Assassination Games

Script and financial limitations can hinder the most precious of stories. For once, Scott Adkins played a character and not himself in his movies. I didn't like that to be honest but as an actor that is what Scott needs. I mean in this movie Scott gets taken down by so many guys who in reality he could kill with his bare hands. Van Damme is stuck with the monotonous monologue affected robotic hit-man which seemed tacky. But that is due to lack of histrionic skill. Kurt Russell did it slightly better in soldier. Arnie did it really good in Terminator. But that was aided by the requirements of the character. Adkins has improved as an actor since the awful Ninja. He has some variety now in his resume. In this movie, AG, Scott plays a really vulnerable man. Quite the opposite of the invulnerable Yuri Boyka, Scott's best role so far.

The movie synopsis given here is tardy, and seems to indicate the crazed stereotypical view of Americans that everything revolves around them. There is no DEA nonsense here. It is the Interpol whose dirty cops provide cannon fodder for the lead actors while the main villain is a despicable criminal leader (played well by the actor).

This movie had a lot of positives going for it in terms of potential. It was a lot better than the DTV releases the 2 lead actors have been used to recently. Van Damme's face looks drawn and destroyed beyond the skills of the most talented makeup artistes in the world. He could go the Charles Bronson reloaded route with that face.

The key here is that while both the lead actors combined could compile the most complex and comprehensive columns of a martial arts encyclopedia, this movie has stayed away from capitalising on the copious martial arts talents possessed by Adkins and Van Damme. It was fresh and new of course, but nevertheless it just added to a long list of things this movie lacked.

While this movie is worth watching once especially if you are a JCVD/martial arts fan, it is only an average action film that didn't maximize its potential. The remote controlled machine gun was a nice touch but it is just one of the momentary shades of quality in a film that can never be anything above underrated. The crew just tried too much in the name of freshness, and as a result the final product ended up in the doldrums, neither here nor there.

Scott would do good to get some serious acting lessons as would JCVD. A lot of people, including me, cannot keep watching Kickboxer/Bloodsport/Universal Soldier/Hard Target/Undisputed 2,3 again and again.

Interestingly, JCVD's kids play roles in the film. His daughter Bianca(a super stunner) plays Adkins' wife. His son, Kristopher plays one of the villains I believe.

I full admit I watched this movie for two reasons. First of all, the last thing I saw Van Damme in was JCVD, and I have to say that I was more than a bit surprised by the weight and depth of his performance. Second, I'm a fan of Scott Adkins ever since the last two Undisputed and Ninja films where he showed that westerners could screen fight just as well as anyone in martial arts flicks. How does all of that translate to this movie? Read on.

Assassination Games probably isn't what you expect. It's not a knock down, drag out action movie. In fact the action sequences, while well done, aren't very plentiful. I actually think this may be a good thing. I'm starting to think that if Van Damme would take himself more seriously and stop doing all of the hacky crap he did in the 80s and 90s that he could very well be a well respected actor who just happens to know action movies. While I grew up with movies like Bloodsport and Kickboxer, watching someone mature and actually convey an actual sense of a character is quite rewarding. Here's to hoping that the man can stick with movies that have substance rather than just being some guy who can kick stuff and do the splits.

The two major roles, played by Scott Adkins, and Jean-Claude Van Damme are something that you can relate too. One is fighting to assassinate his target because of love, fighting to try and bring justice for his wife. The second is the opposite. Everything thing is about work, and he is just doing a job. Vincent becomes more open to love throughout the film, as you see the change from the start to the end, and that was a good believable story.

The writing for this movie was great, good action sequences, though at times there was a little too much dialogue, they did make the movie worth watching, but also something that you won't regret having watched later.

Corrupt Interpol agents spring a powerful drug dealer from prison and put a hefty price on his head in hopes of luring out their former #1 contract hitman that they want dead. He also has a dark history with said drug dealer and with another elite assassin is in the mix, you know things are about to get ... complicated.

Jean Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins in a film called Assassination Games and here's the rub. Its not the type of flick you're picturing in your head. Okay maybe that's a half truth. The prerequisite elements are within. Guns, death, fisticuffs and it gets off to a brief action start, but then slow city. Between Van Damme's detached, solitary arch of a (hit)man and Adkins broken past, there's a lot of drama and the pacing is monumentally slow. No wham, bam thank you ma'am. Its nearly two hours long.

Shot down & out in Romania, much of the film's backdrop isn't visually interesting. That doesn't mean it isn't well shot however. Watched in SD, felt like HD. Acting wise, the two leads acquit themselves fine and some of the supporting cast actually stood out. The story could be more exciting and/or shorter, but as it is, Assassination Games finds itself not at the bottom of either stars resumes, but hardly at the top neither.

"This is what he does best, and he is the best." A corrupt Interpol officer makes that observation about Roland Flint, the character played by Scott Adkins in the riveting "Assassination Games." It's an accolade that truly applies to the film's star, Jean-Claude Van Damme, who has translated his experience as a global superstar into becoming one of the globe's best actors. JCVD is Vincent Brazil, a professional assassin and loner whose profession has intensified his self-isolation. Flint and Brazil become reluctant partners in a cat-and-mouse game against both Interpol and the European mob. Along the way, an unlikely girl next door named October invades Brazil's carefully protected personal space and forces him to provide her refuge from a vengeful pimp (depicted with effective menace by actor Attila Arpa). When October thanks Vincent with a kiss to the cheek, Van Damme displays the hit-man's resistance to affection with an emotion that is both telling and heartbreaking. It is a rare moment for an action film and a testament to the brilliance of Van Damme the actor. The relationship of October and Vincent becomes an effective dramatic anchor for the movie's unrelenting mix of tragedy and revenge. Increasingly, as his films showcase his dramatic talents, Van Damme creates movies that are both character driven and visually stylish without resorting to CGI tricks or action clichés. Experience and talent have enabled the original "Muscles from Brussels" to evolve into one of the most creative and uniquely effective forces in film making today. "Assassination Games" is another great chapter in the career of a triumphant and supremely talented Jean-Claude Van Damme.