MovieChat Forums > JCVD (2019) Discussion > Van Damme has always been a good actor.....

Van Damme has always been a good actor... this just proves it.


Yeah, about time. Jean-Claude Van Damme's recognition as a serious actor is long overdue.

People never really noticed some of the gems he has delivered acting wise in the past. Especially, the performance he gave under the direction of Ringo Lam in "In Hell", "Replicant" and "Maximum Risk". In the latter, the emotion he conveyed was amazing. While not the best movie ever, I think there were moments where you could really tell what kind of acting skills JC(Jean Claude) really has. Mainly, the scene where he is listening to the recording that his recently deceased brother left for him. Just the most subtle of things did it for me in that one, the lip quiver the feeling of loss in the eyes, everything about it... perfect. Ask anyone I know, I have always been a fan of JC's since day one. While people laughed at me and took the route of admiring a real no-talent action star like Steven Seagal, I always knew JC had it in him. I think some people can't tell the difference between not being able to TALK, and not being able to ACT. Van Damme, Schwarzenegger, and Stallone... can't TALK very well, whether it be because of an accent or speech impediment, but it was never because of not being able to act. On the other hand, there's Seagal, Chuck Norris and a slew of other action stars, that just CAN'T ACT... plain and simple. They can speak the language perfectly, but can't show emotion. But JCVD's monologue in this movie proves he can ACT. That scene was amazingly well done(whether people wanna admit it or not).

I'm just glad that he has finally gotten a role that could really let him shine as an actor, and people are actually respecting him for it. Finally, respect where it is due. I just hope these kind of roles keep coming for him. Good job, and good luck on the re-birth of your career Jean Claude Van Damme. Amen.

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I could not agree more. When I was young I took up Tae Kwan Do and could do splits while balancing on chairs and would give anyone who had a negative comment about him a sound thrashing. As I got older I got into acting at college and-while I never felt ashamed for loving him so much-I did feel a little out of touch with the side of me that had idolized him so as a young boy. When I saw this movie I cried. I had my hero back :)

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Damn straight!

While I am looking forward to the JC directed action flick "Eagle Path", I just feel it's too bad JC turned down the role offered to him in the upcoming Stallone action epic "The Expendables". That movie could have put him back into the spotlight big-time. Plus, how kick-a$$ would that have been seeing him amongst all those other action stars. Oh well, I guess the opportunity to direct again seemed more appealing. I wonder if the role just wasn't that good(the reason for him taking the role as stated online) or if he has an issue with one of the other actors, or something. Some of the cast ARE people he's worked with before, i.e. Danny Trejo, Mickey Rourke and Dolph Lundgren... even though Lundgren is the one taking over the role he dropped, I think. Who knows? :[

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Those 3 movies are so beautiful... great acting and great soundtrack too... but people cant see it... in JCVD he tells it well, that some people wanted to fu** his career, and also when he says "its hard to me to judge people, and its hard to them not to judge me"! But Jean-Claude, we love you, you always will be the best for us and we know you're the best!

Van Damme Forever!

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I agree about Kickboxer. This one always gets overlooked. The scene in the hospital where he breaks down gets me every time. Definitelly, some great acting.

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Not so hard to play yourself though, right?

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It takes a lot more than you think. Have you even seen the movie yet? I seriously doubt you could sit down in front of a camera and express your life the way he delivered it. You still have to know how to act. Look at people like 50 Cent or Eminem for instance. They were basically playing interpretations of themselves in their crap movies, and they still couldn't act. Hmmmm, I wonder what that means? I really wish people would just give credit, where credit's due.

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[deleted]

The one who said Eminem was better acting in 8 mile than JC in this one, has to be kidding.
Eminem's performance was not in a dream in any way better then JCVD.
And I'm Eminem's fan and all, but, come on guys, be realistic. Eminem wasnt that bad either, but not nearly as good as JC.
I havent seen 50's movie yet, and frankly I have no desire to since the guy has no talent in anything he does - most of all rapping.

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cinema-denizen: Agreed. I think this film was a surprise--perhaps even a shock--to many who had always considered Van Damme just another pretty face with no real talent. The man CAN act. It's unfortunate that he rarely got the chance to prove that early in his career. Let's hope that will change.

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Michael Mann said on the commentary for Collateral that the white cop who pulled Jamie Foxx over had a more difficult time playing a cop than a criminal (as he did in Lie to Me and The Island) as it is more difficult to break yourself and your actions down to understand your own character. Criminals - which Jamie McBride, the cop has spent a lot of time around - would be able to break down the criminal mindset because he is separate from it, but would struggle to find the mindset of a policeman, because he can't separate himself from the character.


'Before this war is over, the world will know that few stood against many.' - 300

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Interesting. Thanks for the info.

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@hypphen - Any good actor will always integrate aspects of him/herself. So in this regard you always play yourself in some way or another regardless of the character.

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Man, I just watched this and I have to admit, the guy is a good actor. I was pleased with this movie and I hope Mr. Van Damme gets some (at least a little) respect for the job he did here. That whole monologue he did towards the end was awesome, I was amazed he put all of that into that one long take!

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I've seen alot of Van Damme films. Good actor I think not. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the films, but playing yourself isn't acting! I haven't seen the film yet, perhaps he has improved over the years. I watch his films for the action, he has made some films where his acting has been ok though such as Blood Sport, Kickboxer, Time Cop etc. But I wouldn't call him a 'great' actor, then again he's not the worst. Still, I'll watch the film and maybe I'll be surprised.

There's a killer inside you...

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I saw KICKBOXER again recently as it came out on Blu-Ray. I think JCVD can act. The movie is cheesy but has a certain simplistic romantic appeal that knocked me cold when I saw in the theater back in 1989. What got to me was Van Damme's projection of boyish innocence. Granted he didn't have to do that much, but what he did was effective.

JCVD's career went steadily south after that, perhaps because he couldn't get people to take him seriously and cast him in anything other than a by-the-numbers action flick; or perhaps because he didn't see himself as suitable for anything more.

He's worth a thousand of Chuck Norris, in my opinion. At least he can show emotion.



We report, you decide; but we decide what to report.

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"In Hell," "Time Cop," and "Desert Heat (?)" were all credible performances by JC. His turn in "JVCD" was actually pretty damn good. He's a competent actor and it shows when he's given a decent script and direction. I enjoyed "JCVD" quite a bit.

Many good actors have been in many crappy movies. Jean Claude has more than his fair share of stinkers but much of this can be attributed to lousy production, writing, and directing. He is much more charismatic and athletic than many others.

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I for one have always admired Jean Claude Van Damme in movies. He's been in a few badly made films, somewhat cheesy, but in most of the roles, he's always done a great acting job. But i'm really glad JCVD did this movie, it just goes to show, he has it in him to prove the critics and naysayers, wrong!

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[deleted]

i always thought he was one of the better actors amongst his action star peers, and the time i saw "The Quest" was when I knew he was capable of much more than what i thought of him.

Now my next words are going to be taken poorly but i do believe that Arnold Swarzenegger if given the right Direction and Script he could act. I though Arnold's best movie for his dramatic acting was "End Of Days". I also thought his cameo was hilarious in "Around The World in 90 Days".

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"The Sooner You Realize Everything is Subjective, The Better".

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Ditto. I like AH-NOLD, as well. Sad to see him quit acting and go all Govenator on us... politics, YUCK! I feel ya though on the acting part. He's always been better than the way he was received. I especially liked the emotion he evoked in the hospital scene in "Collateral Damage", when the death of his family is revealed to him. And the baseball bat scene that follows... good stuff.

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This is the only movie he is really good in.

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Arnold is one of the worst actors ever. He is only lucky to be put in one of the biggest movies in 90s. I am a fan of his movies to, but I in no way thing he is a good actor.

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I cant tell if he was acting in his monolgue in JCVD or if he was really pouring his heart. It touched me like it did in the Rocky movies.

"Always be ruled by your heart"
- Lexi Alexander

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It was a little bit of both, I'm sure.

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people don't think of JC as a good actor because of the movies he makes. this movie did for JC what Cop Land did for Sly, it gave them the chance to show that they can play more than the movies their beeing typecasted in

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The biggest difference is that he's more comfortable speaking his native tongue.
If all his movies were in french, the difference would show.
He has also been typcast his entire career, its the reason he turned down the role in The Expendables. He doesnt want to keep doing those kinds of movies.

JCVD shows he can act very well. Hopefully he will get more roles to prove this.

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See, this is how I've felt for a while. Is Van Damme such a poor actor or was he relegated to speaking English in B grade action movies? I wonder if he would be better regarded if he made his name in European action movies where he could speak French? Or if he had worked with Luc Besson?

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cabbageboy316

See, this is how I've felt for a while. Is Van Damme such a poor actor or was he relegated to speaking English in B grade action movies? I wonder if he would be better regarded if he made his name in European action movies where he could speak French? Or if he had worked with Luc Besson?


Agreed. I think his accent is what makes people think he's a terrible actor. He's still a pretty decent actor even with the accent but his movies don't have the best script or dialogue. Not his fault. He did a good job playing twins in Double Impact. Not bad for a B action movie. And he was funny in Knock Off. I really didn't like Knock Off but it shows that with the right director & writing, Van Damme can be pretty good.

There are plenty of "A List" actors & actresses who are really just average but they get the big jobs because of their looks. The big movies have bigger budgets & more time to get everything right & a director has more time to work with the actors & actresses to get the best possible performance out of them. This isn't the case with a low budget Van Damme movie that was filmed in a few months.

DISPLAY thy breasts, my Julia!

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His accent is likely what allowed someone like Seagal (who is so one-dimensional it's sad) to snatch a role from him. I always liked JC, but rarely had an opportunity to see much of the "acting"..as he was always cast with his hands & feet in mind.

I think the experiences he had (especially with regard to his daughter) taught him some things in life that you can't teach in a classroom or a book. Such "lessons" could have impacted his acting ability as well (in a more diverse, positive way). I was genuinely surprised by this film, and I gained a new appreciation for the man. Of course, having gone through a divorce with a small child allows me to have a perspective (and, in a strange way, appreciation) that I would not have had otherwise.

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Which role did Segal get that Van Damme was up for?

DISPLAY thy breasts, my Julia!

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i actually thought the expandables is horrible and im really glad he turned it down

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in fairness this is the only serious film he has done, if he is considered a bad actor its his own fault for taking roles with terrible scripts/directors/plots etc.

i dont think its the rebirth of his career if you look at his page he has already gone back to craptastic action movies, aka universal soldier, which is a shame, i truely enjoyed JCVD.

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in fairness this is the only serious film he has done, if he is considered a bad actor its his own fault for taking roles with terrible scripts/directors/plots etc.

i dont think its the rebirth of his career if you look at his page he has already gone back to craptastic action movies, aka universal soldier, which is a shame, i truely enjoyed JCVD.

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I honestly expected him to receive big offers after this movie. I loved it. He got a lot of praise from the critics as well his peers. It is by far his performance to this day. That monologue alone was fantastic. He definitely should have taken Sly's offer. Yes, the Expendables was an overall disappointment but it would have been a great boost to his career. Instead, he decided to stick to the "direct to DVD" market and continue to do these *beep* movies. He's continuously sabotaging his career. I can't blame him though since he's suffering from bipolar disorder. It's a shame, but what can you do?

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