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In contrast to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme has by no means been identified to have a charismatic, larger-than-life on-screen presence. He by no means had the memorable quotes or the basic movie roles. What set Van Damme aside from the remainder of the pack was how he was ready to make use of his martial arts background to create entertaining battle sequences. We bear in mind him for his splits, his spinning heel kicks, however much less so for his appearing abilities. Nonetheless, as he proved in 2008’s “JCVD,” an outdated, broken-down, beaten-up Jean-Claude Van Damme is definitely fairly compelling to observe. In “Pound of Flesh,” we get to see Van Damme faucet into the darker, extra grounded aspect of his persona as soon as once more, nevertheless it’s sadly caught on this third-rate, run-of-the-mill actioner, which, for some cause, was edited to appear to be an episode of “CSI.”
Now, let’s face it, there are a sure variety of concessions you must make when approaching a movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Every plot level is normally simply an excuse to observe the “Muscle mass from Brussels” kick some ass. You don’t anticipate a movie like this to be authentic or to have its plot make any sense. Expectations are very low right here. What makes “Pound of Flesh” really feel like such a missed alternative, although, is that it has a totally ridiculous plot, but fails to have any enjoyable with it. Whereas, at first, we do get to observe Van Damme beat the dwelling daylights out of individuals with a replica of the Holy Bible, that’s just about the place the leisure ends. The movie has zero curiosity in sustaining that stage of absurdity, to its detriment.

Damme performs Deacon, a former black ops agent who visits the Philippines with the intention of donating a kidney to his dying niece. On the day earlier than the operation, nonetheless, Deacon wakes as much as discover that his kidney has been stolen. What are the possibilities? This leaves him on a path of revenge as he makes an attempt to get his kidney again by any means potential. As you’d anticipate, this entails killing numerous individuals.
It’s a foolish premise that’s taken method too critically, and it’s a disgrace as a result of the movie accommodates a few goofy supporting characters. You may have the deeply non secular brother of Deacon, who, at one level, quotes scripture whereas slowly strolling up a flight of stairs, carrying a shotgun. And there’s Kung (Aki Aleong), an outdated sensible man, who can get entry to surveillance footage and bottles of morphine at any time when Deacon wants them. There have been so some ways so as to add life into these characters, however the script by no means provides them the chance.
“Pound of Flesh” has all of the substances you want to make a stupidly enjoyable action thriller, nevertheless it’s weighed down by a script that depends too closely on flashbacks and insists on including tacky drama in probably the most somber method potential. Mix that with an overbearing rating and a few seizure-inducing establishing pictures, and you’ve got your self a movie that doesn’t know how one can get out of its personal method. It’s like an amusement park that forces you to eat all of its horrible meals, as a substitute of simply letting you benefit from the rides.

The movie opens in probably the most insufferable trend too. Deacon is submerged in a tub stuffed with ice as he retains having flashbacks of what occurred the earlier evening. The flashbacks are an absolute eyesore, and whereas the movie finally settles itself down, the primary quarter-hour actually do depart a nasty style in you mouth.
but, what retains the ship afloat and nearly makes “Pound of Flesh” watchable is Jean-Claude Van Damme’s efficiency. Sure, he’s not as easy within the action scenes as he was 20 years in the past, however he does showcase just a few strikes that remind you why he will be so enjoyable to observe. Past that, he really manages to carry his personal in the course of the movie’s extra dramatic moments. In contrast to everybody else within the movie, his character does have a level of self-awareness. He is aware of he’s not the badass he was once and even admits to his brother that he has a tough time dwelling with the alternatives he’s made. Deacon is world-weary and drained. Even when he’s preventing, he by no means forgets that he simply had surgical procedure the evening earlier than. Van Damme handles each the action and drama with equal quantities of grace. It’s a spirited efficiency and you may’t assist however respect the person for not phoning it in.
On a extra bittersweet observe, “Pound of Flesh” additionally options veteran actor/stunt coordinator Darren Shahlavi, who performs the primary villain. This is able to sadly show to be one in all his final ever movie roles as he suffered a deadly coronary heart assault earlier within the 12 months. Like Van Damme, Shahlavi began out in martial arts, and that exhibits within the climactic battle scene between the 2 actors, one of many only a few highlights within the movie. It’s a disgrace the 2 didn’t get extra display time collectively.

the tip, the one cause why anybody would need to watch “Pound of Flesh” to start with is to see Jean-Claude Van Damme in action. Whereas the movie does often succeed on that entrance, it’s hardly price trudging by way of all of the heavy-handed drama simply to get to these moments. The movie has “direct-to-DVD manufacturing worth” written throughout it, exemplified by the dangerous inexperienced display pictures utilized in the entire driving scenes. Once more, you must hand it to Jean-Claude Van Damme who actually did the most effective he may with the fabric he was given, however there’s actually no cause to see this in a movie theater. It’s barely price renting on a lonely Saturday evening. [D]

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