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- JCVD (2008) - 84% Speaking of dramatic performances, here is Van Dammes finest hour. JCVD is an almost autobiographical drama about Van Damme basically playing himself.
- The Bouncer (2018) - 83% Let's face it, every aging tough guy gets a movie like this. Charles Bronson got it in the 1970s with Death Wish. Clint Eastwood had Gran Torino.
- Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) - 81% Jean-Claude Van Damme would be one of many actors contributing their voice talents to Kung Fu Panda 2. In a cast that includes Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, James Hong, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, and many more, Van Damme voiced Master Croc.
- No Retreat, No Surrender (1985) - 80% No Retreat, No Surrender feels like it is trying to capitalize on the success of The Karate Kid and even something along the lines of Rocky IV with its Russian bad guy.
- JCVD (2008) Unlike any film that he's made before or since, the crime drama "JCVD" marked a career change for the former action star, bringing self-awareness and a meta level as the star turned to more serious fare.
- Bloodsport (1988) The movie that made Jean-Claude Van Damme a star, "Bloodsport" followed in the footsteps of other '80s fighting films like "Rocky" and "The Karate Kid."
- Kickboxer (1989) A year after "Bloodsport" made him a martial arts movie star, Jean-Claude Van Damme returned to the ring for "Kickboxer," another no-holds-barred tournament fighter film, and one could argue that this one is even better, with Van Damme a more refined performance, with no less of a towering presence.
- Lionheart (1990) "Lionheart" followed Jean-Claude Van Damme's spate of late '80s fighting films, including "Bloodsport," and "Kickboxer." This time, instead of fighting on a world stage, the film sees the martial arts star competing in street-level tournaments in the inner city.
- 10 The Last Mercenary (2021) – 58%
- 9 Hard Target (1993) – 60%
- 8 The Expendables 2 (2012) – 67%
- 7 Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) – 70%
- 6 Enemies Closer (2013) – 79%
- 5 The Bouncer (2018) – 80%
- 4 No Retreat, No Surrender (1986) – 80%
- 3 Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) – 80%
- 2 JCVD (2008) – 84%
- 1 Kickboxer: Retaliation (2018) – 92%
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The Last Mercenarygave Van Damme a chance to spoof the action movies that he made for two decades. In the movie, he plays a government agent known as The Mist who returns to France to help his son, who has been framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Van Damme is fully game here, able to make fun of himself and show how genuinely funny he is. Rotten Tomatoescritics praised Van Damme in the movie, calling him “self-aware” and praising his line delivery as “weary good humor.”
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While Bloodsport made Van Damme a star, it was Hard Target that really made the critics pay attention. This movie was a loose remake of the classic The Most Dangerous Game, with John Woo making his Hollywood debut with this action flick. Van Damme plays Chance Boudreaux, a veteran without a home who helps a woman find her missing father in New Orleans. With Woo’s direction and Lance Henriksen as the bad guy, critics praised the film, saying Woo presented Van Damme in as reverent a manner as S...
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Sylvester Stallone had a brilliant idea when he rounded up his fellow '80s and '90s action heroes and put them all together in a big-budget action movie. It only made sense that when The Expendables 2rolled around, Van Damme would join the fray. What was great was that he showed up as a bad guy named Jean Vilain, and it's no surprise that he was part of the best action scenes in The Expendables franchise. Van Damme proved he was still as funny, being self-aware of why he was famous. As one Ro...
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If there is one thing that Van Damme has going for him other than his fighting skills, it is his distinctive voice. Thanks to that, he is perfect for voice roles in animated movies. Van Damme joined the Despicable Me cast for its latest installment, Minions: The Rise of Gru, playing a character named Jean Clawed. Van Damme was a member of the Vicious 6 who had a mechanical lobster claw on his right arm. One Rotten Tomatoes critic said the movie was“enlivened by the talented voice cast,” and s...
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Enemies Closeris another later-year Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, releasing in 2013. What was unusual about this movie was that it gave Van Damme a chance to play the villain in an action movie. He stars as Xander, the leader of a gang who wanted to retrieve some drugs lost in the forest. Tom Everett Scott and Orlando Jones play the heroes, former enemies turned allies, but Van Damme really stole the show when he appeared alongside the movie’s stars. It's rare for the action star to play a vil...
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The Bouncerwas a 2018 action movie that was darker and a little more serious than most Van Damme fare. In the movie, he plays a bouncer named Lukas, who ends up forced to protect his daughter when his own actions put a target on her head. Van Damme eschews the humor that he brought into later roles and took on a darker and rougher edge here. There isn’t anything in The Bouncer, but it showed that Van Damme still had a lot to offer action movies, even in his later years.
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The oldest Jean-Claude Van Damme movie that Rotten Tomatoes critics loved was his 1986 movie, No Retreat, No Surrender. This was a breakout movie for Van Damme and the first American movie that Corey Yuen directed. The movie pays tribute to Bruce Lee, with a fictional version of the martial arts master appearing as a ghost. Van Damme plays a karate student named Jason Stillwell who defends his dojo from a villainous group that wants to take them out.
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The highest-rated animated movie that Van Damme lent his voice to was Dreamwork’s Kung Fu Panda 2. In this movie, Van Damme took on the role of Master Croc, one of the kung fu masters that Lord Shen conquered. The sequel was a huge improvement on the original. The animation was impressive, and the story was a bit darker, more mature, and more satisfying. Critics praised the animation and said the movie “never loses sight of its objective: fun, fun, fun.”
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JCVDwas the movie that convinced fans Van Damme was more than self-aware of his reputation. In this movie, he plays an over-the-top fictional version of himself, struggling with a career decline and then finding himself in the middle of a bank robbery in Belgium. With people knowing him as action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme, the actor has to figure out how he can deal with the situation. He delivers an emotional and self-deprecating performance that might be the best acting of his career.
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In what might come as a surprise, the highest-rated Jean-Claude Van Damme movie on Rotten Tomatoes is Kickboxer: Retaliation. This movie sees Van Dammeeturn to one of the franchises’ that made him a household name, but in a very different role. This time around, Van Damme plays Durand, a coach to a younger fighter, Alain Moussi’s Kurt Sloane. The movie is a huge improvement over the previous, Kickboxer: Vengeance, with one Rotten Tomatoes critic calling it “A stylish and enjoyable fight flick...
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4 days ago · Jean-Claude Van Damme Movies Ranked. We’re ranking the films of action star Jean-Claude Van Damme! We start with his Certified Fresh projects, including voicing Master Croc in Kung Fu...
Jul 30, 2021 · Reviews. The Last Mercenary. Action. 110 minutes ‧ NR ‧ 2021. Simon Abrams. July 30, 2021. 4 min read. The Belgian action star Jean-Claude Van Damme simultaneously is and isn’t the leading man you think he is in the French action-comedy “The Last Mercenary.”
Jan 24, 2018 · Jean-Claude Van Damme's filmography isn't particularly Fresh, but he's inspired a devoted fan following. We look back at his 10 best-reviewed movies.
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Jan 24, 2018 · Though most critics were somewhat reserved in their praise, Sudden Death boasts some of the best reviews of Van Damme’s career; in the words of Channel 4 Film’s James Jennings, it offers “all...
