Maximum Risk came on the end of a fairly successful run of movies for Jean-Claude Van Damme. From 1992's Universal Soldier onwards, JC found himself in mostly pretty successful theatrical releases like Hard Target, Timecop, Sudden Death and The Quest, with only the spectacular bomb Street Fighter letting the side down. Thus it was reasonable to expect that Maximum Risk, Van Damme's first collaboration with noted Hong Kong director Ringo Lam, would get the same treatment. Indeed, the movie was heavily promoted in the U.K. throughout 1996 - I can still remember the trailer playing before the likes of Independence Day, Twister, Mission: Impossible and The Rock. But one assumes the film's paltry $5 million opening weekend put paid to any plans of a wide release, and the film was pushed back again and again until it finally limped direct to video in 1997, over a year after its American release. Being something of a Van Damme masochist I rented it at the time, but preparing to look at it for this round up I was surprised that I could remember almost nothing about it. Having viewed it again I can now say that whoever pulled it from cinema release did me a favour. This film was quite dull and unpleasant enough on the small screen at home to make me glad I didn't endure it in a cinema.

We open somewhere in the south of France. A guy named Mikhail Suverov (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is on the run from a couple of G-Man types, Agent Pellman (Paul Ben-Victor) and Agent Loomis (Frank Senger). Note that I am revealing information that will not become apparent to the characters for quite some time yet, because I wouldn't want to fool you into thinking that this movie has any sort of suspense going for it. So Mikhail (a.k.a. JCVD#1) manages to escape from his pursuers but with the slight inconvenience of dying in a traffic accident in the process.

Any hope that this might signify a pleasantly early end to the film is dashed when we cut to JCVD#1's funeral, because in attendance is Alain Moreau (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a French cop. Yes, Alain (JCVD#2) is the long lost identical twin of JCVD#1 and will be setting out to Avenge The Brother He Never Knew He Had™, oh, any minute now. At least we won't have to sit through any of those naff 'Van Damme vs. Van Damme' fight scenes or, for that matter, voiceovers on the trailer. Alain's fellow cop and old army buddy Sebastien (Jean-Hugues Anglade) is on hand to provide comfort and exposition, and tells JCVD#2 that JCVD#1 was on his way to JCVD#2's address when he was killed.

Alain makes the surprisingly sensible decision to ask his Mum (Stéphane Audran) about the mysterious twin. She reveals that she couldn't look after both of them so gave JCVD#1 up for adoption. She is able to remember the name of the lawyer in Paris who handled the adoption and so Alain sets off to see him. Unfortunately Alain arrives to discover the lawyer dead and the office in flames, and the guy who did it is a blonde bruiser (Stefanos Miltsakakis) determined to punch JCVD#2's head through his arse. Unlike his brother JCVD#2 is a master of French whupass and fights the guy off, but can't prevent him escaping. Alain is able to recover some documents that reveal Mikhail (a.k.a. JCVD#1, if you recall) was adopted by a Russian diplomat. Since people seem to be mistaking the two already, Alain decides to travel to New York on Mikhail's passport to find a club called 'Bohemia', where a guy called Alex may be able to shed some light on Mikhail's murder.

Somehow Alain must have got on the wrong flight because instead of the Big Apple he arrives in downtown Toronto. Fortunately he manages to find an equally lost New York cabbie; UNfortunately this is our movie's Komic relief, 'wacky' conspiracy nut and motormouth novelist Davis Hartley (Frank Van Keeken). Alain pays him to find Bohemia, while our hero visits the Canadian version of Little Odessa ("We're Russians, eh?") where his brother grew up. Touching family moment aside, we suffer the return of Hartley who has located the club.

Alain goes there and meets up with Alex Minetti (Natasha Henstridge), who you may have gathered by the casting choice is a girl with a gender-neutral name. It's such a great plot device I can't understand how nobody's ever used it before... Anyway, Alex takes turns kissing Alain and telling him to get out before he's spotted. Regrettably he's already been clocked by Ivan Dzasokhov (Zach Grenier), a local Russian mafia lieutenant who is not at all happy to see Mikhail, or at least his French karate stand-in. It seems like hours since we've had a fight so some random Russian goons jump him. Alain fights them off and our hero, with our heroine finally in tow, is rescued by Hartley - but not before the fight has spilled over into an adjacent strip club, which is nice; sure it's clichéd and exploitative but naked tits are naked tits.

Alex and Alain check into a hotel and Alain admits he isn't Mikhail. Alex doesn't seem too concerned that she's been sucking the face of JCVD#2 instead of JCVD#1, but any further canoodling is interrupted by another attack by the Russian goons. Hartley is again on hand to drive them to safety, but not before he's shot and killed. The touching drama of his death scene is somewhat tempered by (a) the seemingly upset Alain only just met him and didn't seem to like him much, and (b) my wishing it had happened a good half hour previously, preferably just before his first appearance in the film.

Having escaped, Alain and Alex are met back at their hideout by Agent Pellman and Agent Loomis, the two G-men who killed JCVD#1 - I've gone to such lengths to point it out because I was bored to tears by this juncture and had to skip the DVD back to check. Yes, it was them, so I guess they must be dirty G-men. In fairness this was pretty obvious anyway, what with Pellman being kinda greasy and Loomis being overweight and everything. They are eager to get their hands on a mysterious List that Mikhail had, and already know that Alain isn't Mikhail - what with having killed him I suppose. They claim Mikhail was supposed to give them the List which is why the Mob are pissed at him.

Alain goes to see the Russian boss Dmitri Kirov (David Hemblen) at the steam bath where the hoods hang out. There he learns that Dmitri also wants the List, before Ivan decides a coup is in order and kills Dmitri. The blonde bruiser reappears and before you can say "Red Heat rip-off" he and Alain are duking it out clad only in oil and towels.

With the Dirty Feds' cooperation Alain heads back to Nice, where he plans to pose as Mikhail and get the List from a bank's safe deposit box. Apropos of nothing in particular Alain and Alex have sex (it's in Van Damme's contract, after all), before Alex is snatched by Ivan to make sure Alain gives him the List. But wouldn't you know it, the Feds show their true colours and kidnap Sebastien, to ensure that they get the List.

Alain opens the box and finds one of those 'If You're Listening To This I'm Already Dead' tape recordings from Mikhail. Apparently JCVD#1 saw a photo of JCVD#2 being given a medal after the Gulf (The Order Of Marseilles For Distinguished Cowardice or something) and was so inspired he decided to give up his life of crime. He stole the List from the Mob and was going to give it to Alain, but the Dirty G-Men got to him first. Now in possession of the List Alain is attacked by the Blonde Bruiser again, but this being the end of the film he manages to kill him. Alain manages to save Alex and kill Ivan, before rescuing Sebastien and chasing Pellman and Loomis to a meatpacking plant. We discover that not even a chainsaw can stand up to the Mighty Van Damme Spinning Roundhouse, and then it's the end. Alain takes Alex to meet his Mum, feels a connection to the brother he never knew, and probably gets another medal. And what was on the List? Um, good question. There's a throwaway line about how it had the names of some Russian mobsters and dirty cops on it, so that explains everything...

If the above synopsis hints that Maximum Risk is any way interesting or entertaining, I apologise. This is one of the most joyless, grim-faced and above all boring action films I've ever sat through more than once. As thrillers go, this one is notably devoid of thrills. Van Damme is typically wooden as Alain, and fails to convey any emotions about his brother's death one way or the other. Since he doesn't seem to care, there's no reason why we in the audience should care why the character does what he does. Thus seeing Van Damme infiltrate the Mob or Van Damme lament never knowing his twin is about as exciting as Van Damme cutting his toenails or Van Damme making a sandwich.

There are occasionally entertaining flashes in other Van Damme films, but those required at least a bit of inspiration on the part of the writers. Sadly the script for Maximum Risk is cliché piled upon convention and topped with irritatingly familiar. About the only thing differentiating this from a million other cop/mob thrillers is the nationality of the characters. Unfortunately even this is insipid to the nth degree; French cops named Alain and Sebastien? I suppose Jacques and Jean-Pierre had the day off, right? And the Russians don't fare any better, what with Mikhail, Ivan, Dmitri Kirov, and I'm pretty sure there's a Yuri in there too. Alas the film's poor performance at the box office meant the sequel was never made, wherein Alain and Sebastien, along with their new sidekick Francois Le Bastille, attempt to capture Boris Stalin and Sergei Tsar Nicholas II of the Bolshoi crime family.

Is there anything good about this movie? Well, the action is slightly better than most Van Damme films. The repertoire of moves is no different than Double Impact but at least the editing is a bit less lethargic, so the combatants don't appear to just stand there and be hit. Also Van Damme's last fight with the blonde guy in an elevator is enjoyably savage, but there's nothing here that would impress a Jet Li fan - or a Chuck Norris fan for that matter.

I'm somewhat resigned to admit that this film features another noted Hong Kong director sabotaging his own career. Ringo Lam was the man behind the seminal crime thriller City On Fire, a film so good that one Quentin Tarantino ripped off the whole thing for Reservoir Dogs. Lam also directed the enjoyable new-wave kung fu movie Burning Paradise, which makes the uninspired action in this movie that much more poignant. Sure, Lam hasn't fallen as far as Tsui Hark, who effectively ended his career with the one-two punch of Double Team and Knock Off, but only because Tsui was the more celebrated to begin with. But at least Hark's films have some attempts at levity, even if it doesn't extend much beyond the casting of Rob Schneider and Dennis Rodman. After watching this movie I figured that there couldn't be a grimmer, more po-faced Van Damme movie than this one.

Little did I suspect that Jean-Claude and Ringo had an even more nefarious plot brewing in a cloning tank somewhere; an ugly little genetic aberration entitled Replicant.

Dave Thomas, 28^th August 2003