2008 was a great year for fans of the cinema, as many critics have pointed out. Unfortunately, this meant that a lot of very worthy films were overshadowed when it came to awards season. JCVD is most definitely one of those films. It did recieve a good amount of support from the critics and had it been released in a less crowded year, it probably would have recieved more award attention. I must admit, despite the critical acclaim it did get, I was skeptical; of course, that only made it that much sweeter when it turned out to be an excellent flick.

If you pick this flick up looking for the Van Damme of Bloodsport or Kickboxer, you might be disappointed. The only real action of the type seen in Van Damme films of old comes in the opening minutes – a brilliant tracking shot by the way. After that, it is a wonderfully lit and shot movie involving a great deal of introspection with Van Damme’s character… uhm, Jean Claude Van Damme. With all the hype about Mickey Rourke’s comeback in The Wrestler, which was also brilliant, Jean Claude didn’t recieve nearly the appreciation he should have for the work he did in JCVD.