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JCVD is a 2008 Belgian crime comedy-drama film directed by French Tunisian director Mabrouk El Mechri, and starring Jean-Claude Van Dammeas a semi fictionalized version of himself, a down and out action star whose family and career are crumbling around him as he is caught in the middle of a post office heist in his hometown of Brussels, Belgium.
The film was screened on 4 June 2008 in Belgium and France, at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival (Midnight Madness), and at theAdelaide Film Festival on 20 February 2009. It was distributed by Peace Arch Entertainment from Toronto and opened in New York and select cities on 7 November 2008.
The film establishes Jean-Claude Van Damme playing himself as an out-of-luck actor. He is out of money; his agent cannot find him a decent production; and the judge in a custody battle is inclined to give custody of his daughter over to his ex-wife. He returns to his childhood home of Schaarbeek in the Brussels capitol region, Belgium, where he is still considered a national icon.
When he goes into a post office to receive a wire transfer, he ends up arguing with the bank teller just as, coincidentally, the bank is robbed. As he turns he is pistol whipped in the face by the head robber, cutting his lip. The bank robber takes the customers hostage, and the police mistakenly identify Van Damme as the head robber. The following action is portrayed from different perspectives, and Van Damme finds himself acting as a hero to protect the hostages, as well as both a negotiator and presumed perpetrator.
In a notable scene, Van Damme and the camera are lifted above the set, and he performs a six-minute single-take monologue, where he breaks thefourth wall addressing the audience directly with an emotional (but characteristically cryptic) monologue about his career, his multiple marriages, and his drug abuse.
Van Damme then persuades one of the bank robbers to release the hostages. After this happens, a scuffle ensues and in the resulting conflict, the head robber is shot. The police, after hearing a gunshot, storm the building. The police shoot another one of the thieves, and Van Damme is held atgunpoint by the final one. Van Damme briefly imagines a scenario in which he takes the robber out by elbowing him and kicking him in the face and everyone including the police and crowd cheering for him, but in reality, he just elbows him in the stomach, and the police quickly apprehend him. While speaking as the ringleader of the robbers, Van Damme demanded $465,000 for the law firm handling his custody case. Consequently, he is arrested for extortion, tried and sentenced to 1 year in prison. The final scene shows him teaching karate to other inmates, then being visited by his mother and daughter who both utter the word "Hi" to each other.
The film establishes Jean-Claude Van Damme playing himself as an out-of-luck actor. He is out of money; his agent cannot find him a decent production; and the judge in a custody battle is inclined to give custody of his daughter over to his ex-wife. He returns to his childhood home of Schaarbeek in the Brussels capitol region, Belgium, where he is still considered a national icon.
When he goes into a post office to receive a wire transfer, he ends up arguing with the bank teller just as, coincidentally, the bank is robbed. As he turns he is pistol whipped in the face by the head robber, cutting his lip. The bank robber takes the customers hostage, and the police mistakenly identify Van Damme as the head robber. The following action is portrayed from different perspectives, and Van Damme finds himself acting as a hero to protect the hostages, as well as both a negotiator and presumed perpetrator.
In a notable scene, Van Damme and the camera are lifted above the set, and he performs a six-minute single-take monologue, where he breaks thefourth wall addressing the audience directly with an emotional (but characteristically cryptic) monologue about his career, his multiple marriages, and his drug abuse.
Van Damme then persuades one of the bank robbers to release the hostages. After this happens, a scuffle ensues and in the resulting conflict, the head robber is shot. The police, after hearing a gunshot, storm the building. The police shoot another one of the thieves, and Van Damme is held atgunpoint by the final one. Van Damme briefly imagines a scenario in which he takes the robber out by elbowing him and kicking him in the face and everyone including the police and crowd cheering for him, but in reality, he just elbows him in the stomach, and the police quickly apprehend him. While speaking as the ringleader of the robbers, Van Damme demanded $465,000 for the law firm handling his custody case. Consequently, he is arrested for extortion, tried and sentenced to 1 year in prison. The final scene shows him teaching karate to other inmates, then being visited by his mother and daughter who both utter the word "Hi" to each other.
