We Die Young

Everyone remembers Van Damme as the legendary action star of great 80s and 90's genre classics. In the last decade, he's proven he's more than that especially in his post JCVD (2008) career and has shown more depth to the roles he has done. This is more than action, it has a dramatic story with genuinely good performances from the actors which make you care about the characters more than a typical action movie. The story felt realistic, had a good message and was better than expected for a B direct to VOD movie. Overall, the movie may not be as action packed as some of his earlier work, but is still recommended for fans as Van Damme gives a solid performance. Good to see JCVD doing better than Seagal after all these years, and this is one of his better latter career movies alongside his recently released film - The Bouncer.

6/10.

I have to say the gangster casting was very convincing and on point. Lior Geller's story's concept was good, but the screenplay had some issues. His directing was good, but his camera work was poorly captured with the non-stop shaky cam shots. Not sure if he's heard of a gimbal or a cam tripod, but it was really needed in 80% of this film, as I was getting a headache trying to stay focused on the main scenes. The score was decent, but overbearing and unnecessary in some parts. JCVD was great in this, although not much of his martial arts talent was showcased. For a B-grade film, it was decent. Would I recommend it? Sure, if you're a fan of JCVD, as this is better than some of his recent previous work. Would I see it again? Nope. It's a generous 7/10 from me

The beginning of the movie was really promising. Casting was great, people who were cast as the gang members were amazing, David Castañeda did an amazing job portraying Rincon. JCVD l, even though he didn't appear much in the first half, did a great job as well. The biggest problem was the camera man. Almost every shot was shaky and after a while, you couldn't ignore it anymore. I do understand that the budget was very low, but it's not hard to shoot scenes with steady camera. Also Elijah Rodriguez, in my opinion, was missing emotions needed in certain scenes. The ending wasn't that great as well. They could make it a little longer or add a few scenes. A little more action couldn't hurt too However, considering how low the budget was, they did a good job with the movie.

Yes folks. Never forget that this film was made, destined to straight to DVD market and streaming platforms, certainly not a theatrical release. And if you are a JCVD fan, hard boiled, die hard boiled fan, it will please you too, under the condition you accept that the JCVD here is not the same as in SUDDEN DEATH (1995). He plays here a war veteran, addicted to drugs, a perfect role for JCVD who himself, in real life, encountered more or less similar problems. So, I won't say any harm about this film, I like it, though I admit that the making is certainly not an Academy Awards potential contender.

This is not an engaging movie at all. It shows some promise at the start and teases, yet never delivers. JCVD is under utilized and does nothing of note. The shaky cam is well noted and just underlines the cheapness of the whole project. It would of been an easy 5* if JCVD just burst out from his passive shell just once.