Kashif Ahmed, 12/02/2009
Enthralling, highly original, hyper-real comedy drama which features one of the most unlikely comebacks in cinema history: Yes, the rumours are true; Jean-Claude Van Damme is a great actor, that's right: "a great actor". And as hard as that may be to fathom for anyone who's ever seen one of films; 'The Muscles From Brussels' defies expectation to turn in a superb, revelatory performance as an exaggerated version of himself. 'JCVD' sees the burnt out action star caught up in an energy sapping quagmire of custody hearings, tax problems and losing B-movie roles to Steven Segal: "He promised to cut off his ponytail". To make matters worse, the down-on-his-luck Belgian finds himself in the middle of a heist gone wrong at a local post office, which soon attracts a media circus and pushes the already stressed out star to the brink of a nervous breakdown. Young auteur Mabrouk El Mechri does an excellent job in balancing wry humour with pathos; we get a pair of amiable Arab film buffs in the video store commenting on Hollywood bias in action movies, before exalting Van Damme for having "never hit Arabs", moments before the man himself rolls up outside in a surreal scene better suited to Godard's 'Pierrot le fou' or 'Bande à part'. 'JCVD' is 'Dog Day Afternoon' (one of the robbers even resembles the late / great John Cazale) meets 'The Wrestler' with a little 'Being John Malkovich' surrealist satire thrown in for good measure. Bénudis & El Mechri's screenplay is taut and entertaining with Van Damme's triumphant, one take monologue at its centre (set up within an impressive inverted crane shot). His powerful, heartfelt speech breaks the forth wall for six minutes and lingers in the memory long after. If you hate Van Damme; watch 'JCVD', if you love Van Damme; watch 'JCVD', if you're indifferent to Van Damme, still; watch 'JCVD': the best thing to come out of Belgium since Waffles.
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