Double Impact (1991)

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Absolutely Fantastic

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I grew up watching the action movies of the iconic 1980s and 1990s action stars, such as Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Seagal and of course also Van Damme. So I am no stranger to "Double Impact", and have watched it numerous times already over the years since it came out in 1991."Double Impact" is sort of a classic Van Damme movie, and it is definitely is a very memorable movie.The story is about two twins, Chad and Alex (both played by Jean Claude Van Damme) whom are separated at birth because of Hong Kong criminals killing their parents. Chad is taken to Los Angeles by Frank Avery (played by Geoffrey Lewis), while Alex remains in Hong Kong. The twins are reunited in Hong Kong 25 years later, as Frank Avery sets up a meeting between them in order to exact revenge on those who killed his employer and the parents of the twins. Alex has grown up on the streets of Hong Kong to become a street smart criminal, while Chad has become a tutor at a gym."Double Impact" appeals to me on many levels; first of all because it is a Jean Claude Van Damme movie from the Pinnacle of his career, but also because it has good action sequences and a great amount of fighting and martial arts.The movie works out even better for me as it is set in Hong Kong, as I have a special affinity to Hong Kong. And it also helps greatly in favor of the movie that they got some nice Hong Kong actors to star in the movie as well.While we are on actors and actresses, then "Double Impact" does have some rather interesting performers, which include Jean Claude Van Damme, of course, but also the likes of Geoffrey Lewis, Alan Scarfe, Philip Chan and Bolo Yeung.There is an abundance of action and fighting throughout the course of the movie, which was a trademark of the Van Damme movies of that era. And "Double Impact" delivers as expected, actually it delivers double, as there are two Van Dammes here! "Double Impact" is an action movie that you can watch again and again, and it never gets old. Sure, some of the scenes where Jean Claude Van Damme was appearing as both Chad and Alex on the same time was clearly manipulated, and it was clear to see. But that is bearable, taking into consideration the age of the movie and the technology available for having one actor appear as two characters on the screen simultaneously.Highly enjoyable if you enjoy the action movies from the 1980s and 1990s. Definitely one to take the time to sit down and watch if you haven't already seen it.

For the early part of Jean-Claude Van Damme's film career when his popularity began to rise, there was one person Van Damme frequently was associated with. That man was Sheldon Lettich, a director, writer and producer to some of Van Damme's early successes like Bloodsport (1988) and Lionheart (1990). Yet even with Lettich not taking part in all of Van Damme's productions, a number of the same writing elements worked their way into each screenplay. Up to this film, almost every film starring Van Damme portrayed a character who had nothing to lose and went into a situation that seemed practically hopeless but pulled through despite the odds. Initially, this formula works a couple times but it does become apparent very quickly. Interestingly enough, this movie has a number of similarities as well, but in some ways it also feels like it's parodying that to some degree.Again directed and written by Sheldon Lettich along with Van Damme, the story is about two brothers named Chad and Alex Wagner (played by Van Damme) who end up being separated as babies after a mob hit on their family because of a construction agreement between China and the US. Fathering Chad in the US is Frank Avery (Geoffrey Lewis) a good friend of his parents. As for Alex, his childhood took place in China where the mob hit happened. After 25 years, Frank and Chad head to China and meet up with Alex and his girlfriend Danielle Wilde (Alonna Shaw). Together they search for the truth to whether the mob hit was due to protest or if it was from the inside, ordered by Nigel Griffith (Alan Scarfe). Watching close by is another deadly archenemy of the Wagners named Moon (Bolo Yeung) who acquired an equally deadly looking scar from Avery during the mob hit. As an overall product of the story, it's entertainment fluff. Like stated before, the writing uses the usual Van Damme formula and somewhat puts it on its head.Again, Van Damme plays a character(s) with nothing to lose (other than one friend) and set out to get back what's rightfully theirs. There's also a subplot where Alex becomes jealous about his brother who believes he's out to sleep with his girlfriend (it doesn't go far). The most noticeable problem in the writing is that the motivation to attain what is rightfully the Wagner brother's is ultimately lost in the execution. Like several other Van Damme flicks, the whole run time is based on revenge and that's it. There's nothing more than that but once it's realized, the story feels kind of shallow. The characters do help the story though. Jean-Claude Van Damme as two brothers would seem unnecessary but he ends up pulling it off decently. Van Damme plays both characters like they know how to use firearms and fight. Chad is more innocent by nature than his brother. Alex on the other hand is a much more gruff and no-nonsense type of guy. It's also nice with the distinguishable contrasts between them, that way viewers will know the difference.The other two actors who give the film an entertainment boost are performances by Geoffrey Lewis and Bolo Yeung. Geoffrey Lewis has always had underrated roles in film and this one is no different. Lewis playing the father figure to one of the Van Damme characters is mostly believable and they both have acceptable chemistry on screen. It's difficult not to enjoy Lewis' roles. The same goes for Yeung who continuously casts himself in villain roles. Although Moon is nowhere near as memorable as his role in Bloodsport (1988) as Chong Li, Yeung still looks like he had fun and his presence is still one that is not to be messed with. The action is nicely integrated into the direction of the film. There are plenty of shootouts and fistfights, all of which show Van Damme's skill. And yes, for those who have to see Van Damme doing his signature split, he does that too. The cinematography looked competently shot too. Behind the camera for this production was Richard H. Kline best known for his work on The Andromeda Strain (1971), The Mechanic (1972), King Kong (1976), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and Body Heat (1981). There's a mix of shots that range between Hong Kong China and island rendezvous points that look gorgeous due to the sheer lushness of the tropical landscape. Plus, Kline's work and with several tricks, the ability to keep Van Damme playing two characters at once looks real. There's only one questionable shot that looks spliced on top of each other but everything else looks like it was Van Damme had a twin. The music was a disappointment though. Composed by Arthur Kempel, the orchestral cues sound organic but there really isn't much to say about them other than it sounds like it belongs to a movie and has music appropriate for the setting with several percussion instruments. It is quite forgettable.The story takes other elements from previous Van Damme films and turns it on its side with Van Damme playing his own double. It is different and it works out but its execution just leads to more action fluff, which isn't bad, just empty. The characters are likable along with forgettable music, but that's it.

Alex (Van Damme) and Chad (Van Damme) are twins who were separated at six months old when their parents were murdered by gangsters. Alex became a ne'er-do-well in Hong Kong while Chad became a pretty-boy aerobics instructor in L.A. Convinced to go to Hong Kong to find out the truth, Chad meets Alex, and Yin meets Yang. The two men, despite being brothers, couldn't be more different, and conflicts ensue. But it's all in the name of getting revenge for their slain parents. But it's going to take double the power to take down evildoer Moon (Yeung). Will you feel the impact? Probably one of the better movies (of the five total) where Van Damme plays two roles, Double Impact has JCVD as the happy-go-lucky Chad, with his absurd pastel outfits and tiny pink shorts, as well as the gruff, cigar-chomping Alex. If you've ever seen The Patty Duke show in reruns, you know the "show the back of the other character's head" style of portraying the two men. The movie wastes little time in having Van Damme do one of his trademark splits (while wearing a leotard, naturally). Chad is the fish out of water in Hong Kong (and the movie sports some great Hong Kong locations and photography), just one side of the coin that is Jean-Claude Van Damme.This is also one of the many team-ups of Van Damme and director Sheldon Lettich. But at almost two hours, the movie overstays its welcome and is just too long. You know what they always say - double the Van Damme, double the running time. Though the movie drags at times, it also has just enough cool moments to make this a roller-coaster of peaks and valleys.The rest of the cast is worthy too, as Bolo is here looking great, Cory Everson plays the bodybuilder who is also in the hard-to-find Ballistic (1995), and Alonna Shaw plays the eye candy - at one point the movie basically stops so it can become like a Playboy video for her. The movie naturally concludes in the time-honored steam factory, and characters even throw barrels at each other, a la Double Dragon. Double Dragon - Double Impact... coincidence? I think not...! After the extensive running time, there is a freeze frame and the C + C Music Factory-like song, "Feel The Impact", by Gen plays. By our estimation, Double Impact is kind of hit-or-miss. It's a decent enough idea, but not enough to support such a lengthy movie.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

Coming out during the twilight of Jean-Claude Van Damme's career, it was something less than impressive. But a decent time-waster at best and for the price of one we would get two Van Damme's on screen. Twins unknowingly separated, to only meet up again 25 years later. Nice. Where else could we see Van Damme beating himself up, feuding over things and eventually teaming up to kick-ass. And there's a lot ass kicking, as well gun blazing to go with the martial arts. That's John Woo style. Slow motion galore. Bullets. Blood. Bodies piling up. Add plenty of broken bones. And nose bleeds. The action is brutal and high-energy. Van Damme cops a real work out. Where he has a whole bunch of villains (a gleeful Alan Scarfe and spiteful Phillip Chan), their henchman and Triad gangs to get through. He goes up against an old foe; Bolo Yeung (of "Bloodsport" fame) and female athlete / body builder Corinna Everson whose choice of fashion is almost upstaged by Van Damme himself. Then we got a bodyguard who uses the spurs on his boot to inflict pain. While stuck in the middle of the two Van Dammes is the always enjoyable character actor Geoffrey Lewis and the ravishing blonde Alonna Shaw. The simple plot (which was co-written by Van Damme) is clean-cut by setting up the motivation at the beginning and then the twins unite to seek vengeance on those involved in the murder of their parents. Also for laughs there's numerous mistaken identity scenarios, Van Damme's colourful fashion sense (the lover-boy one) and the macho script likes to have people telling others to virtually get f**k. Set in Hong Kong, director Sheldon Lettich (who directed Van Damme a year earlier in "Lionheart") strikes up some local flavour, amazingly tough action bursts and all at a reliable pace. Bold, but standard Jean-Claude Van Damme 90s action vehicle."When you find them. Bring back their bodies".