Jean-Claude Van Damme is an authorized action legend in his personal proper, thanks largely to his defining traits together with accent, physique, and naturally, a useful set of martial arts strikes. One explicit device in his preventing arsenal is the leaping reverse kick – a transfer that has turn into completely linked to the actor because of its use in lots of Van Damme movies.
Van Damme went up in opposition to Mickey Rourke in 1997’s Double Workforce the place they battled in an enviornment lit up by mines. The 2 have been pressured to step rigorously whereas speeding one another with a sequence of rapid-fire assaults. Van Damme’s character Quinn managed to nail Rourke’s Stavros with a well-timed leaping reverse kick that despatched him right into a frenzy.
It was sufficient for Stavros to lose his focus and step on considered one of his personal mines which trapped him. In the long run, he stared down the jaws of a vicious tiger who went for the jugular and ended up triggering the mine, setting off a large chain response explosion.
Van Damme’s rivalrous chemistry with Dolph Lundgren performed out completely within the unique Universal Soldier, particularly through the combat scenes displaying the previous’s smaller construct compared to the latter’s towering presence. It is nonetheless considered one of Van Damme’s greatest fights because it performs out a protracted build-up displaying Luc Deveraux getting completely thrashed earlier than lastly gaining the higher hand.
Right here, Van Damme throws a whole lot of spherical kicks however he saves a variation of his reverse spin kick for final. After delivering a number of strong blows, Andrew Scott catches his foot and twists it which permits Deveraux to go straight right into a reverse kick. What’s fascinating is that Scott twists Deveraux’s ankle in the other way of the kick, which was in all probability a continuity error.
By the point 1996 had rolled round, audiences had seen Van Damme’s signature leaping reverse kick so many occasions that any film with out it felt incomplete. The Quest discovered him reunited along with his Lionheart co-star Abdel Qissi who performed the position of the Mongolian fighter Khan.
Right here, his leaping reverse kick solely served to harass Khan who got here again with a devastating hit that knocked Dubois again into the group. Nevertheless, Dubois pressed his assault and continued to beat on Khan till he went down for the rely.
One in every of Van Damme’s first makes use of of the leaping reverse kick was throughout his breakout efficiency in No Retreat, No Give up. The ultimate act sees his character Ivan Kraschinsky going up in opposition to a number of opponents within the ring whom he decimates earlier than lastly struggling the identical destiny, himself.
His battle with Frank Peters appears to be evenly matched at first, however it is not lengthy earlier than Kraschinsky manages to throttle him. He lastly places an finish to Peters by tossing him across the ring like a rag doll earlier than bouncing him off a tightrope and knocking him with out a leaping reverse kick.
Raul Julia introduced a ton of presence to the position of M. Bison within the much-camped 1994 reside motion Road Fighter film, and it is troublesome to think about the movie with out him. His combat with Van Damme’s Guile is each foolish and extremely entertaining with Julia bringing an trustworthy believability to the maniacal character.
Tong Po stays considered one of Van Damme’s most fearsome and unlikeable villains. Not solely did he paralyze character Kurt Sloane’s brother in a combat, however he went on to sexually assault a buddy after which blackmail him into throwing a combat. By the point the ultimate act had come, Sloane was prepped for revenge.
After beating him mindless, Tong Po turned enraged and attacked him with a torch. Sloane countered with a Thai-style roundhouse kick which left him vast open for the traditional leaping-reverse kick achieved in slow-motion to permit Van Damme to groan for an eternity.
Van Damme went up in opposition to the hulking Bolo Yeung in 1991’s Double Impact and received his butt handed to him solidly. He ended up getting payback within the remaining act nonetheless when Yeung’s character Moon attacked him and tried to kill him with a heavy barrel. Van Damme’s character Chad was higher ready for the combat virtually from the beginning, and managed to take care of a good beating.
Moon grew more and more offended and flew at Chad in a rage, solely to return foot-to-face with Van Damme’s leaping reverse kick. This strike modified the course of the combat by dizzying Moon lengthy sufficient for Chad to land just a few extra kicks earlier than sending him flying into {an electrical} fuse field.
One in every of Van Damme’s first ventures into the sci-fi realm was 1989’s Cyborg the place he performed Gibson Rickenbacker, a “slinger” mercenary employed to escort a younger girl carrying data on a remedy to a lethal plague. Alongside the way in which he’s attacked by pirates led by Fender Tremolo, a vicious fighter who desires to monopolize the remedy.
Van Damme busts out the leaping reverse kick in notably distinctive style right here after a chain-wielding thug manages to entangle his ankle, inflicting Rickenbacker to launch into the transfer and slice the thug’s throat open with a knife hidden within the toe of his boat
John Woo’s Onerous Goal is about as excessive octane motion as you may presumably get. It is a masterpiece of thrilling gunplay, spectacular explosions, and dizzying martial arts sequences. Right here, Van Damme executes his leaping reverse kick in what is maybe the spotlight of his complete historical past with the transfer.
After knocking out a biker, Van Damme’s Probability Boudreaux takes his gun and spins round to open hearth on Stephan, performed by the legendary Sven-Ole Thorsen. After emptying your entire clip in him (whereas holding the gun the wrong way up, no much less), Boudreaux decides to complete him off with the traditional leaping reverse kick.
