Action legend Van Damme give another excellent performance in this tough Cop film. I've always said it that Van Damme is the best actor out of those old school action heroe's we grew up watching on video. Van Damme has proved he's a damn good actor with films such as the excellent, WAKE OF DEATH & REPLICANT & SECOND IN COMMAND just to name a few & here he's excellent again in UNTIL DEATH.
Van Damme plays a very different role here as Anthony Stowe, a junkie Cop who everyone hates & who doesn't give a shi#!!! Stowe is a dirty cop that will rat on anyone to better himself & is hooked on heroin but still manages to function enough to do his job. Stowe is a New Orleans Narc Cop who is obsessed with tracking down his ex partner, Callihan but it's ruined his life. Van Damme plays Stowe as a horrible man, a violent junkie who doesn't care about anyone or anything until he's shot & put in a coma. Stowe awakens from his coma & wants to start fresh as a better man & right his many wrongs but his evil gangster ex-partner Callihan wants to finish him off once & for all. British actor Stephen Lord has a part as a henchman & he's a decent actor who has appeared with Van Damme in, The Shepherd: Border Patrol but the main villain "Callihan" isn't particularly good or interesting or threatening at all but it's not about him it's about Van Damme's Detective Stowe & he's a flawed-as-hell character & the movie looks great for a low-budget production & often reminded me of those old 70's crime cop films like Serpico for example as the violence here is very realistic, grim & brutal. The tone of this movie is harsh & hard-hitting & isn't afraid to show you the bad stuff. Van Damme looked cool in his fitted black leather jacket & baretta & has some excellent shootout scenes like the late-night diner sequence. Until Death is definitely a well made movie & is very impressive considering the budget & the fact it was destined for a straight-to-dvd release & Van Damme gives an excellent performance that is so different from anything else he's ever done. I still think that Van Damme's greatest performance is in WAKE OF DEATH but his 2nd best is right here.
Van Damme plays a very different role here as Anthony Stowe, a junkie Cop who everyone hates & who doesn't give a shi#!!! Stowe is a dirty cop that will rat on anyone to better himself & is hooked on heroin but still manages to function enough to do his job. Stowe is a New Orleans Narc Cop who is obsessed with tracking down his ex partner, Callihan but it's ruined his life. Van Damme plays Stowe as a horrible man, a violent junkie who doesn't care about anyone or anything until he's shot & put in a coma. Stowe awakens from his coma & wants to start fresh as a better man & right his many wrongs but his evil gangster ex-partner Callihan wants to finish him off once & for all. British actor Stephen Lord has a part as a henchman & he's a decent actor who has appeared with Van Damme in, The Shepherd: Border Patrol but the main villain "Callihan" isn't particularly good or interesting or threatening at all but it's not about him it's about Van Damme's Detective Stowe & he's a flawed-as-hell character & the movie looks great for a low-budget production & often reminded me of those old 70's crime cop films like Serpico for example as the violence here is very realistic, grim & brutal. The tone of this movie is harsh & hard-hitting & isn't afraid to show you the bad stuff. Van Damme looked cool in his fitted black leather jacket & baretta & has some excellent shootout scenes like the late-night diner sequence. Until Death is definitely a well made movie & is very impressive considering the budget & the fact it was destined for a straight-to-dvd release & Van Damme gives an excellent performance that is so different from anything else he's ever done. I still think that Van Damme's greatest performance is in WAKE OF DEATH but his 2nd best is right here.