The Bouncer (2018)
The Bouncer (Original title: Lukas) is a 2018 French-Belgian action thriller film directed by Julien Leclercq, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sveva Alviti and Sami Bouajila.
Background.
A film noir, cheerless and violent. The protagonist is an antihero, struggling through life to nurture his eight-year-old daughter, and working in nightclubs as a bouncer to provide his income. When he gets involved in a fight, he ends up about to face jail, and losing his daughter to the social services. He is then asked by the police to spy on a criminal organization. In return, he would erase his problems with justice.RELATED:
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Plot.
Lukas was forced to flee South Africa after the death of his wife. He now lives with his daughter in his home country, Belgium, and works as a bouncer at a nightclub. One night, Lukas is forced to restrain a patron, who subsequently badly injures himself attempting to attack Lukas. Lukas is fired from his job as a result. Due to the injured nightclub patron’s status as the son of a member of the European Parliament, Lukas is investigated by the authorities, led by the mysterious Maxim, regarding the fight. He is pressed into going undercover at a strip club to spy on its owner, Jan, an organized crime figure, or else face imprisonment for the incident at the nightclub.
His first assignment is driving an Italian woman, Lisa, back to her hotel. He discovers that she was indicted for forgery some years ago. His bosses force him to drive to an associate, where he listens in on a conversation detailing Jan’s attempt at moving counterfeit banknotes.
Lukas is asked to pick up Lisa from her hotel and drives her to a meeting with Jan and Geert. Lukas’ daughter is driven away, and Lukas is forced to participate in a new assignment, the kidnapping of a crack cocaine cook. Lukas successfully infiltrates the cook’s hideout and apprehends the target, escaping with Geert. Lukas has had enough of the undercover work, but Maxim informs him
that he knows about Lukas’ past life in South Africa, and if Lukas refuses to cooperate, he will be sent back there to face punishment for an unknown crime. Lukas agrees to remain undercover, and meets with Jan at the strip club, asking for more work.
Jan intends to trade the cook to the Dutch gangsters in return for watermarked paper for counterfeit banknotes, and tasks Lukas, Geert, and Lisa to the task. At the trade, the Dutch gangsters betray and attack Lukas, Geert, and Lisa. Lukas manages to incapacitate the Dutch gangsters in a car chase, but Geert is shot and killed.
Cast:
- Jean-Claude van Damme as Lukas
- Sveva Alviti as Lisa Zaccherini
- Sami Bouajila as Maxim Zeroual
- Alice Verset as Sarah
- Sam Louwyck as Jan Dekkers
- Kevin Janssens as Geert
- Kaaris as Omar