MovieChat Forums > Universal Soldier (1992) Discussion > Is this the most charming version of JCV...

Is this the most charming version of JCVD?

posted 7 months ago by Oblivioid (1244)
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Van Damme is so likeable in this movie. It's got nothing to do with him being the hero either. There's this innocent charm stemming from the amnesia/memory wipe, he plays it perfectly.

He has the funny one liners in all his interactions with Ally. And his smile, that damn smile after he beats up all the bar patrons, and Ally asks him how was lunch, he just looks so satisfied.

He may not be a method actor, but he just has this almost unexplainable on-screen presence and charisma. It's why he was such a big star, he has 'it', and it's why other action stars with more talent don't make it as successful as JCVD. You can be a much better martial artist, say like Scott Adkins, but people just don't like that guy as much, so he'll never be a box office draw.

[–] cyguration (3856) 7 months ago

...I'm trying to think....

He's usually likable as the hero in most of his films. I can't think of one where he was supposed to be a "good guy" but came across as unlikable (opposite of some of Steven Seagal's movies, where he's supposed to be a "likable", "nice" guy, but ends up making you detest him).

Would I say Universal Soldier is the one where he has -- based on your description -- a boyish charm that makes him likable more than his other films? I suppose so. I guess it's the naivete of the character and the way he plays it opposite of his female co-star that really helps it stand out.

But I suppose you're right. In Double Impact the one brother is a sleazeball and the other is just kind of gullible. While in Street Fighter he plays up to a lot of the cheese'n'charm that came with playing Guile (though he obviously would have been better suited to play Johnny Cage in a Mortal Kombat film, but he obviously wasn't going to play second fiddle to an Asian guy at that point in his career), and Bloodsport was just more of a guy trying to fulfill his promise to his teacher, which was kind of recycled both for The Quest and Lionheart... and Kickboxer. I didn't really like the film Death Warrant at all, and Nowhere To Run was just kind of meh. He was a pure badass in Hard Target, though.

So yeah... I guess you're right.