MovieChat Forums > Double Team (1997) Discussion > Quite possibly the best movie ever made

Quite possibly the best movie ever made

posted 20 years ago by walla118
107 replies | jump to latest

A real "slam-dunk". This instant classic "stole" my heart and mind. After many sub-par attempts at the action genre, "Double Team" clearly illustrates that Jean-Claude van Damme's career is on the "rebound".

JCVD is completely remarkable in his role as a guy who really beat the crap of people. In his previous films, it is worth noting that he only kind of beat the crap out of people. In this film, he severely beats the crap out of people. This just proves that JCVD's grown tremendously as an actor. His talent has surpassed the acting skill The Rock and Vin Diesel added together, and then mutliplied together and then added together again. He quite clearly states with this role that he refuses to be typecast. I believe within a few years time, we will all see JC completely obliterate the crap out of every one in a movie (there quite literally be no more crap to be obliterated).

Dennis Rodman is brilliant as "Yaz". His acting talent in portraying a witty, basketball playing clown is unmatched, and in my opinion, commits no "foul" nor "double-dribble" in his performance. As a sidekick, he does not disappoint. It was remarkable how this man blended to every scene in the movie despite being the only seven foot tall, black, nose-pierced, or rainbow colored person in the film (a true credit his natural thespian ability!!). Like "the Mailman", he never failied to deliver the "ally-oop" for JC, who slammed it home time and time again! The duo hits "nothin' but net".

Not many people know this, but Dennis Rodman is not only a famous actor - he was also once a basketball player for the American National Basketball Association (NBA)! Throughout the film, there are many coy allusions to this fact. For instance, did you know that the title of the film is a basketball term, meaning to have two men defend against one opponent? Did you catch that his parachute in the film was shaped like a basketball? He also cleverly fashions certain basketball terminology and cliches to suit the perils of his situation. The best line of the film comes from Rodmans lips: "Sometimes the best defense is a STRONG OFFENSE". This original and masterfully-crafted line of irony not only speaks to the truth of the situation, but convinces us once and for all that violence IS always the answer. It is this type of subtlety of this type of dialog that allows "Double Team" to trancend conventional movie-making.

So please, see this movie. No "Bull", you will not be "board" by this action packed, thinker of a film. Make a "fast-break" to the video store on the "double-double".

[–] tequila-pancake 18 years ago

dude... im a van damme fan... but you're full of sh*t... you're making no sense at all... how old are you?... 7?... the movie was stolen by mickey rourke... the man is one of the most underrated actors of our time... im glad he has his carreer back on track... and as for van damme... he will never have main stream movie features again... he is destined like segal to be stuck in straight-to-dvd role movies...

[–] JesterSevens 17 years ago

i loved this movie...but it is absolute bollocks! the basketball parachute thing? oh dear.....truly a film worth the moniker, so bad its good!

[–] lightningblues-1 17 years ago

Scene that never made the final cut:

Baby jumps out of it's carrier in the end, in proper Bruce Lee fashion, and commences to beat bad-guys upside the head with it's own basket. The spectacle scares off the rest of Mickey Rourke's minions as memories of "Bride of Chucky" dance in their heads. What was the last movie in which we saw a small person kick some serious tail? It's been too long, people.

They were also thinking of having Jack Quin arrange a shuttle mission into orbit so that he might drop down to his own estate in an escape-pod shaped like a zucchini...or was it "Big Boy", I forget. In the end they settled for the ingenious basketball parachute sequence. They could have done that a little better though, I must say. When they land in that contraption, it looks like JCVD is rolling around in a common bed sheet. They should put a warning: Please do not try jumping out of airplanes in your double bed sheet...These are trained professionals, folks.

[–] redroostz71 17 years ago

you all are *beep* morons this movie is stupid, rodman, van dame? that right there gives it such a low rating. anything with van dame and rodman is already a flop. your a moron for even thinking this movie was great. man oh man whats wrong with people today. ur either a litte kid or such a tool that ull only watch movies with boobs and violence.

[–] damongruber 17 years ago

Learn to WRITE first, M-O-R-O-N!!!!!

[–] argentobuff 17 years ago

I caught Double Team again recently.I liked it in theaters and I still think it hold up well.A masterpiece by no means whatsoever though.Tsui Hark was a good choice for director.

The thing I notice is that the first half is pretty coherent as a spy thriller
in the set up between Van Damme and Mickey Rouke's characters as being rivals.
They should have had some kind of flashback that set the tone of hatred between
the two.

Dennis Rodman is funny and all as the comic relief,but he is very distracting at times and takes the focus of the main plot and the movie suffers for it.Instead
of tougue and cheek perhaps they should have went straight on with it.

I thought Van Damme was very good here,and shows he can hold his own with the Hong Kong crowd.I love the fight in the hotel room with Xin Xin Yong.

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead

[–] damongruber 17 years ago

What can I say?

It reminds me a sign saying "3 billions of flies can't be wrong: EAT SH*T!"

I still argue with some of my co-workers about how entertaining and well produced/edited this movie was, but I only get jokes in return.

To me, it's as entertaining, action-packed and surreal as "Face/Off", BUT, for some freaking reason, the rest of the universe LOVED Face/Off and HATES this.

I wonder what happened if the main actors switched between these 2 movies...

[–] testarossa_belgio 17 years ago

People who say this movie is bad have never seen a really bad movie,it isn't the best movie ever made but it's far from the worst.
There is other crap out there.

[–] the_negotiator-1 17 years ago

this movie is awesome!!!! tsui hark is a brilliant director!!!

[–] abhimb-1 17 years ago

brill movie

[–] hk-50 17 years ago

Not quite the best movie since Timcop, could of been better.

The pace at the beginning was good, 20/25 mins pasted quickly.

It's average!

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] burr-sa 17 years ago

this is the greatest review I have ever read.

[–] jawsfan007 17 years ago

i agree

[–] suzi_ 17 years ago

I'm so happy this was bumped...best review ever ever ever...I especially love the guy who didn't get the sarcasm.

thank you all

[–] fatrb38 17 years ago

This movie was on tonight and I wholeheartedly agree with the review. JCVD and Dennis Rodman? Pure genius. Also painstakingly original.

Why must I feel like that? Why must I chase the cat? Nothin' but the dog in me. -George Clinton

[–] RyoGTO 17 years ago

this post is.... remarkable...

[–] rrpostal 17 years ago

Everything about this entire thread is awesome. The initial review is pretty funny, but the "full court press" that was employed by this movie's defenders was even funnier. If we could cut to the replay, somebody actually claimed he was an expert on movies because he had watched a lot of movies! Then rewind and check out the guy who felt the need to correct the reviewer by saying Rodman was a baller FIRST, as if...well you know. There are times when you think the human race just might be okay after all, then you read a thread like this and remember how utterly outnumbered sane, thinking people are in this world. I'm not talking petty differences or informed dissent and conflict. I mean mouth-breathing-masses-armeggedon-type-idiocracy. However poorly they do it, I am amazed that many of these folks can actually operate their "letter-typy things".

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] MudkipzFTW 17 years ago

bump

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] ThePhantomReporter 15 years ago

Truer words ne'er spoken.

[–] mankindin 17 years ago

Funny review.

But I loved the movie and it is one of my favorite action movies.

[–] ArtsyNakedCat 16 years ago

For this, I kind of love you.

[–] hqatemc 16 years ago

*BUMP*

Oh this is good! I am a JCVD fan (mostly to look at) and was able to happily sit through this film perving at the bodies, but high art? it ain't!

This was the best review I've ever read on here (and the most depressing set of responses - there really is no hope...). Congrats, walla 118, wherever you are :-)

[–] scuba_steve-3 16 years ago

i cant rem....how does jcvd escape from the colony....im having some trouble rembering a movie could u or anyone help me please? thank you

http://imdb.com/board/bd0000007/thread/92453827

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Max06 16 years ago

*bump again* The original post is one of the best reviews ever written about a movie :)