The Last Mercenary definitely sounds like a Jean Claude Van Damme movie, since it’s essentially about a mercenary that’s been in the game for quite a while and now has to help his kid, who he’s spent little to no time with over the years, who’s being framed as an arms dealer and drug trafficker. That premise alone makes it a perfect JCVD movie since it’s the kind of thing that would appeal to the fans he’s had for so long and it’s the type of conflict that he’s excelled at for decades now. Quite a few fans from the 90s can likely recall just how great Van Damme once was. He’s been experiencing a bit of a resurgence in the last several years or so, and this movie looks like another to add to the collection of straight-to-streaming/video that some folks might take great pride in. One thing that can be said about Van Damme’s acting is that it hasn’t really gotten much better over the years, but it’s become far more acceptable than ever, and the action hasn’t stopped when it comes to his movies, which is nice.
The thing about JCVD is that throughout the years he really hasn’t changed that much at all. A lot of actors might change from one persona to the next as they age, taking on different movies to show that they’re versatile enough to do something other than action. Some can make it work, and some simply make a giant mess of it. JCVD has stuck to his guns with what he does best, and it’s served him pretty well to be certain since his role as an action star has been solid for quite a while. His popularity has taken a bit of a dip over the years since movies such as Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Universal Soldier, and several others made him a big hit. But after that things really started slowing down since the action scene was changing, and while he’s been able to change with it, kind of, it’s taken a while to really get him back front and center a few times, as happened in The Expendables 2.
For a lot of us, watching JCVD back in the day was a great joy since the guy has been the type of action hero that was great back in his day, and has even been great in a few of the more recent movies that he’s taken on. The reboot of Kickboxer that saw him play the part of the mentor was interesting, to say the least since he was no longer the young upstart seeking to prove himself, but the older man that had no time for nonsense. In this movie, it’s looking as though he’s going to be the father that wants to help his kid but is consigned to the fact that being a mercenary is all he really knows, and that being a father is something he might want, but isn’t all that great at.
One has to wonder when JCVD is going to call it a day, if ever, but when looking at guys like Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and several others it’s apparent that as long as the lot of them can keep doing their thing it’s evident that they’ll keep coming up with something new. The Last Mercenary will be landing on Netflix in July and as the trailer shows it’s going to be packed with action. Filmed primarily in France, it will be a little different from JCVD’s many other movies in that it will be shot with subtitles that the audience will have to follow. This might affect how some people feel about the movie since there are plenty of folks that don’t like subtitles, but it’s also likely that plenty of people will be curious enough to see what the movie is all about.
The fact is that JCVD has been an interest of many people when it comes to his movies over the years. His acting, as mentioned, isn’t always the best, but it has improved and his action sequences are almost always a lot of fun to watch. This movie in particular looks as though it’s going to be bringing two different generations together, which will be a lot of fun since pairing an older generation with a younger one tends to lead to a great many jokes and moments in which the two will clash in one way or another, but will eventually figure out that they can learn from each other and help one another as they go along. It’s bound to be a fun movie that will entertain a lot of people and leave them feeling as though they’ve watched something that’s probably not great but is definitely satisfying since it will bring back a lot of good memories of the old days.
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