Until Death
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Movie Reviews of Until Death
Movie Review: JEAN CLAUDE'S BEST ROLE EVER
Summary: 5 Stars
12 or so years ago,This would have been a big blockbuster movie in theaters for Vandamme.
Truly one of the best movies I've ever seen.....
Movie Review: Van Damme is back
Summary: 5 Stars
OK not much martial arts in this but a good movie for all action fans whteher they are Van damme fans or not.
Good work!
Movie Review: Until Death A Step Up From The Direct To DVD Grave For Van Damme
Summary: 4 Stars
I am one of Van Damme's biggest fans and always have been. I am a martial artist and his films have always interested me, but I never pretended they were actually great movies from any other standpoint than they featured great fight scenes. I don't think I have rated any of his recent films above a 3 and frankly, with some, that has been generous. Until Death gets a 4 from me. It is a rather gritty movie, like many of his recent ones (i.e. Wake of Death), but has elements and scenes that raise it above subpar and any of the recent Seagal straight-to-dvd garbage.
Movie Description:
A Vic Mackey styled narcotics cop, Anthony Stowe (Van Damme), is basically a cop who doesn't care anymore as he has had his feel of seeing corruption around him and its influence on him (he is not necessarily a stereotypical good cop himself). Not only is he failing at his job, but also failing at his marriage (you will not like Van Damme for the first 30-45 min.). After a failed drug sting that was supposed to nab his former corrupt partner--Callahan--Stowe falls deeper into drugs and alcohol. Due to his drug abuse, he isn't on his toes and gets ambushed and put into a coma. After awaking from his coma, he is a changed man who realizes he has a lot of wrongs to right. He goes about doing this and in the midst gets dragged back into the conflict with his former partner in an ultimate showdown.
Plot - C
If you watch and think, "Been there, seen that," you are probably right. Pretty much any gritty cop movie or television show has had a plot similar to the plot in this movie. There is no originality and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The movie sticks to the grittiness of a cop movie/television show and never lets up. There is a lot of graphic violence (i.e. hands being blown off, people being shot graphically in the head), so it is not for the squeamish. The overall riding theme of redemption kicks in after Stowe (Van Damme) wakes up from his coma. The ending can be seen way before it happens and there are no surprises. Again, this does not imply it is a bad plot, just one that has been used many times before (i.e. Training Day).
Character Development/Acting - C/C
As with most Van Damme movies, there isn't much character development or acting. What is surprising with this movie is that Van Damme actually overshadows his fellow actors (which is usually the reverse) by doing a really good job at presenting a flawed, but overall good person. I'm used to seeing Van Damme in hero type roles instead of an anti-hero role. This departure really makes it hard for the viewer to pull for Van Damme, but shows that Van Damme is fully capable of playing a troubled soul. He is most effective in his acting after his character comes out of the coma. As for supporting actors/characters, none are very memorable except for Stephen Rea who plays Stowe's former partner, now turned crooked cop and the movie's main bad guy--Callahan. The criticism of the actors and development of their characters--particularly the lesser cops in the movie--is well justified. They really are not good and add very little to the movie.
Music/Sound - B/C
There was a recurring piece of music that I found memorable, though for the most part it was typical of this type of movie. The sound for the gun fights was very clear and effective. Nothing really stands out though.
Cinematography/Visual Effects - B/B
The movie featured some interesting set pieces (supposedly the movie is set in New Orleans, but I doubt it was actually filmed there) and has some memorable scenes, filmed very tightly and realistically. The diner shootout and the final warehouse shootout were filmed very well and were not too choppy or incoherent like is sometimes common in these films. There isn't much hand-to-hand fighting and no martial arts for the diehard Van Damme fans (there is one kick--if you blink you'll miss it). All the action revolves around gun fights. There were a few film tricks which the director used to emphasize Van Damme's inner turmoil and to tell certain parts of the story. They were interesting and added some uniqueness. The gun shots to body parts were very realistic as I mentioned above. The special/visual effects are very realistic. The film is shot mainly in daytime settings so it is very clear, except for a few nighttime scenes, which are still well lit and filmed. The movie has the look of a much more expensive movie.
DVD/DVD Features - B/F
As with most direct-to-dvd movies nowadays, the DVD picture and sound quality are very good, but there are virtually no bonus features. The only bonus (special) feature is a previews section of other direct-to-dvd movies (interestingly enough, no trailer for Until Death--but there are trailers for Van Damme's Second in Command and The Hard Corps, both of which did not have their own trailers on their discs either).
Overall - B
Most people will enjoy the movie, sans any martial arts, which may turn off diehard Van Damme fans. People looking for a great movie will be sorely disappointed. People looking for a slightly above average action movie will be pleased. It is far superior than the direct-to-dvd stuff Seagal is putting out. Interesting to note: I went to Best Buy and Circuit City and neither store was carrying this movie. They said it was an online store only title. IF YOU LIKE VAN DAMME MOVIES, PLEASE SUPPORT HIM BY BUYING THE MOVIES IN THE STORES. First he disappeared from theaters and now from store shelves. Not a good sign. Anyways, this movie is worth a rental (mainstream audience) or purchase (for Van Damme fans).
Movie Review: A pretty Van Damme good movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I haven't seen all that many Van Damme movies, but the ones I have seen have all been pretty good (I'm one of the few people that actually liked Second in Command). I had my doubts early on this time around, though, as Van Damme looked like death warmed over, and his character was pretty hard to sympathize with, even for an anti-hero. But you know what? Van Damme himself may be showing some age now, but he is far from washed up. I see Until Death as a transition film of sorts for him; he shows that he can still be a tough guy without relying on elaborate martial arts displays and, more importantly, that he has developed into a decent actor. Anthony Stowe isn't your stereotypical, one-dimensional cop; there's a lot going on with this guy, and Van Damme does a really nice job of revealing both the bad and the good in the character.
Stowe is a NARC on the New Orleans police force, and he's carrying two huge monkeys on his back: a seemingly personal mission to bring down the city's most notorious gangster and a secret addiction to heroin. Obviously, he does not fit the description of a good cop. Watching fellow cops die as a result of his continually futile efforts to catch Callahan (Stephen Rea) doesn't do much for his already abrasive attitude, he has no qualms about roughing up potential criminals, innocents, or fellow cops, he doesn't work well (if at all) with a partner, and the heroin isn't helping his job performance. His personal life is in even more of a shambles, as he has just learned that the wife he has been neglecting is pregnant - with someone else's child. Yep, you'd think life couldn't get much worse than it already is for old Anthony - until the guy he's hunting finds him and leaves him lying in an alley with a bullet in his skull.
Miraculously, Stowe survives the shooting, but it is several months before he emerges from a coma. As his physical rehabilitation progresses, he starts taking steps to rehabilitate his life as well, apologizing and making amends to those he has hurt along the way. Unfortunately, though, the people he cares about the most remain in harm's way as long as Callahan is still out there - and he's really out there, having wiped out any and all criminal competitors and solidified his position as king of the criminal dung heap during Stowe's absence. You know an ultimate showdown between Stowe and Callahan is coming, and the movie does not disappoint, serving up an exciting, action-packed ending.
Van Damme isn't going to win any best actor awards, but he actually does quite a commendable job bringing out the nuances of his character, as Stowe tries to put his life back together again following his grievous injury. Until Death isn't focused entirely on action and more action; there's a really human element here that I wasn't expecting to find. If this film is any indication, Van Damme isn't going to disappear from the cinematic radar any time soon.
Movie Review: Van Damme gives another surprisingly good character driven performance
Summary: 4 Stars
Until Death is nothing we haven't seen before. Some characters are badly under written. Supporting actors vary in believability as performers. Stephen Rea is given very little to do except put on a rather fake sounding American accent and spit out his lines and the final shootout is nothing special from director Simon Fellows and there is very little martial arts. The movie is also handicapped with a low budget. Having said all this, Van Damme gives the best performance so far of his career and shows even more range as an actor since his excellent performances in, In Hell and Wake Of Death. I've followed all of Van Damme's movies since Black Eagle and allot of his DTV output has been rather poor of late such as Derailed, Second In Command and The Hard Corps. In this one Van Damme carries the whole movie on his shoulders solely on his performance as an actor and not an action star and pulls it off very well. Where Van Damme movies seem to go wrong is when he tries to bring an acting performance to something that should be a straight action film such as The Hard Corps or Second In Command. In something like Until Death, In Hell or Wake Of Death, Van Damme giving an acting performance fits with the overall story. In Until Death, Van Damme is believable and I wanted to know what was going to happen to his character from start to finish. This is not an action film, it's more of a drama/thriller with a central character driven performance by Van Damme. It's a shame that Van Damme is still stuck in low budget DTV land after his performances in Replicant, In Hell, Wake Of Death and now Until Death but perhaps there is hope that he will someday find himself involved in an A-List American production once again. I think what I would like to see from Van Damme is for him to do one film in the mold of Until Death, Wake Of Death etc and do his acting thing and then the next film he does to be an old school straight out action film in the mold of Double Impact, Hard Target or Sudden Death which would satisfy both his fans and his need to improve as an actor. To sum up Until Death, action fans might want to look else where. For some Van Damme fans, you may be disappointed by the lack of martial arts but for others interested in watching a good time passer bearing in mind it's a DTV demi drama/thriller, this comes recommended.