Whilst it's nice to see Van Damme with a slightly bigger budget of recent, this movie looks terrible. He seems content to become a 'meme' (a little like Nicholas Cage) and it's quite sad to watch?
Trailer here:
https://youtu.be/vJ67ueWGshQ
I think he actually enjoys doing comedy and has made comments saying he wants to do more of it, so I wouldn't look at it as an "Aww poor Van Damme" thing.
But I agree that the movie doesn't look great. It looks like it could be somewhat entertaining, but I was hoping for more.
The weird thing is that the poster makes it out like it's going to be an 80s throwback film to his martial arts heyday. The poster and the trailer do not line up at all.
Van Damme's main problem is that he spent most of the 'noughties' doing his 'tortured acting' party piece (regardless of the genre of movie) then he made that horrendous 'Welcome To The Jungle' movie, then 'Jean Claude Van Johnson' (to show his 'lighter' side) Now he seems stuck between both emotions (neither of them particularly interesting) instead of just keeping it simple (tonal-wise) and remember what made him famous in the first place?
He looks around 30 years younger on this poster (which mightn't be so bad, if it were somehow relevant to the movie, but looking at the trailer, I doubt it?) If only Netflix would trust him with a straight-up (English-speaking) action flick (instead off this euro fluff) he might have a genuine comeback on his hands?
As much as people 'rag' on Steven Seagal, I admire the fact that he keeps it fairly consistent (tonal-wise) and has become his own 'genre' (without the need to make 'thirsty' retro teen comedies)
The target-audience for 'The Last Mercenary' may enjoy what they see (action-wise) however, I don't think the subtitles will go down too well?
I assume from your username that you are a Seagal fan. I still occasionally watch some of Seagal's films, but only for the laughs. He hasn't made an actual good movie in years, seems to no longer have any actual physical abilities, only appears for about 20 minutes in the movies he's cast in, and is obese. I get the feeling that he gave up on being any sort of serious actor years ago.
Van Damme, to his credit, still takes himself seriously, has stayed in shape, can occasionally still do something physically impressive, and every once in a while appears in something that has some legitimate quality to it.
Moving on from that, I agree that he needs to get back to his roots, and I don't mean appearing in low-budget Kickboxer sequels. What would be great is if a studio or streaming service would get inspired and dedicate some funds to making a martial arts epic that is well-written and well-directed. Do something that feels fresh and original, while at the same time paying homage to his earlier career.
What I would also like to see is a talented, mainstream director give Van Damme a shot and allow Van Damme to do something different from his usual fare. I think that Van Damme has proven that he CAN act. And like I said, he still takes himself seriously. So, just once, I'd like to see a director like Martin Scorsese or James Mangold take a chance on him.
It wasn't terrible but overly convoluted. Expect a light action-comedy.
shareIt's actually very funny. I laughed a lot. If you grew up with Van Damme movies, you'll probably like it.
share