Everyone’s favorite Belgian kickboxer, Jean-Claude Van Damme, has taken on the greatest role of his lifetime… as Jean-Claude Van Damme. That’s right, the Muscles from Brussels gets all meta in the second feature film from director Mabrouk El Mechri. Though this is technically not the first time Jean-Claude Van Damme has played himself (come on, don’t pretend you never saw this scene from Friends), this is no sanitized sitcom cameo. Van Damme plays the part wrinkles and all (literally and figuratively): an aging, washed-up action star with several failed marriages, child custody woes, and a history of substance abuse—all true to his own life.
The above trailer was put together for last year’s Cannes Film Festival in order to secure financing for the flick. Reviews from premieres at this year’s Cannes and TIFF (where it screened as part of the infamous Midnight Madness programme) have been near-to glowing, and Van Damme reportedly shows some real acting chops throughout, which is quite a surprise if you’re even passingly familiar with the rest of his filmography. This flick could possibly pull the real JCVD out of the direct-to-video wasteland he’s been occupying in recent years, so here’s hoping it isn’t too highbrow (read: in French with subtitles) for an American release in the near future.
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