Enemies Closer (2013)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It is hard to think that once Peter Hyams was considered to be a top ranked film director. In an era where films are shot in Toronto or Vancouver to pass themselves off as US cities. This film shot in the US/Canada border is actually shot in Bulgaria as it is even cheaper.Tom Everett Scott is a park ranger and ex soldier. Orlando Jones turns up in the wilderness lodge one night wanting revenge for the death of his brother who was in Scott's army unit.They are interrupted by French Canadian drug mercenaries led by the charismatic, eccentric and ruthless Xander (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who want to steal drugs from crashed plane in the sea.Scott and Jones have to put their differences behind them to take on the bad guys. However Xander is cunning and resourceful, Scott finds out that he cannot trust people that are close to him.The script and story is lame, Scott is bland. Orlando Jones was once a rising star, now doing direct to DVD pictures. Thankfully the film has a short running time, it at least zips along and there are some nifty action scenes.JCVD has fun playing the villain, he has some one liners but his hair and dye job is terrible and distracting.

INTRO: An enjoyable ride in line with most Van Damme fare these days.POSITIVES: Impressive opening shot. Peter Hyams is an underrated director who deserves more A-Grade vehicles to direct, yet he does what he can with what he's got here. As a Van Damme fan I was happy to see him in another villainous role which he delivered with vitality and zest. Good to see Tom Everest Scott too; it's been a while since I've watched anything with him in it. The plot and the setting played out well.NEGATIVES: I prefer Peter Hyams' darker cinematography, but he made well with what little budget he had. Not much to say on the negative front.OUTRO: Often a little low-budget film from a former heavyweight director with talent can be the catalyst for a surprisingly fun afternoon in front of the widescreen TV. Enemies Closer is one of those films.

"Running Scared" director Peter Hyams' "Enemies Closer" qualifies as a good, fast-paced action thriller that dares to be different.Unfortunately, it doesn't succeed as much as it could, but this ranks as an above average actioneer for the Muscles from Brussels. "Expendables 2" action-star Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a murderous villain named Xander as if he were on LSD. He wears his hair feathered around his head and he has a memorable entrance. Honest, Jean Claude is the best asset of the film. He must have had a blast hamming it up as the bad guy and his performance is as much a stretch for him as "JVCD." He retrieves fifty pounds of heroin from a river after a plane crashed. He runs afoul of Henry, the Park Ranger (Tom Everett Scott) and another guy, Clay (Orlando Jones) who has come to kill the Park Ranger. Seems that Clay's deceased brother served under Henry's command in war and he didn't make it back. Naturally, Clay holds Henry responsible and Henry is pretty broken up about it himself. Henry had taken the job as a Park Ranger so he can put himself as far away from humanity as possible. If the prospect of watching Van Damme as a non-marital arts villain is offbeat for any film so is the prospect of Tom Everett Scott having been an elite military commando. Nevertheless, Scott appears solid, and he handles himself with acceptable finesse, particularly in his close-quarters, hand-to-hand combat scenes. Clocking in at about 85 minutes, "Enemies Closer" has a surprise or two, other than its unusual casting, and Hyams never lets the pace drag. The biggest complaint about "Enemies Closer" is its adherence to tradition. Wouldn't things have been cooler if Van Damme triumphed over the heroes and left with his heroin. Now, what'd that have been an intriguing movie: let the bad ass villain win. Tony Morales' orchestral soundtrack captures the rugged, tough guys must die feeling. Lensed in Burgaria, but you'd never notice it.

'ENEMIES CLOSER': Three Stars (Out of Five)Jean-Claude Van Damme and director Peter Hyams team up for the third time (after 1994's 'TIMECOP' and 1995's 'SUDDEN DEATH') to make this 'buddy action movie', with Van Damme once again playing the bad guy. It also stars Tom Everett Scott and Orlando Jones as it's action hero leads and co-stars Linzey Cocker and Van Damme's son Kristopher Van Varenberg (who appears in all of his father's films as of late). The script was written by first time film writers Eric and James Bromberg and their inexperience shows. The most clever thing the filmmakers came up with (for this movie) is it's title; which is about the two main characters being enemies at first and having to team up to fight a more dangerous foe (referring to the popular phrase 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'). People don't watch a Van Damme movie for the writing usually though, if you're a fan of his performances you won't be disappointed here (it's one of his better ones).The story is set on the US-Canadian border where (as the film opens) a plane goes down containing a large shipment of drugs. Van Damme plays Xander, a crazy drug dealer who leads his ruthless cartel into the forest, near by the crash, to retrieve the missing drugs. Everett Scott plays an Ex-Navy SEAL turned forest ranger named Henry who becomes Xander's biggest obstacle. Henry's biggest obstacle (at first) is surviving the attempts on his life by a man named Clay (Jones), who blames Henry for the death of his brother (during combat). Henry and Clay must of course put their differences aside in order to outwit Xander, and his men, and save a young woman (Cocker) who recently took a liking to the ranger.It's interesting how Van Damme went from always playing the good guy hero in B action flicks to always playing the villain (in B action flicks). He started out his acting career playing the main bad guy in the 1986 karate film 'NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER' and the 1988 martial arts action movie 'BLACK EAGLE' but after he hit it big as the hero of 'BLOOD SPORT' (also in 1988) he became known as a likable good guy. Ever since then he's kept that image in movies, until his turn in 2012's 'THE EXPENDABLES 2'. He followed that up (the same year) by turning his good guy role (Luc Deveraux) in the 'UNIVERSAL SOLDIER' franchise into the bad guy in the fourth film 'UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING'. Now, with his performance in this movie, it seems like he loves playing the villain; he's so over the top and darkly comedic that he steals every scene he's in. He's the only real reason to see this movie (that and Hyams direction; he used to be a really good director). Everett Scott is horrible as the action hero lead (in this) and Jones is wasted. The young Van Damme and Cocker are all right but their parts are too small. The movie is worth seeing for Van Damme though; you'll love it if you're a fan!Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh0hmoLcuEo