Van Damme's Inferno

I saw this movie on Tv. It started good with showing a coyote running in the desert. But after that it became machoactioncomedy. As Van Damme fan I could watch it. I even enjoyed somehow. The story is simple: Bad guys steal his bike that belong to his friend and shoot him. He survives and he wants revenge and take his bike back. The movie tries to be this spiritual movie and it even succeeds in it but the comedy kinda spoils it. I liked the set where the movie was shot. The old people were funny. Ohh that sex scene was hilarious. There is man who goes straight to action! And of cource everybody love Van Dammes martial art kicks and we see them. They save best for end of the film. Checkout Pat Morita from Karate Kid series. Danny Trejo played JCVD´s mysterious friend. Like every review I tell you: If you are Van Damme fan you might like it. The movie went straight to video but I think it would do okay in the Box Office. Overall **/*****

Oddly enough, then I have actually never seen the 1999 action movie "Inferno" (aka "Desert Heat") from writer Tom O'Rourke and director John G. Avildsen before now in 2022. And I grew up watching the action movies of the likes of Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Van Damme, and so forth.

I enjoyed "Inferno" for what it was, but this wasn't among the best of movies from Jean-Claude Van Damme. Sure, the movie was watchable and entertaining, but it was suffering from being a little bit too generic. But hey, at least it made for the type of entertainment where you just lean back, munch on the snacks and watch the action on the screen.

The acting performances in the movie were good, and they definitely had a good cast ensemble for the movie, with the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Danny Trejo, Pat Morita, Larry Drake, Jaime Pressly, Bill Erwin, Vincent Schiavelli and Jeff Kober to mention the most recognizable.

There is a good amount of action in "Inferno", and it is definitely the action that mostly drives the movie forward and carries it a great long way.

My rating of "Inferno" lands on a five out of ten stars.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable.****Very Good.***Okay.**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead.*Avoid At All Costs.

Granted the Belgian one's recent spate of work has been the deplorable 'Knock Off'and,although I hav'nt seen it(don't want to)rather repellent 'Universal Soldier:The Return',and granted the overall quality of the movie,Inferno is a Van Damme movie I rather enjoyed.The opening scene especially,of Van Damme in the desert with the nutty Mexican bloke off 'Con Air' and 'Point Blank' was very well written and strangely effecting.You also got to feel for the resident's of the town,including the 2 pretty waitresses,the old guy,and the standard wise old Japanese guy.And there was of course,some great kickboxing action,at the end especially.

Also,towards the end especially,the movie loses it's sense of pace a bit,and goes a bit awry.And the gunfights wer'nt great.But overall,these were minor quibbles in a very entertaining action vehicle.****

It's no secret Van Damme has lost much of what clout he once held at the box office when he's now reserved to doing leads in straight-to-video action flicks. I guess the hindsight is you could say that about any of the other big action stars. It's been awhile since Arnold really pulled in the audiences and even longer for the likes of Stallone, Norris and even good 'ol Steven Seagal.

So it wasn't the biggest surprise when Van Damme's latest 'Desert Heat' went straight to video. The strangest thing is it's leaps and bounds ahead of Universal Soldier 2 that got a theatrical release and Van Damme is actually pretty good when he's relaxed and having fun. With a few familiar faces in the supporting cast helping out.

This one finds Van Damme as a man at his emotional end. He believes he's got nothing to live for anymore and when we met up with him he's ready to commit suicide and end his life. What happens shortly after that is pretty basic, but fuels the rest of the story. A bunch of dirty people try to wax him and leave him for dead and he swears to make them pay in blood. So not entirely original. With more gunplay than there is martial arts - you have to decide if that's a good or bad thing for a Van Damme flick. It's a case of opinion and/or taste more than anything else. The atmosphere is light and everyone seems to be having fun. Which is great. This story couldn't have survived a single viewing if it took itself seriously.

I'm not recommending this outright, but I'm not saying stay away either. Love or hate Van Damme, this is a half-decent addition to his mixed slate of movies and if nothing else this movie contains one of the most unique sex scenes I've seen in an action movie in a really, really long while. It's both erotic and vaguely comical at the same time if you can believe that. You'll have to see the movie to know what I mean, but this all goes back to an earlier point. It never takes itself seriously and that's what keeps things enjoyable rather than being a pain to watch in the end.

I originally didn't really have any intentions of watching Dessert Heat. As much as I love a Van Damme film, the fact this is one of his released straight to DVD films did put me off. I only ended up purchasing it because I happened to come across it in the 50 Pence section of a DVD and Games store we have in the UK. I thought for 50p why not. And to be fair, I really enjoyed it.

If you can prepare to watch a movie and not take it too seriously then it's worth a watch to let the time pass and entertain you. Don't get me wrong, it's not Universal Soldier or Sudden Death. But Van Damme kicks ass in this.