Point d'impact

Why did Van Damme make this? Maybe he just had some free time or he agreed to make it if they let his son co-star. Hopefully we never see his son teaming up with him in another movie. On the DVD making-of-featurette, they brag about all the special effects. This movie contains the fakest looking helicopter I have ever seen. At the end all the helicopters are real but it is just stock footage from another movie. This movie is very similar to "Agent Red" with Dolph Lundgren except Derailed lacks the sense of humor.

As others have commented, this is a blatant rip-off of THE CASSANDRA CROSSING (including a bridge climax!), as well as UNDER SIEGE 2. So there is nothing new here, to say the least. In fact, there's a lot that could be considered "old", such as cheesy modelwork and remarkably unexciting chase sequences. The "new" style effects (computer graphics) look equally as bad.

As for the martial arts, they are pretty uninspired for the most part (a lot of simple punches and relatively simple kicks), and are *very* badly directed, with the action in-your-face with the camera jiggling around to boot. These sequences aren't the only ones that don't make much sense in the movie. There are several jumps in the narrative that are jarring, and a few times where characters seem to die and soon afterwards come back to life.

How much lower will Van Damme go?

A train full of terrorists. A biological weapon. Sound familiar? Well it is due to the fact Derailed borrows most of its ideas and scenarios from other movies. Jean Claude Van Damme stars as a special agent trying to get a thief and her cargo from one point to another. Mode of transportation is a train and like most action fans will immediately think of is Under Siege 2. Of course that movie utilized this idea much better but we are working on a much lower budget. The cargo happens to be vials of a toxic nature that so happen to be wanted by the bad guys. This movie is strictly for hardcore Van Damme fans only. Essentially he is the only real saving grace of the movie as is Laura Harring who plays the thief. The biggest problem with this film? Everything else. Borrowed story, terrible editing, horrible cheap effects, sound design that needs to be heard to be believed. For i'm certain movie fans can pick up sound effects from other things that are used in certain spots throughout. JCVD should have skipped this one but he didn't and his fans get treated to this mediocre film. Not his fault of course but as a loyal Van Damme fan myself, even I thought this film was bad. Even if you can get passed the minor gripes and try to enjoy the movie, the editing and effects will make you think twice. Everything looks cheap and shoddy.The bad guys are stereotypical in every form and their deaths in some cases are over-exaggerated. Everybody makes bad films from time to time and this is at the bottom of Van Damme's filmography. It would have been a lot better in someone's else hands who understands how to use Van Damme and his talents correctly. Still just off of Van DAmme alone I'm giving this a 4 out of 10. The movie will pass some time if you are looking to kill some but you will be wondering how this movie derailed so bad.

Jacques Kristoff (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is an agent assigned to protect a woman, who stole a deadly virus in Slovakia, in a travel by train to Munich. His wife, his son and his daughter get in the train without previous notice to make a surprise party for him, as well as a group of terrorists, trying to retrieve the virus. While fighting, the virus is released in a wagon and the passengers get sick. This film is so dreadful that does not deserve much time in writing a review. The effects, dialogs, performances, direction are awful. The screenplay has lots of flaws. The grimace of the black terrorist is ridiculous and pathetic. Van Damme needs to retire. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): `Agente Biológico' (`Biological Agent')

While not the worst movie Van Damme has ever made, it is nothing more than a mediocre entry into the straight-to-video schlock-fest JC finds himself stuck in.

This is not so much a review of the movie, you can see from most of the other posts that this is an Under Seige 2 rip-off, with a little Outbreak thrown in for laughs. This is more a statement of the dreadful path this man's career has taken. This man was so close to becoming a major action star when he had a major brain fade and did Street Fighter. Every movie of his since has tanked at the box office, even the really good ones. After Universal Soldier 2 rolled around to stink up the box office, all his stuff has gone straight-to-video, good or bad. It is a sad testament. Maybe he should team up with a rap artist and make a movie. Hell, it worked for Seagal's career!

Rent it if you are a fan of JCVD, otherwise skip it.