J.C.V.D.

By: Gerard Iribe 4.12.2009

The Movie Itself:
There’s a saying that goes something like, “you’ll never be able to peer into man’s soul until that man has lost everything...or hit rock bottom.” Whether it’s true or not, I will say it’s pretty damn close. Jean Claude Van Damme was a late ’80’s--90’s darling of the martial arts/action genre. At one point he was commanding nearly 10 million dollars per film, and they were big box office grossers, especially overseas. That is, until that pesky old thing called “vanity” got in the way. The “Muscles from Brussells” got too big for his britches, and couldn’t stay out of the news. It wasn’t good news, though. All bad. World crashing down around you in flames type of bad.

In the fall of 2008, a friend of mine sent me the international trailer for JCVD, and after watching it, I was completely floored. Then again, I didn’t quite know what I had just seen. I knew this flick would have some kind of potential.

Who would have known that JCVD (the actor, not the movie) actually had some acting chops. The film opens with JCVD shooting his latest action extravaganza in some foreign country where they make them cheap, and run them off a cookie cutter conveyor belt. It’s just another day, and another crappy paycheck for our “star.”

After flying to L.A. for a child custody case involving his young daughter, JCVD comes back home to Belgium to settle some of his affairs when he becomes the main suspect in a post office robbery. Yes, in some places around the world, post offices have banks in them. Kind of like a supermarket with a bank or Panda Express in it. The shit hits the fan, and police Commissioner Bruges is on the case. Since I REFUSE to give out spoilers of any kind, I will write the next portion of the review in a “loosed spasm like narrative’ Ready? Go!

JCVD has action, laughter, crime, drama, exposition, fragmented narrative, flashbacks, great soundtrack, expert camera work, etc... Let me talk about some of the camera work for a second. The way JCVD was shot, it reminded my of Brian De Palma, John Carpenter, and Quentin Tarantino. I mean, from the opening 4 minute long take, to some long pans, 360’s, there’s even some Alfred Hitchcock thrown in there for good measure. Very nice indeed.

If Jean-Claude keeps this up, he may come back into the general population’s good graces. Let’s hope he finds some more material like JCVD...or hope it finds him.
Rating: 10/10

The Presentation:
This review is for the UK Blu ray import. The film is extremely over exposed, but it’s totally appropriate. There’s hints of grain, along with some full blown contrast shots, Belgium has never looked grimier. All in a good way.

The sound, well, that’s a tricky one. This edition of JCVD come with a Linear PCM 2.0 Stereo soundtrack at a fixed 2.3 mbps bit rate. Then there’s the main Dolby True HD 5.1 track, which is near reference. From the opening “ custom” credits, various shoot-outs, music cues, soundtrack cues, etc., it really shines.

I say this here and now. The American version will hit the streets on April 28. I’ve read that some members of Project Blu and various other forums have rented copies from Blockbuster, and have been severely disappointed with the American product. From what I’ve read, there’s a 448kbps soundtrack, atrocious dubbing, and equally atrocious subtitles. The UK BD has forced English subtitles, but they’re the theatrical subtitles, just as I remember them. What’s even cooler is that when actors speak in English, the English is NOT subtitled. Perfect.
Rating: 9/10

The Extras:
The features are in PAL, so I cannot access them.
Rating: 0/10

Overall:
This film ranked #2 on my best films of 2008 list, right behind “The Dark Knight.” The Academy should be ashamed of themselves for not recognizing any portion of this film with regards to the acting/technical specs. Yes, we’re talking about a Van Damme flick here. Get over it, and give props where props are due. I hope that all HD/BD enthusiasts give JCVD a shot, it’s really that good.
Rating: 7/10