Wake of Death (2004)

Very well executed

Undescribable Perfection

Simply Perfect

Brilliant and touching

One of the best and most ignored JCVD films. Angry, dramatic, tragic... Every moment is shocking and unforgettable. JCVD shakes the screen in one of the best performances of his career. A very realistic and sad film noir. The point that Philippe Martinez brings to the film is indisputable.

After his wife is brutally murdered, an ex-cop wages war against the Chinese triads. Wake of Death is one of my favorite Van Damme films alongside Until Death that came out 3 years after this movie and those 2 films showed that Jean Claude Van Damme can act because he gave a pretty good performance in here plus the film had some pretty good dramatic parts delivered by Van Damme and the rest of the cast gave some pretty good and solid performances, of course the action is non stop hardcore and thrilling and the Mall chase scene with the motorcycles was actually handled really well done. Also the movie has a pretty great soundtrack and the main theme was a mix of drama and western so i liked that as well. Overall Wake of Death (2004) is a great action film and for a straight to DVD movie it does have some pretty quality, acting and fight scenes and even if you're not a big fan of JCVD i think you are going to enjoy the hell out of this film.

Director Philippe Martinez brings a touch of French class to what is a very unusual and striking revenge thriller, boasting some fine moments of originality, great camera-work, and top-notch performances. Now, these aren't things you'd usually associate with the likes of Van Damme and Seagal, whose recent films have all been straight-to-video fare. The good news is that Van Damme seems to be coming out of his rut, and, with this and IN HELL, making some of the best films of his career. The focus on these films, and what makes them so successful, is that Van Damme actually acts and gives a decent performance. Recently, he seems to be drawn to darker, more mature fare and he's been great, proving to be a stable, fleshed-out lead with whom the audience can really engage.WAKE OF DEATH borrows from modern Asian cinema in providing thrills which have a real dark edge, a real bite to them. The level of violence is pretty extreme, with shotgunned heads and nasty knife slashings. The film's darkest moment is in a gratuitously nasty torture sequence, in which a guy gets his just desserts when a French mob start working on his arms and knees with an electric drill. The blood spatters and gore sprays everywhere, making this possibly Van Damme's most violent film.The performances are good, with Van Damme's grieving widower equally matched by Simon Yam's cold-hearted gangster, who likes nothing better than slashing a woman's throat with his flick-knife. Van Damme's buddy Donny is also great. The action is over-the-top in places – the motorbike/car chases, for instance – but the stunts are good, the effects fantastic, and the physical battles brilliant. I especially loved the ending on the boat, which offers vintage thrills and spills. All in all this is a very good film with plenty to offer for those who can stand the intensity.

First of all I've been reading the bad comments to. Peeps, don't even bother to read those the contain so many typos, that it does not take a genius to figure out its been written by complete children. That have no taste for cinema or what so ever.Jean Claude, not my favorite why? Very simple, because call me a old movie lover. His best still for me was Bloodsport. The rest of his "euvre" was just popcorn entertaining. You don't watch a jean Claude movie for the great plots, or amazing acting. But for the fun of it, This movie however, stunned me pretty much.It showed, that Jean was capable of real acting. When he morns over his wife's death. One of the best pieces of acting I've seen a actor do in a long longtime. I think Gladiator, Russel crow did it amazing, but in this movie. The music is from Kruder and Dorfmeister. Plus points to because i LOVE that music. And so i recognized it at the first tone.Anyways in this movie, Jean shows for once that he is HUMAN. And not a guy that kicks 30 mens asses in the movie. To get to the big cheese and kick his ass to..the end.I think most people who see this movie. Will be surprised in a good way. If Jean did this acting 10years ago he would be a very respected actor by now! 8 points.The story OK given, no need to be a genius. But the acting, who ever says "crappy acting". Did not see much of Jean Claude, older movies, and properly never seen a good actor on the white screen at all. OK given its still not like a Brad Pit, or Edward Norton, or Robert De Niro, or Al Pacino.But Jean...good work and certainly a worthy DVD in my *big* collection!