Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
"We're gonna nail this guy. And when we get done... we're gonna go eat fish off those naked chicks!"
So I don't remember if I had seen this or not. Anyway, it was pretty good though Lee didn't get to stretch his legs enough, so to speak. It was an interesting choice to have him be the less Asian character.
Probably one of Van Damme's best films imo. It's a fun buddy kind of film, there are some great action scenes. In fact, the last section of the film (say the whole last 20-30mins) is probably one of my fav action set pieces of all time. Everything just flows from one part to another, to the epic big bang. The camera angles used are really cool as well. Just some excellent cinematography all round.
It certainly has that late 90s charm about it. LOL at Van Damme's Pummas, you'll see when you watch it.
The movie was directed by Tsui Hark, a master of 90s HK action movies and it shows in here. This was the 2nd time he teamed up with Van Damme, with the first effort being the movie Double Team, but I think Knock Off is better and more fun.
Speaking of "Wire-Fu," how do you guys feel about that? I thought it worked in a few flicks (CTHD), but when they started incorporating it into everything martial arts, it just detracts from how good the sparring sequences are and tip toes into the realm of fantasy. All martial arts flicks don't need to have characters flying from rooftops and tree branches to be visually stimulating.
Wire work is a tradition in martial arts movies that was invented long before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. You should really watch Come Drink With Me or A Touch of Zen. Both great wire-work classics.
Bonus: Pei-pei Cheng from Come Drink With Me reprises her role of Golden Swallow in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
In the build up to Expendables 2, I decided to check out what Van Damme had been doing for the last part of the decade. That was one of the films to watch but I never did get round to watching it. The reviews on IMDb aren't too kind, but what would they know right?
Anyway it seems like the story is whack, but the action is really good. It might be worth watching just for the action/fight choreography. Given the names behind this, it's easy to see why it might be good on that part.
Plus it has Peter Weller in it, so Space Cop will watch it for sure
Out of the Van Damme films I did watch these were the best;
Forget all them shit sequels, this is the true sequel right here. I love the way it is shot. It has a real war grit to it. For the budget this film looks alot more expensive by just how they shot it, the last 30mins are some great action scenes. This is what Terminator 4 shoud have been, atleast in vibes of the movie. The fight between Van Damme and Dolph is great, and I'd imagine, as about real as two cyborg men fighting would be. I like how they have vague memories of each other as well, as so much time has passed since their last encounter.
It's too bad the follow up to this Day of Reckoning, was pants. Since the series is full of so much crap, I suppose we should be lucky their is actually one more good film in the series.
Duh, the movie that brought Van Damme back from the dead. This is not a normal Van Damme movie. Theirs some action in it, but that aint the focus. This is Van Damme the person, he puts his heart and soul into it. Anyone who says Van Damme can't act needs to watch this movie and they will rightly STFU. Even are friends over at imdb have given this a very high rating. Certainly a must watch for any old or new Van Damme fan. I got respect for the guy so much more after watching this.
He might pick some crazy projects these days, but he still got it, and is probably at the stage in life where he no longer gives a fuck what movies he is in, and is just enjoying life. Out of the old 80s action stars, aside from the Big 3 of Bruce,Arnie,Sly. Van Damme has probably done the best work in recent years.
The one other film I didn't get round to watching was Assassination Games, that's supposed to be really good too. Will have to get round to watching that and Dragon Eyes at some point.
The JCVD looks very good indeed. But I didn't like any of the other ones like Wake of Death or Universal Soldier 3.
I consider von Damme as the worst of the remaining action "stars" of the 80. Even Seagal made a few better movies in the last couple of years and although Lundgren is either hit or miss, at least he's a great B-movie director and shows us what we want to see, grim action movies.
The JCVD looks very good indeed. But I didn't like any of the other ones like Wake of Death or Universal Soldier 3.
I consider von Damme as the worst of the remaining action "stars" of the 80. Even Seagal made a few better movies in the last couple of years and although Lundgren is either hit or miss, at least he's a great B-movie director and shows us what we want to see, grim action movies.
At least JCVD keeps himself in good shape. Segal and Kilmer seem to be locked in a contest to see who can get the biggest. When you earn their types of salaries, it doesn't make sense to get that sloppy when you can hire a personal trainer.
At least JCVD keeps himself in good shape. Segal and Kilmer seem to be locked in a contest to see who can get the biggest. When you earn their types of salaries, it doesn't make sense to get that sloppy when you can hire a personal trainer.
I hear wat yur saying, but Kilmer aint really doing much so he can get porko; Segal has less of an excuse, especially considering his typical genre of movies AND the fact that he still puts out 1 every year or so.........
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