into death matches for their own personal profit, and the already violent inmates are provoked until they're barely recognizable as human beings. Though Kyle initially holds nothing but contempt for his fellow cell mates, it isn't long before their rage takes root in his own mind. When it's his turn to fight, channeling that rage may be the only chance he has at survival. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lawrence Taylor, (more)
Director Bob Misiorowski helmed this straight-to-video actioner starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Van Damme plays Jacques Kristoff, a special government agent assigned to protect Dr. Galina Konstantin, a scientist played by Laura Elena Harring (Mulholland Drive). When a group of terrorists hijack the train they're riding and demand to see Konstantin, it's up to Kristoff to defeat the bad guys before they get their hands on the biological weapons the doctor has with him. Also starring Tomas Arana and Susan Gibney, Derailed was released in Europe under the title Terror Train. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Laura Elena Harring, (more)
This $17 million direct-to-video production by Hong Kong director Ringo Lam is the story of a fire-obsessed serial killer (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and the recently retired cop (Michael Rooker) intent on stopping him. After finding his hair follicle at a crime scene, a secret government agency clones the killer in the hopes that the replicant will aid in the search. Although he's full-grown, the clone (also played by Van Damme) has the emotional and mental capacity of a young child. Soon the naïve replicant begins to have visions of past murders and an abusive mother, leading him to escape and seek the killer on his own. ~ Skyler Miller, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Rooker, (more)
Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as a reformed artifacts smuggler in this adventure-thriller directed by Sheldon Lettich. Rudy (Van Damme) is forced to venture to Jerusalem after his father is taken hostage by a group of religious extremists. In order to free his dad, Rudy must find a ancient scroll that contains secret information about a mysterious and ancient religious sect. Not surprisingly, that same sect doesn't want that particular scroll to be found. Rudy is thus forced to contend with many powerful obstacles as he sets about to procure the artifact and free his dad. Film icon Charlton Heston also appears in a minor role. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Charlton Heston, (more)
Action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme stars in this globe-trotting adventure set in the 1920s. Van Damme plays Alain, a carefree French playboy who makes the mistake of getting involved with the girlfriend of a notorious Mob kingpin. Running for his life, Alain decides to hide out in a time-tested manner -- he joins the French Foreign Legion. Stationed in North Africa, he must deal with a violently psychotic senior officer and troops of bloodthirsty guerillas. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, (more)
Jean-Claude Van Damme returns as cybernetic warrior Luc Deveraux in this sequel to the 1992 action hit. After barely surviving his experiences as a part-human/part-robot Universal Soldier, Luc has opted to stay out of the front lines and work with a military project to refine and perfect the system. However, something goes wrong (as they so often do in films like this), and S.E.T.H. (Michael Jai White), the android supercomputer leading the new breed of soldiers, suddenly develops a murderous mind of his own. Soon S.E.T.H. is leading his fellow war machines on a rampage, and Luc is the only one who can stop them. The supporting cast includes Heidi Schanz and wrestling star Bill Goldberg. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Jai White, (more)
A group of bullies terrorizing a small town meet their match in the Muscles From Brussels in this action drama. Eddie Lomax (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a drifter who has been in a suicidal funk since the death of his close friend Johnny (Danny Trejo). Riding his motorcycle into a small desert town where Johnny once lived, Lomax is confronted by a gang of toughs, who beat him and steal his bike. However, Lomax is not a man to take an injustice lying down, and soon he begins exacting a violent revenge on the men who stole his motorcycle, with local handyman Jubal Early (Pat Morita) lending a hand and several area ladies offering aid and comfort. Inferno (which was also released under the titles Desert Heat and Coyote Moon) was directed by John G. Avildsen, though Danny Mulroon is credited on some prints. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, (more)
Hong Kong action genre craftsman Tsui Hark directed this martial arts tale, his second collaboration with actor Jean-Claude Van Damme after Double Team (1997). Van Damme stars as Marcus Ray, a Hong Kong fashion designer who specializes in "knock-offs," cheaply produced jeans and sneakers meant to look like major-label merchandise. With his new partner Tommy Hendricks (Rob Schneider), Marcus hopes to go legit and put his shady past behind him, but Tommy is really an undercover CIA agent investigating the smuggling of mini-bombs in Marcus' products. An unwitting pawn in a scheme concocted by the KGB and Tommy's CIA superior Johanson (Paul Sorvino), Marcus must clear his name and save his company. His quest to do so becomes even more complicated when local authorities link him to a murder and a vice-president, Karen (Lela Rochon), arrives from Marcus' parent company to investigate discrepancies in his bookkeeping. Knock Off is based on a script by Steven E. de Souza, author of 48 Hrs. (1982) and Die Hard (1988). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rob Schneider, (more)
Like John Woo and Ringo Lam before him, noted Hong Kong action director Tsui Hark made his American filmmaking debut with a thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. For this film, Hark also had the privilege of guiding basketball star Dennis Rodman through his first dramatic role. American anti-terrorist agent Jack Quinn (Van Damme) has retired from duty, content to stay with his pregnant wife at his seaside hideaway. However, the CIA lure him back into duty for one last mission: wiping out crazed international terrorist Stavros (Mickey Rourke). Quinn flies to Antwerp to ambush Stavros, but his plan fails; Quinn is captured and imprisoned in "The Colony," a prison camp for spies "too valuable to kill and too dangerous to set free." To further torture Quinn, Stavros kidnaps Quinn's wife; after she gives birth to their son, Stavros keeps him captive, surrounded by land mines and wild animals. Quinn escapes and makes plans to rescue his wife and child, but he can't do it alone, so he seeks the help of Yaz (Rodman), a top-level underground arms merchant with a tendency towards flamboyant body modification. Rodman also appears with R&B vocalist Crystal Waters on the song "Just a Freak" which appears on the film's soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, (more)
- 1996
Julia Roberts and Jean-Claude Van Damme appear in this episode, in which the gang pays a visit to Hollywood. Chandler (Matthew Perry) is less impressed by celebrities than by an old friend from the fourth grade who has gotten work in the Industry -- and who has an old score to settle. Joey (Matt LeBlanc) gets another in a long line of "big" breaks. And Ross (David Schwimmer) and Marcel the Monkey take a trip. Michael Lembeck won an Emmy award for his direction of this episode. Part two of "The One After the Super Bowl" originally aired in a 60-minute slot with part one, but was syndicated as a separate entity. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Alain Moreau (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a French cop whose colleagues make a startling discovery -- a man named Mikhail, who was killed in a high-speed chase with police, looks exactly like him. Curious about the stranger with his face, Alain is told by his mother Chantal (Stephane Audran) that Mikhail was in fact his twin brother, whom her poor family was forced to give up at birth. Alain wants to know more about the brother he never knew, but the more he learns the more troubling the news becomes; it seems that Mikhail was involved with gangsters, corrupt FBI agents, and a gang of drug dealers. In order to avenge his brother's death and get to the bottom of his sad story, Alain assumes Mikhail's identity and travels to New York City, where to maintain his cover he takes up with Alex Minetti (Natasha Henstridge), Mikhail's tough-as-nails girlfriend, before finding himself hip-deep in danger with Mikhail's associates. Maximum Risk was the first American film from noted Hong Kong action director Ringo Lam, whose City on Fire has often been cited as a key inspiration for Reservoir Dogs. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Natasha Henstridge, (more)
Martial arts movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme made his debut behind the camera as the director of this sweeping action drama. Van Damme stars as Chris Dubois, a clown pickpocket and Fagin-like leader of orphan thieves in 1925 New York City. Kidnapped by gun smugglers and then sold to pirate captain Lord Dobbs (Roger Moore), Chris eventually ends up the property of Khao (Aki Aleong), a master Asian kickboxer. His fighting skills win Chris a chance at a legendary contest, a gladiatorial showdown between champions of the world's many diverse combat styles in a Tibetan lost city. Along for the trip are the avaricious Dobbs, heavyweight boxing champ and fellow competitor Maxie (James Remar), and Carrie (Janet Gunn), a beautiful female reporter. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Roger Moore, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.