Jean-Claude Van Damme is arguably the most fascinating performer to emerge from the golden age of American action movies. Because he has always been keen to grow as an actor. Usually, it’s within the parameters of the action fare he’s known for, but he’s also done some flicks that showcase unique sides to his arsenal. The meta-fictional JCVD and John Hyams’ gloomy Universal Soldier sequels are great examples of movies where he completely shattered expectations. His upcoming spy-comedy The Last Mercenary also appears to be a fresh challenge for the Belgian legend. Van Damme is at his best when he’s operating within a
happy medium combining experimentation with his established spin-kicking niche. He adopted this best of both worlds mentality beginning with 1991’s Double Impact. The “Muscles from Brussels” was drawn to the project because he was craving change at the time. This was an attempt to break free from being typecast. Yet, the film is still a glorious slice of Van Damage that delivers the goods.
In the early ’90s, Van Damme was the undisputed king of martial arts cinema in the West following the release of Kickboxer and Bloodsport. But he had ambitions to become a mainstream star in more non-action pictures
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as well. Double Impact, in which he plays twins, was his chance to show that he was capable of versatility. Maybe it didn’t lead to him escaping the genre in the grand scheme of things, but his performances are top-notch and he gets to showcase a variety of flavors.
Van Damme was so focused on making the most of this project that he even co-wrote the script. The film was originally supposed to be an adaptation of The Corsican Brothers by Alexandre Dumas, but Van Damme and Sheldon Lettich only kept the twin element and proceeded to build a story around the actor’s strengths and desires.
Van Damme decided to rename it “Double Impact”. The final product lives up to its name in many ways.
Dual roles allow the actor to play both the sneaky bastard and the comedian. Twin brothers are different sides of the same coin. Yin and Yang. Alex is an asshole who grew up on the streets of Hong Kong. He chews cigars, gambles, and treats people like crap. Chad is a sensitive lothario who teaches karate to valley girls in Los Angeles. When their paths cross and they are forced to team up to prevent a common evil in Hong Kong, they still find it difficult to get along.
However, the bdesire to avenge the death of their parents keeps them on the right path, and they use their combined talents to defeat a horde of tough villains on their way to the ultimate boss.
Let’s not pretend that Double Impact is some masterpiece that was ever going to take Van Damme to the Oscars.
Double Impact was a bold move for the star at the time. It didn’t redefine his persona, but it’s an impressive outing for the martial artist nonetheless. He delivers two distinct performances that complement each other very well. The characters share the screen together for the majority of the film’s runtime, and it’s easy to suspend
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disbelief and buy into the twin shtick. That’s an achievement in and of itself, and Van Damme gives both parts his all.
It’s one thing to play two different characters with their own quirks. Doing so in a way that comes across as natural interactions is even more difficult. This is especially true in the scene where Alex and Chad get into a scrap with each other over their mutual love interest. The showdown — created through a combination of doubles, motion control camera work, frame splicing, and theatrical lighting techniques — offers some great emotional storytelling. It also boasts the novelty of Van Damme beating himself up.
Van Damme imbues Alex with pure hateful savagery and toxic masculinity. On the other hand, his turn as Chad is more complex. He is obviously terrified of his cruel siblings, but still musters the courage to stand his ground. This scene is also proof that Van Damme had decent acting skills in 1991, so throw that whole “he’s a bad actor” thing out the door. Jean-Claude Van Damme is a great actor!
For the most part, Double Impact is light-hearted fun. The central dynamic of odd bedfellows provides several comedic moments, and both roles allow Van Damme to chew the scenery as much as possible. He’s also not afraid to appear stupid,
as evidenced by the scene where Chad wears silk underwear. Overall, Double Tap is Van Damme’s most striking film. But in fact, this is the first film that demonstrated his desire to develop and take his career to the next level.
The actor relished the challenge of playing dual roles so much that he accepted similar parts later on. Maximum Risk and Replicant also feature two Van Dammes for the price of one, and each movie sees him try something a little bit different. He also wants to continue exploring this trend in the future, as he’s expressed a desire to one day make a Double Impact sequel with a third Van Damme thrown into the mix.