2.25/5
Reviewed April 12, 2024
Late 90s Jean-Claude Van Damme stuff can be pretty brutal, and this is one example. His character (name isn’t important, he’s JCVD) is a king of knock-off merch in Hong Kong who’s tried to go legit by partnering with goofy pal Rob Schneider (who was still in action movies around this time, oddly). It’s a Hong Kong film in style and substance, with all that entails. Their partnership is tested when they end up running into a terrorist plot to place micro bombs into their fake merchandise, spreading them across the US.
It’s…pretty rough. The plot is terrible, the acting is real bad, there’s a hero cop character that is just in this thing and has no explanation for why he’s in a variety of set-pieces, the choreography is…questionable, and basically everything else is wonky. However, there are a few interesting fight locations, and they’re doing their best to make JCVD into Jackie Chan in this one by having him utilize a variety of improvised weapons and environments. It’s also amusing watching Rob Schneider getting beat up repeatedly while acting like a lady’s man, poorly. The film style is very much Hong Kong productions (at least the ones I’ve seen), and there are a few stunts where you’re legit terrified for the stuntmen because it does not look safe, at all (a car crash in particular).
Getting Reel with Mr. Sunshine 