I have liked Jean-Claude VanDamme over the years but I really haven't seen much of him in the last decade. Maybe it was because of films like this, which totally turned me off. I guess I figured (I might be wrong) that VanDamme's career had gone down the dumper, if this was any indication.
However, you can discredit all of the people involved in the film for its failings, not just Jean- Claude. It was a team effort. For instance, this film had some of the dumbest dialog and worst acting I've ever seen.
It also had a convoluted plot. Can anyone make sense of this story? Would anybody want to? It looks like a cheapie Hong Kong flick imitation but one that is trying to be intellectual at the same time. It's all way too much. Actually, it is a Hong Kong flick, with director Hark Tsui in charge, but filmed in Hollywood. One look at the plot line listed here on the IMDb home page should tell you something: "fashion designer....joins forces with CIA....to stop terrorism." Yeah, right!!! What's next? Oleg Cassini playing "Rambo?"
Actor Rob Schneider ("Tommy Hendricks") once again shows he was smart enough to switch from villain roles like in here to comedy where he has done far better.
Not everything is bad. Some of the camera-work was interesting; some of the action scenes decent, but of those categories also were overdone. How many zoom shots can you do? Some of it is inventive but not when it's done repeatedly in the same film. Also, isn't a 20-minute action scene at the end overdoing it just a little bit?
However, you can discredit all of the people involved in the film for its failings, not just Jean- Claude. It was a team effort. For instance, this film had some of the dumbest dialog and worst acting I've ever seen.
It also had a convoluted plot. Can anyone make sense of this story? Would anybody want to? It looks like a cheapie Hong Kong flick imitation but one that is trying to be intellectual at the same time. It's all way too much. Actually, it is a Hong Kong flick, with director Hark Tsui in charge, but filmed in Hollywood. One look at the plot line listed here on the IMDb home page should tell you something: "fashion designer....joins forces with CIA....to stop terrorism." Yeah, right!!! What's next? Oleg Cassini playing "Rambo?"
Actor Rob Schneider ("Tommy Hendricks") once again shows he was smart enough to switch from villain roles like in here to comedy where he has done far better.
Not everything is bad. Some of the camera-work was interesting; some of the action scenes decent, but of those categories also were overdone. How many zoom shots can you do? Some of it is inventive but not when it's done repeatedly in the same film. Also, isn't a 20-minute action scene at the end overdoing it just a little bit?