"JCVD": Best DVDs of May 2009

What is it: JVCD. That’s right. Jean-Claude Van Damme…like you’ve never seen him before. Jean-Claude plays himself as an out-of-luck actor. He is out of money; his agent cannot find him a decent production; and the judge in a custody battle is inclined to give custody of his daughter over to his ex-wife. When he goes into a post office to receive a wire transfer, he finds himself in the middle of a hostage situation. Due to an unfortunate mistake, the police believe Van Damme is responsible for the crime. As the events are played from different perspectives, Van Damme finds himself acting as a hero to protect the hostages, as well as a negotiator as the presumed perpetrator.

Why it’s Significant:  Jean-Claude Van Damme has been a household name for a long time. Everyone knows him for his action films, but no one has really taken him seriously  as an actor–until now. You might be surprised to hear that JCVD has been very well-received by critics, and is the first Van Damme film to be “Certified Fresh” on the Rottentomatoes.com “Tomatometer” (at 84%–which is pretty Damme good). If you are expecting Street Fighter 3, you’ll be disappointed. Whether or not this will mark some epic turn in Jean-Claude’s movie career is yet to be seen, but it does show that he (and film-maker Mabrouk El Mechri) had some vision, and made a great action/comedy movie.

- Jordan Thompson