Darkness of Man

It's straight-to-streaming/DVD quality stuff, though not the worst. The acting isn't great. Action is mostly generic but that's worlds above some other stuff of this ilk. Van Damme is trying so hard with really terrible dialogue and try-hard narration that wants to evoke the moody former cop down on his luck/Max Payne stuff. There are some decent moments scattered throughout. Terrible title basically sums up the creativity presented.

I was surprised by how good this was. Van Damme did a good god with the role including the narration even if that was clearly not his strong suit. The various cameos were nice to see and added to my overall enjoyment. The acting was the weakest part of this, Van Damme being one of the stronger actors involved. The ending took a little away from my rating, not that it was bad, but I felt that it lessened the overall punch of the finale.

Overstuffed heavy-handed neo-noir, with a nearly unbearable mumbling voiceover. Curious that an actioner this gloomy -- JCVD as a drunk, suicidal ex-Interpol operative killing his way into the russian mafia to save former lover's teen kid, only to find out he's been helping Koreatown mobs all along -- gets such a sunny finale and a post-creds fun scene. It gets better in the second half -- some action! --, but it's just not enough. Gotta love his dedication -- no wonder he co-wrote it --, though