Until Death
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.98 You Save: $9.01 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.57 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Until Death
Movie Review: Shotgun blasts do not adequately replace spin-kicks
Summary: 4 Stars
The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)
1. Who is he? Anthony Stowe, New Orleans police officer with heroin issues
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? This time he must avenge himself
3. Does he take his shirt off? He's shirtless in the OR, that's it.
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? No, but his whore of a wife cheats on him and gets pregnant
5. Is there a tournament? None.
6. Is training needed for this tournament? Speech therapy is all JCVD needs
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? No splits whatsoever
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? No ball contact in site
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? I'm not even sure he kicks someone
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? Gabriel Callahan (Stephen Rea) is the antagonist, and I'm pretty sure he's one of the weakest villains in movie history. Very disappointed in the choice for this film.
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? Perhaps his biggest victory yet, JCVD comes out of a six-month coma to kick some ass.
12. Does he win? Of course, but it's unimpressive
In what essentially amounts to a remake of Steven Seagal's 1990 film Hard to Kill - with one twist - JCVD plays a cop who goes into a coma with something on his mind, and wakes up with a sense of purpose. Van Damme looks horrible in this film, which fits the plot, but man is he rough to look at. The close-range shotgun blasts (there are many) and haggard look only goes so far.
For purists, this is one of the most disappointing JCVD films to date. The combination of his appearance and lack of action really makes it seem like he has lost a step. Those unaware of his legacy may not be too disappointed because the gunplay is legitimate. No tourney, no groin blasts, no spin kicks, no splits. Someone bring back the real JCVD.
Jason Elin
Movie Review: The new Van Damme
Summary: 4 Stars
What makes this film comes down to one thing - Jean Claude Van Damme, both the actor, and the character he plays. Gone are the days of Van Damme old school kick butt action. The aging actor has substitued martial arts for improved acting. In Until Death, thats exactly what you get - very little action, limited to a couple of shootouts in exchange for a guy who can now finally act quite well and create a sturdy character.
Van Damme doesn't play your everyday good guy cop. He is messed up pretty much from the start. A drug heist goes bad in the beginning of the movie, and everyone wants to blame him for the mess. With consistent anger and depression, alcohol, drugs, and a wife pregnant by someone else, you have to wonder where this is all gonna turn around - if it even does. It finally does, on the deathbed. He gets a second chance, and begins to turn things back around. Though I will admit, I thought the first half of this movie was more interesting when his charcater was going downhill.
This is basically a thriller with some small character twists throughout the story, but nothing more. The bad guy in the film did not impress me at all, and as mentioned earlier, forget any hopes of fights - just guns in this film. Most of the characters can act well, but no one surprised me with more than required. Again, its all Van Damme who steals the show.
If you are a fan of the old school Van Damme, you may just hate this. If you want to see how much this guy has changed, this is worth checking out. Van Damme looks to be in a transitional period here, and if he continues to perform as well as he has here, he may still have plenty of years ahead of him in the industry.
Acting - 4
Action - 2
Characters - 3.5
Story - 4
Overall - 4
Movie Review: EXCITING CRIME DRAMA FOR VAN DAMME
Summary: 4 Stars
Though an action icon for twenty-odd years now, it may be that the best is yet to come for Van Damme, whose acting skills have markedly improved in recent years even if the quality of his movies hasn't always kept up with him. But UNTIL DEATH is a very good all-round picture that showcases both Van Damme's acting and action skills, built on a sound script with good direction and production values as well. There's a seedy, noir-ish feel to UNTIL DEATH that is similar, but superior, to what the filmmaker's went for in Van Damme's previous effort WAKE OF DEATH, but this is a much better overall film. Van Damme stars as a crooked cop named Anthony Lowe, addicted to heroin and indiscriminately unfaithful to his wife, whose life is suddently changed by a near-assassination which leaves him in a coma. When he comes to, Lowe gradually realizes how far out of control his life had spun and he begins to put the pieces back together one by one. Unfortunately, his bloodthirsty underworld enemies don't like the reborn Lowe any better than the old one, and a final showdown is inevitable. Van Damme deserves a lot of credit for his performance in this picture, capturing both the unsympathetic hopelessness of the pre-coma Lowe and the uncertain but determined hero that comes out of that coma with equal dexterity. His supporting cast is also very good, and the story consistently involving. Things do get a little slow now and then, but the quality of the drama usually holds interest anyway and the final shootout is great catharsis for what really is a spellbinding character-driven tale of a fallen hero's vindication.Movie Review: A Cut Above the Rest
Summary: 4 Stars
The movie itself was an average crime drama, somewhat formulaic, and yet fairly entertaining. What was suprising was Van Damme's performance to give this average film a cut above the rest. I've seen several Van Damme movies, and while I'm an action junkie, I could never say any previous Van Damme movies were ever exceptionally good. This time around he plays the part of a person we can all relate to, a hero with his own flaws, and though there is plenty of action, there is a lot of drama and suspense to build up to the action. My wife and I first saw some of this on television, and since we missed most of it decided we had to go and rent this. What was suprising was that parts that were on the DVD were left off from the bit we saw on television (not suprisingly, since some of these parts were too graphic for television), but there were some parts that were included on television that were never included on the DVD. Had the airing on television used some of the deleted scenes to accomodate for removing other parts? Not sure, since the DVD really didn't have much in the way of features, which was somewhat of a disappointment. Still, the movie itself was worth the watch.Movie Review: 3 1/2 stars for this above average Van Damme Flick!
Summary: 3 Stars
Until Death(released Jan/07) takes JCVD back to the Crescent City as a backdrop;his other being Hard Target in /93.Until Death has alot of good moments and it allows us to see an actor who has matured and improved his acting skills considerably over the years.
The story revolves around a police detective named Anthony Stowe.As the film opens he is heading up a major take down of a local gangster by the name of Callahan.Stowe has dogged Callahan for years and in fact has done some shady things in trying to get him but has failed.The sting almost goes off until the end when Callahan asks the female undercover cop to undress.Both her and her male cohort are killed and Callahan once more slips through Stowe's fingers.
Stowe seems to be on everyone's dislike list and when a fellow officer(Walter Curry-played by Trevor Cooper) asks Stowe to help out his nephew up on pot charges because he kept Stowe's name off the blotter awhile back,Stowe strangely tells the police chief about it and the officer is fired;losing his valuable pension.As I said Stowe is not popular.In fact Stowe is so messed up he has been addicted to heroin for years and is a walking,talking human mess;physically and psychologically.
One night Stowe goes to a restaurant for a quiet drink with a female local.She excuses herself to go to the powder room but leaves the building completely.Enter Callahan's thugs loaded for bear.A close fire fight ensues and just as Stowe leaves out the back door he is caught in a head lock by another of Callahan's thugs and confronted by Callahan himself.While in the headlock Stowe is shot up through the chin with the bullet lodging just behind his skull.One thinks he is dead but he miraculously survives the ordeal and has to undergo months of therapy to come back to near normal.
An insurance check for 3/4 of a million dollars is given to him and his estranged wife,now pregnant(we're never sure by whom),comes back to look after him with her current boyfriend,who is clearly uncomfortable with the whole thing.When Stowe gets back on his feet,now clean and sober,he starts to right some wrongs.The first thing he does is write a cheque for some $450,000 to Curry,the cop he turned in.He arrives unwelcome at the doorstep but leaves a gob smacked Curry and his wife on their doorstep.His next wrong to right is his wife.That day she decides to leave his home and finally move away for good but he goes after her.She at almost the same time has had second thoughts and she returns to get captured by Callahan's thugs who take her as a hostage to lure Stowe to a warehouse.
This is where the final confrontation takes place and Stowe finds he actually does have some friends after all.A dirty cop who was Callahan's inside man for years on the NOPD is there with gun trained on Stowe,ready to kill him.He decides however to turn and points it at Callahan.Then Curry shows up guns in hand ready to help out.A good old Mexican stand off occurs then a prolonged pitched gun battle begins.Stowe fights his way through it all and finally he and Callahan are locked head to head,each with a gun pointed at the other.They both go off and the scene shifts to the future as Stowe's wife and he are reconciled and they have a three year old daughter who he happily lifts up.
The plot is a winding one no doubt,but the continuity seems to flow rather well all the way through.As I said Van Damme has certainly matured as an actor and he makes this hollow shell of a cop character come alive.He is ably supported by a troupe of lesser known actors but they give solid performances in his aid.Honourable mention goes to Stephen Rea who plays the cool but cold blooded antagonist Callahan.The movie,as you can guess,is quite violent at times and I wouldn't recommend this for the kiddies.
Technically the movie has been transferred quite well and it is in its' widescreen a/r of 2:35:1.It has been mastered in Hi-Def,is available in both English and French with Dolby 5:1 sound and the 101 minute film is crisp and clean throughout.This is a DVD with no extras;the film is it.
All in all an entertaining entry in the cannon that is Jean Claude Van Damme.Until Death will certainly please his fans and Van Damme shows he has matured and has a firm grasp of his craft.A solid 3 1/2 stars.