Van Damme is back in theaters with ‘JCVD’

After a decade of banishment from American theaters following a string of mainstream action duds, personal setbacks and mostly forgettable direct-to-video features, Belgian-born action star Jean-Claude Van Damme is returning with something truly out of the ordinary. The film is called JCVD and we’ve got a trailer, pics, theatrical release schedule, comments from director Mabrouk El Mechri, and a rundown on Van Damme’s career to date.

JCVD is a fictional biopic, mixing drama and comedy, where Van Damme plays himself. We get to see the challenges that he faces in real life as an action movie star before he’s thrust into a dangerous “real-world” situation of a hold up.

The film was released in France in June and has already picked up critical praise elsewhere. Uncharacteristic for a Van Damme flick is praise for the writing and direction of Mabrouk El Mechri, a longtime fan of the action star who seems to have found just the right way to package Van Damme at this point in his life.

The press release for JCVD includes comments from writer-director Mabrouk El Mechri that are worth sharing as they give insight into what we can expect from this film and how Mechri approached it.

JCVD is a film about perception. How do we perceive public figures when we cross paths with them in real life, when all we know about them comes from the media?

The life of Jean-Claude Van Damme is a perfect example. Once a symbol of the pursuit of the American dream (as he leaves Brussels), he went on to achieve worldwide celebrity status only to fall into a life of excess: drugs, sex and an eventual fall from grace.

My intention in making this film was not to produce a true-to-life biopic of the “Fred Astaire” of karate. Far from it. This was an excellent opportunity to create a whimsical biography showcased in a foolproof setting, that is, within the genre – of a hostage and cop movie. This allows the actor a rare and exceptional stage on which to play and to perhaps clear up a few stories about his life and career.

Sergio Leone held that directing is as simple as deciding to place the camera at a certain mark, on a certain angle as opposed to choosing any other mark or angle.
In structuring the film along a non-linear timeline, the viewer receives a relatively objective presentation of facts (through the character Bruges), later going through the same scenario but this time through JCVD’s point of view. This illustrates what Leone suggested about directing, and above all draws the viewers’ attention to the theme of perception. Our initial understanding of JCVD during the first hour of the movie takes on a completely new meaning when seen from his perspective.

The cult of celebrity, which can create a false sense of intimacy between the star and the public, is fascinating from this point of view. The chaotic life of JCVD, his questionable values, his publicly played out married life and the unique genre in which it’s presented (sometimes laughable for some people), are all delightful elements that allow this film to plot its course between comedy and drama.

- Mabrouk El Mechri

What a strange journey Jean-Claude Van Damme’s film career has been. In just a few years he went from lowly stuntman in Chuck Norris’ MISSING IN ACTION (1984) to action star of genre favorites BLOODSPORT and UNIVERSAL SOLDIER.

Then came a string of bad movies culminating in the career-crippling STREET FIGHTER movie. Rumors of drug abuse, sex scandals and an inflated ego didn’t help him much either.

The apparent final blow to Van Damme’s career was the dismal commercial and critical performance of KNOCK OFF, Hong Kong director Tsui Hark’s second and final failed attempt to break into Hollywood and revitalize Van Damme’s career. What this film did was convince investors that Van Damme was washed up as a box office star and he was forced to hit the direct-to-video trail.

For the next few years it looked like Van Damme was going to fade into B-movie obscurity thanks to a series of forgettable low budget films. Then about 2003 something changed. Van Damme talked about getting his life and career in order. While bad scripts and directors continued to surround him, he began to find his footing with more challenging projects that pushed his acting skills, gritty films like IN HELL, WAKE OF DEATH and UNTIL DEATH.

THE SHEPHERD: BORDER PATROL was the film that should have put him back on top, at least with fans. Van Damme was finally paired with a skilled action director in Isaac Florentine and an equally skilled rising star in Scott Adkins. It didn’t quite measure up to its potential despite another strong performance from Van Damme.

That brings us to JCVD, a film that appears to have put Van Damme into another category altogether, one that may serve him very well in years to come.

JCVD begins a limited release on November 7th in New York and in the following weeks spreads to other major cities around the country. The following dates and venues have been announced. More may follow.

11/7
• NYC , AMC’s EMPIRE 25 & ANGELIKA FILM Center NYC
11/14
• LA , Landmark’s Nuart theatre
• Irvine, Regal/Edwards University 6
• Cambridge , Landmark’s Kendall THEATRE
• D.C. Landmark’s E street cinema
• Chicago- AMC Pipers Alley
• SF , Landmark’s Bridge theatre
• Berkeley, Ca., Landmark’s Shattuck
• Phil. Ritz @ the Bourse, Landmark
• Landmarks DetROIT., Main Art

11/21
• PALO. ALTO, Landmark’s Aquaris theatre
• S.D., Landmarks Hillcrest theatre
• Seattle, Landmark’s Harvard Exit .
• Denver , Landmark’s Mayan THEATRE
• Houston , Angelika film center
• Austin , Tx, Alamo draft house
• Plano, Tx – Angelika film center
• Sacramento, the Crest theatre

11/28
• Columbus , Oh . Landmark’s Gateway theatre ( calendar screen )

12/12
• Minneapolis Landmark’s Uptown theatre

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Tags: JCVD (2008), Jean-Claude Van Damme, upcoming