Reviews (52)

Kinda sad when you think about it
I feel that this movie was an okay movie because it is about my favorite thing in the world: Capoeira. I feel that the main character would be better if he was a real capoeira mestre, not some Karate Champion. The only parts worth watching are the first and last 5 minutes where you get to see roda in action. I am a self-taught capoeira student and I can play better than the goofs that they put in the movie. It is a good movie for capoeira newbies, but if you really want to know about REAL capoeira, research and find a mestre near you so that you can experience the exhileration of practicing such a beautiful art.

Axe camaradas!
This is a charming movie with a stupid storyline like those seen in most martial arts movies. But hey, the point is to see the hero beat the bad guys with some sweet moves, right? And this movie delivers just that. So why bother analysing it any deeper?

Mark Dacascos plays a young capoeirista (a guy who practises capoeira) who gets some misfit students onto the right side of the law by teaching them capoeira. Of course this leads to some showdowns between him and various criminal elements. And that's it, really. But capoeira is a beautiful sport to watch, and the movie is a good teaser for the real thing.

But Dacascos isn't really a capoeirista, and the movie misinterprets some of the basic elements of the sport. If you become interested in learning more after watching the movie, look up the nearest capoeira club in the phonebook and try it for yourself. I guarantee it will be an experience well worth your while! I speak from personal experience.

Great Introduction
Years ago I woked at a bookstore and had a customer request a book on Capoeira. I was intrigued by what I read, and wanted to see how it was performed.

I found info about this DVD online when I looked for an mp3 for the "Mazda" Zoom song & discovered it was a (badly mangled) version of one of the songs from this video.

So this is my first time seeing the actual art...the story-line sounds hokey, but it works because everything is beautifully choreographed by Frank Dux. It was a great introduction to an art form that is still little-known in the US.

My husband and I have watched it twice already tonight, it's fun,has great music, and made me wish to learn more about Capoeira.

Unassuming B-movie, great fun
ONLY THE STRONG (USA 1993): Upon returning home to Miami, a former Green Beret (Mark Dacascos) is employed by his local high school to rehabilitate some of its worst students by teaching them the art of capoeira (a form of martial arts from Brazil, using dance-like moves). But his work brings him into conflict with a local drug lord (Paco Christian Prieto), whose operations are threatened by Dacascos' interference...

A predictable B-movie plot is elevated above the routine by virtue of its slick presentation and interesting cast, all of whom turn in creditable performances under the assured direction of Sheldon Lettich (former scriptwriter of RAMBO III who went on to helm some of Jean-Claude Van Damme's most popular entries, including LIONHEART and DOUBLE IMPACT). The script - co-written by Lettich and Luis Esteban - provides a showcase for the visual artistry of capoeira, practised with genuine flair by DTV favorite Dacascos (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF), whose mastery of the form helps to win over some of the most problematic students at his former high school, now a crime-ridden wasteland whose faculty (led by Geoffrey Lewis, acting everyone else off the screen) is clearly at the end of its collective tether. A faint air of camp hangs over the entire enterprise, as ultra-buff Dacascos flaunts his pumped-up torso through a variety of tight-fitting vests (drool! slobber!) while facing off against ultra-butch Prieto (a real life martial arts instructor, making one of his first screen appearances), though ultra-cute Stacey Travis hovers around just long enough to blunt the film's relentless macho swagger and provide a fleeting romantic interest for Dacascos, thereby reassuring the movie's target audience that his character is entirely heterosexual. The film is naive, obvious and predictable, but it moves at a rapid clip and is well-staged thoughout, and the bone-crunching fight scenes manage to live up to every expectation. Good, catchy music score, too.

Fox's DVD is a no-frills affair, including both widescreen and fullscreen versions of the film, along with a trailer (curiously framed at 2.35:1, though the main feature is correctly framed at 1.85:1). Sound and picture quality are uniformly fine.

95m 52s
1.85:1 / Anamorphically enhanced
[Fullscreen 1.33:1 version also included]
DVD soundtrack: Dolby Surround 2.0
Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Stereo SR
Optional English subtitles and closed captions
Region 1

Excellent movie, a must see
This is my favorite Mark Dacascos' film. I been trying to find it on DVD for a long time and I'm so glad it finally was relased on this version. If you're a fan of Dacascos and enjoy to watch martial arts, this is a must, trust me. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Low Budget But Worth Every Penny
Van Damme portrays a streetfighter who gets caught up in the middle of a raw fighting hard hitting circuit.He keeps fighting to raise money for his brothers family who needs the money or they'll become homeless.The storyline is cheap and the flick itself is low budget but the fight scenes are supurb and the acting on Van Dammes part is excellent.In my opinion of course this movie is the greatest low budget action film available on the market today,if you like martial-arts films instead of explosions and basic killing spree action films than lionheart is your ticket to everything you want to see...Enjoy!

Another amazing van damme movie...WHAT A SHOCKER!!!
Let me just say....this is one of VAN DAMME's cheeziest but amazing movies other than kickboxer, bloodsport, and double impact.. But cheezy is good in this case... Van DAmme escapes from a military base in North Africa...and arrives in L.A. To visit his dead brothers wife. Since he is broke when arrived to L.A. he has to fight in order to make a living....!!! WHat a great Plot...so far.... Later on in the movie he becomes close with his brothers wife...and stays in L.A. The Action is pretty cool with good fight scenes....IF ur a true Van damme Fan you would buy this even if u never saw it....I mean just look at the cover for goodness sake!!!

Great fight scenes
This is one of Van Damms best. After hearing of his brothers death in America, Van Damm escapes the legeon in Africa to head for Los Angeles were he becomes a fighter in a no-holds-barred underground fighting circuit to raise money for his sister in law an his neese. There are many fights in different settings, wearhouses, parking garrages, fitness studios etc. I love the fight were Van Damm and another in shape guy have to fight at a pool party with lots of beutifull women standing around wearing nothing but G-string bikinis. The two must fight in an empty inground swimming pool with just a couple of feet of water in the deep end. they fight in speedos and bare feet. After a good fight Van Damm finally knocks the poor guy out cold in the water and draggs his lifeless body out of the water so he wont drown as the crowd of onlooker surounding the pool cheer for him. Personally, I would have rather he left me in the water to drown than to have to wake up and face all of those beutifull bikini clad women that I just got my you know what kicked in front of. In the end Van Damm fights the champion for enough prize money to make his family financially secure for life. Great movie.

One of Van Damme's VERY BEST-The Legionnaire Avenger
Do not be misguided by the fact that this movie was shot back in 1989, and thus be led to assume that this is another one of the low budget, b-movies that Van Damme used to make in the 1980's.

AWOL/Lionheart, is arguably his best film ever.

The story begins in what is a typical modern Legion Etrangere camp somewhere in North Africa. Van Damme plays a ranker soldier, Leon, who is serving in one of the Legion's crack North African detachments. Here, we get the very rare glimpse of what is like to be a modern Legionnaire: Both the scenery and camp are very realistic, rigid discipline prevalent, with emphasis being put on the soldiers' perfect fitness through physical training and manual labour.

Suddenly, Leon receives a letter from his only brother's wife who lives in the USA, informing him that his brother was beaten to death by some villains, and that she needs someone both to avenge his death and take care of her and her little daughter.

Rigid almost inhuman discipline in the Legion is once again underlined, when Private Leon asks to see his Commanding Officer, an impressive blond Frenchman, every inch a soldier. After hearing the reasons why Pvt. Leon asks for a leave, his CO coolly denies on the grounds that he firstly needs him "down here", and secondly that Pvt. Leon's contract with the Legion excludes furloughs.

From here onwards, the movie ceases to be static, and becomes a fast paced action adventure, as we follow Van Damme's risky escape from the camp to some North African muslim seaport, where he seeks to obtain passage on one of the Merchant Ships there, to the USA. In the meantime, his French CO has reported him as AWOL, and he has ordered two of his best NCO's to locate and return the deserter back to his unit.

Van Damme evades his pursuers, and signs on a 1950's Steam Turbine General Freighter as a Wiper, in order to pay for his passage.

When he finally arrives in the USA, we see him wandering the streets of New York, dressed in Navy fatigues looking for a job. He finally makes his way under a bridge, where the odd black bookmaker is staging a no-holds barred street-fighting tournament of sorts. The bookmaker, seeing Van Damme's incredible physique, suggests that he should fight in the next match in return for a fee. Asking his name, Van Damme replies slowly in French, "LE-ON", whereupon, the bookmaker hears "Lion" and proclaims him the "Lion". Thus, a new street-fighter star is born.

Van Damme, keeps fighting for profit, and his successes attract the attention of a gorgeous Nordic-American female manager, who is organizing fights for the entertainment of the Jet-Set NYC citizens. She falls in love with him, and acting as his manager, arranges his participation in high-class private fighting matches for the rich. Van Damme wins fame and glory, but his mind is always with his dead brother, and his widow and daughter.

After doing a lot of digging, he finally manages to locate his brother widow and daugter, whereupon one of the most touching scenes of the movie take place, when Van Damme meets his brother's daughter and widow, amid hugs and celebration.

But, his pursuers from the Legion, follow close behind, looking for a chance to seize him. Finally, they manage to track him down, in some makeshift arena where Van Damme is about to meet the late World Wrestling Federation Champion Andre the Giant, in a match to the death, which would be the culmination of his career as U.S. fighter. As the match progresses, we see the two Legionnaire NCO's, formerly his bitter enemies, having changed into stalwart supporters of his, witnessing first-hand his bravery and fighting skill.

After the match is over, the French NCO's make themselves known, and take Van Damme into their custody, despite his brother's widow protests. Then follows the most touching scene in the film, with Van Damme hugging his brother's daughter, tears flowing in his eyes. The scene is so compelling, that even the tough French Legionnaires, after looking each other, cannot avoid to shed the odd tear.

After putting Van Damme in the car, the French NCO's drive only about half a mile down the road, when the car stops suddenly, and Van Damme is set free, in order to return to his dead brother's family.

A truly great movie, one of Van Damme's few movies, which I enjoyed seeing over and over again. The movie will be loved by, not only from those who admire the French Foreign Legion, but from martial arts fans as well, not to say anything of Van Damme's fans, who will absolutely love it. It is one of these rarest of the rare low budget movies that, having started with meager resources, by luck and hard work are turned into pearls.

The hero's devotion and love to his only brother, deeply touched me, and I think also struck a chord deep within the souls of all who saw it. I do not think that there is a single man, who would let his dead brother's wife and daughter suffer, no matter if one was half the planet away from the other. Sometimes, duty to the dead brother's family comes first from duty to country.

A truly outstanding movie:buy it.

Van Damme doing his thing
His earlier work is what has always appealed most to me and I was not disappointed with this one. It's kinda cheesy, but it's a Van Damme flick, so what were you expecting?
It's a lot like Bloodsport and Kickboxer in regards to the story line. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jean-Claude Van Damme gets a kick out of himself in this clever if barely competent action thriller, in which the likable Muscles from Brussels plays twin brothers separated at birth by a murderous Hong Kong crime syndicate. While the genial Chad lives the posh life as a California aerobics instructor, his sibling Alex chews fat cigars back in China, running a mahjong parlor and making some extra bucks as a smuggler. A quarter-century after being sent to different corners of the globe, they reunite and decide to seek vengeance against the cartel that killed their parents. From there the story and action set pieces are fairly predictable, but that hardly matters since the film's real appeal is in the amusing way the two Van Dammes deal with sibling rivalry, especially where women are concerned. Van Damme, seeking his box-office breakthrough at the time, might have received more of a commercial boost had this movie simply been directed with greater professionalism. The lighting, editing, and shot selection are often ridiculously below the standard of low-budget features. But Double Impact does have its compensations, especially in the casting of leather-clad Cory Everson and exemplary villain Bolo Yeung as a pair of killers who cross the twins' path. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Some Damme good action and fighting!
"Double Impact" was one of the first Van Damme movies I saw, and it was the one that made me a major fan of fighting movies in general. Jean-Claude Van Damme plays two roles in this action packed fighter. Two identical twins were separated when they were only a few months old after their parents were killed. Frank (Geoffrey Lewis) brings them together after 25 years of separation. The charismatic Chad (Van Damme) and the troubled Alex (Van Damme) collide at first, especially when Alex suspects that Chad might be trying to take something real valuable away from him. But they do have a couple of things in common other than their looks. They both have the same enemies, and they're both GREAT fighters.

Yeah yeah, critics, non-fans, and even fans alike, all say that Jean-Claude Van Damme is a terrible actor. I don't know about everybody else, but I thought Van Damme did a good job portraying Alex (the evil twin) in this movie. But then again, when it comes to fighting movies, I don't care about great acting, I want to see some great fighting and action sequences, and "Double Impact" has tons of them!

All in all, "Double Impact" might not feature the greatest effects, acting, or plot, but it does have some of the best fighting! If you like fighting movies at all, get "Double Impact." It's damme good!!

Damme good action, make that double
After break through movies like Kickboxer and Bloodsport, I knew this French-Candian martial artist is hardcore. I still remember the summer this movie came out, my entire family went to the local theater for the debut of "Double Impact". And what an Impact this movie has made on me.

I begin to take karate lessions after I got a double dosage of this action flick. Van Damme is a genius for presenting twice the action through the concept of twin brothers. This way, every scene includes him no matter what.

The story is cool, and it takes us to Hong Kong (one of my favorite countries in the world)... I enjoyed this movie alot.

ay of irvine

Jean-claude victory
another Jean-claude van damme classic,tw0 jean-claudes? which is good? whos the wimp? Just watch the movie

2 Van Damnes
I liked this movie,Van Damnes brother is,well u wont believe it,Van Damnes brother is Van Damne.This was another great Van Damne movie,this is worth watching.

Brilliant Cheese for the action junkie!
I remember this one like it was yesterday; one of the earliest Van Damme vehicles that actually involved something approaching a modest budget (well, they total two Mercedes in one scene) and a script!

What this film did right was the inclusion of multiple villains, necessary not only because there are two Van Dammes, but because all of the classic martial arts films involved many enemies as well. Recurring VD villains include Peter Malota (the Spanish fighter in later film "The Quest"), whose blue-lit kickboxing scene with Jean-Claude is one of the best in recent memory, and famed "Enter The Dragon" baddie (and longtime martial arts staple) Bolo Yeung.

It helps that Van Damme also has veteran character actor Geoffrey Lewis on board; that kind of gruff, Sam Elliott presence makes up for a lot of acting acumen that is lacking in the rest of the cast. Peter Scarfe stars as the embodiment of evil, and Alonna Shaw as the embodiment.

The pacing is good; the script has some howlers, and the shooting locations are to die for. Look for a very early cameo by Julie Strain! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

better than expected from a Van Damme wannabe
I bought this movie for [$$$] bran-new so I guess for that price it's worth the money. It's basically a story that's been done a million times before. You know the assassination of a political leader, the cover-up, framing the good guy, the whole sha-bang. Daniel Bernhardt's acting is exactly what I expected. As Good as Jean Claude Van Damme's, which is not excellent. He probably didn't get an academy award for best actor in this move. I think this movie is better than some of his other ones that I've seen, though. The real reason I think to see this movie is for the villians. There's Robert Englund, who everyone knows him...that's right, he was in Urban Legend. Then there's that psychotic-looking Brian Thompson. You may recognize him from movies like Cobra, Hired To Kill, Lionheart, and in his younger days, one of the punks in Terminator. (he's the other punk besides Bill Paxton) If you were to pick on Daniel Bernhardt movie to watch just because there's absolutely nothing else to watch, then I'd recommend this one.

Saturday Afternoon Matinee
As B-movie action flicks go, Perfect Target, is pretty good. Most everyone knows who Robert Englund is. And even if you don't know Brian Thompson's name, you will definitely recognize him. But, the story centers around a dispossessed ex-Green Beret (Bernhardt) living in a small South American country. He is recruited by Englund to join a team of mercernaries hired to protect the country's president. He butts heads with a local Federale (Jim Pirri) and things heat up even more when he begins to fall in love with the Federale's sister. She is the leader of a band of freedom fighting guerrillas. It's a world where power is fleeting, loyalties are constantly changing, and trust is hard to come by.

There are some good action sequences with the actors doing most of their own stunts. (Watch for the soldier falling off the garden wall. That stunt alone cost the movie one star in my rating.) Englund proves he can be frightening even without Freddie make-up. Bernhardt is believable as the cynical, world-weary Benson.

The real treat here is Jim Pirri as Miguel Ramirez. He not only turns in a rock-solid acting performance, but slow motion playback on his fight sequences reveal he is also a skilled stunt performer. That, his athleticism, and his smoky good looks make a winning combination. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Not a chop socky action-fest....But still good
This movie without a doubt has the least amount of action sequences in it then any other Dolph Lundgren movie. And the one that it does have is very short,but skillfully done. Still the movie is never boring. Even though the movie at times does not make since its still has a fairly decent script with solid acting. Definatly worth a rental, and by no means Dolphs worst film.

Action-less action movie
I've seen several of Doplh Lundgren's films. SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO had to have been one of his best, and he excelled as the cop who I nicknamed "SGT. SAMURAI". I also liked some of his other films like SWEEPERS, and Lundgren made a great bad guy in UNIVERSAL SOLDIER.

These days, he's suffered the fate of so many karate stars out there to be condemned to only direct-to-video films. He may never be in another theatrical fim again, but that doesn't mean he can't still make good films. I rented this and popped it into the DVD player, having read reviews of it on .... There, it was classified as an action;martial arts;science fiction hybrid, and that appealed to me. I rented WARRIOR hoping to see some of Lundgren's kung fu on display in an exciting action film.

And that's the problem. This movie has much less action than Lundgren fans and Lundgren himself deserve. Oh, what little action there is in this flick is pretty well staged and has Lundgren showing off his martial arts prowess, and earns this film 2 stars in my book. The story is pretty clever to. An earthquake separating California from the mainland U.S., and it is then overrun by inmates of the maximum securiy prison.

That sounds like the perfect setup for an action film, doesn't it? Of course. So why didn't the filmmakers get it right. Didn't they know that action films THAT HAVE ACTION are popular for a reason? Apparantly not. This is the kind of action film that was made in the days when guys like Davey Crockett were popular. Thank God we've gotten past that.

Lundgren's career seems to be at a crossroads now, not so much because he's stuck doing direct-to-video, but because he did this movie. I have no doubt that his other films and his next film will better more enjoyable than this, but if he does continue to make this kind of action film, where the action is running on empty, he may be demoted further from direct-to-video to released-on-video-after-sitting-on-the-studio-shelf-for-three-years.

A movie of epic terror... for anyone forced to watch it
Seldom is a film so bad that I waste my time reviewing it, but this action fiasco is simply so horrible it's worth the effort. I am a fan of the post-apocalyptic genre, and while I've never ranted at the Academy for overlooking him at Oscar time, I have on enough occassions enjoyed Dolph Lungren that I thought we had a chance here. Ninety minutes later, I was ready to go find someone to give me a hug and make me forget having ever seen it. This film fails in every possible way, and action film with no action, a post-apocalyptic with only passing reference to peril and no cool costuming eye candy, a war story with no discernable plot or point, a romance with all the chemistry of a stale pop-tart. This film couldn't even manage to be offensive. I'm sure everyone shares blame in it, the writers, the actors, the director. For goodness sake, if you have some critical need to see this, be it Dolph Lungren fan or masochism, wait for a tv broadcast. Waste as little money as possible.

Okay, Not Great
Dolph is the leader of a group of survivors living on an army base after an earthquake isolates California from the rest of the US.

I love Dolph in just about everything, but this movie really suffered from the lack of a decent script.

The writer, just couldn't seem to decide whether to do a 'survival' film, mad max, or some something like the "Stand." What we get is a hodge podge of several decent ideas, with none of them actually going anywhere. Dolph limps valiantly through the storyline, trying to hold it together, with dialog revolving around eating cans of alpo and finding water. Plot threads are left hanging like tinsel.

This movie would've been much better, if they had made it a straight action flick, and left out the hordes of urine drinking, heroin-shooting inmates.

I give this movie 2 stars, for what it could've been.

Flawed but Lundgren's best since Blackjack
The Last Warrior starts of pretty good as Dolph Lundgren explains what has happened......which a earthquake destroys the USA and turns the california into a wasteland...........and to top it all off a group of crazy prisoners are looking to kill Dolph Lundgren and his platoon..........The first flaw is the actionscenes (The lack of) When I rent a Dolph Lundgren movie I wanna see the guy kick ..........I may have been spoiled by The Punisher and Blackjack but I really miss him not kicking the ... out of somebody..........Second of all is the story doesn't make sense. And the acting by everybody not named Dolph Lundgren is cliched and trite..........Overall the best way to enjoy this is as a B.movie and despite the lack of action it's better than that turkey "Agent Red" The Last Warrior at least boasts some originality........It's better than Jill The Ripper in the fact that it isn't boring. It'd better than Storm Catcher in the fact that it isn't as rushed and poorly executed.....I guess I am basicly reviewing this for Dolph Lundgren fans who have seen those flicks....I won't say that The Last Warrior is as good as Blackjack or Bridge Of Dragons but The Last Warrior is better than The Minion,Storm Catcher,Sweepers,Jill The Ripper and of course (Shudder) Agent Red..........Overall The Last Warrior won't knock your socks off but it won't leave you stunned by the badness of Agent Red. Footnote:My rating would be a 3.5 by choice not a 4. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jean-Claude Van Damme may never have risen to the top ranks of action stars, but his movies have been consistently enjoyable--partly because they don't take themselves too seriously. In The Order, Van Damme plays a thief of religious artifacts whose archeologist father has found the lost scripture of a mysterious religious order. When the old man is kidnapped, Van Damme soon finds himself cruising around the twisty streets of Jerusalem, getting into dynamic kickboxing battles while disguised as a Hasidic Jew. With the help of a beautiful Israeli cop (Sofia Milos), Van Damme uncovers a plot within the religious order that leads to secret catacombs beneath the holy city. Silly? Perhaps, but directed with vitality and surprising wit. Van Damme is trim and energetic, Milos is engaging, and a cameo by Charlton Heston (!) only adds to the general atmosphere of spunky fun. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (26)

BETTER THAN THE USUAL DEFINETLEY!
IN this movie Jean-Claude seems to have taken a different approach,which is a good thing and he needed to do it really.Instead of the usual moody same moves different haircut and cheesey dialog ,he has attempted to play a slightly comic character,who is a bit of a rogue and a bit of joker.Ok so he is no comedy genius,but the change works.He also meets up with a sexy feisty female cop who proves to be engaging and i thought looked slighly like madonna(a good thing).The plot revolves around his father's involvement with ancient artifacts and a mysterious cult etc but the locations look good and the action and fight sequences are nice and fast moving and energetic.Also,brilliantly there seems to be no sign of slow-motion repeating spinning kicks to the head that Jean-claude's previous movies seemed to make a cliche.So he needed to do something different.Legionnare didn't work,i would say this does.But bear in mind this reviewer is an on/off Van Damme fan.

Another silly Van Damme film, but fun...
Director Sheldon Lettich and Jean-Claude Van Damme are reunited in "The Order," a silly action movie that, despite a nice budget, went direct-to-video because, let's face it, Van Damme just can't get a box-office grab like he could with "Timecop" and "Universal Soldier." But the film looks nicely polished and it's pretty short, with action scenes kept to a maximum, just the way I like it. The plot is ridiculous, but most of JCVD's films are. This one has him travelling to Israel, I think, and doing battle with a cult that wants to destroy him and his father. Not a complete failure for Van Damme.

The Order: An Indiana Jones Rip-off, but still ok.
Synopsis:
Rudy Cafmeyer (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is an international artifacts smuggle whose father is a well known museum Curator. When Rudy's father (Vernon Dobtcheff) goes missing mysteriously in Israel, Rudy embarks on a quest to find him. The end result is a confrontation with a lovely Israeli police officer named Dalia (Sofia Milos), the loss of a couple friends and being wrapped up in a religious conspiracy involving a strange middle eastern cult and a cultist (Brian Thompson) with nefarious plans.

About the Movie:
If you're looking for a well written, well thought out, well acted action flick, this isn't really it. But really, are we surprised? It has Van Damme in it.

In fact, The Order is something of a rip-off of the Indiana Jones movies. You have the archeologist father who goes missing, a son looking for him, a weird religious cult, and a lost religious treasure . . . Nothing new here, well, except for maybe the martial arts element.

But it's not all bad, making up for a silly, clichéd and completely unoriginal plot by having a few very enjoyable moments. Van Damme is an entertaining martial artist and while his fight scenes aren't as flamboyant or entertaining as, say, Jackie Chan's, he holds his own quite well. Van Damme even gets to engage in a sword fight in this movie, which is probably the first time I've seen him do that. I bet you can't guess who wins it.

The best scene in this movie, partly because the musical score adds so much to it, is the one where Van Damme is masquerading as a Hasidic Jew, with a beard, hat and curly hair, then has to run from the police through the middle of crowded Jerusalem. There's something very goofy about the whole sequence that makes it quite comic and a lot of fun to watch.

Charleton Heston has a cameo in this movie as well, both as the narrator of the opening teaser and in a role later on. Unfortunately, it has him dying rather senselessly in the first 3rd of the movie, wasting the talents of a great and notable actor. It would have been wonderful if Charleton could have played the role of Van Damme's father instead of Vernon Dobtcheff (who's put on accent was atrocious). Heston's such a solid actor, it was disappointing that he didn't have a more significant role.

The acting in this movie isn't great. Even Heston's role is a bit on the stagey side. And of course, Van Damme will never win any awards for HIS acting. But this isn't a movie you watch for the acting, and a lot can be forgiven since the attractive Sofia Milos plays the female lead and incidentally is probably the strongest actor in the film.

One strong point of this movie is the musical score (arranged by Pino Donaggio). It isn't on the level of top notch movie, but it's possibly better than many action movies have, blending humor and a real feel for its subject mater into what is at times, a masterful addition to the action sequences.

Overall, this is a brainless, sit down and have fun type of movie. There's certainly quite a few martial arts action movies of this type out there that beat this one hands down, but The Order has its high points and could be a lot worse.

About the DVD:
The Order comes in a plastic hard case on a double sided DVD with both fullscreen and widescreen versions in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. It has not been translated into any other languages besides its original English, though it does contain English and French subtitles. Both the video and audio transfer appear to be very good. Even on a high resolution screen, the video had only a little grain and few artifacts.

As far as special features, this movie has none except for three theatrical trailers, two being for other movies. It also has scene selections, though I don't count that as a special feature. Overall, this is a very basic, no frills DVD release.

Bottom Line: A unoriginal but somewhat entertaining film on a budget DVD release. 3 Stars.

The quest continues...
By now, looking for a well-written coherent plot in a Jean-Claude Van Damme film is a bit like seeking the Holy Grail. The Order, insures that the quest will continue.

This time, Van Damme is Rudy Cafmeyer, jewel thief and smuggler. When his father, an archeologist, disappears in Jerusalem, with an ancient scroll, Rudy is off to the Holy Land to discover his fate. Before too long, Rudy has left a trail of destruction that has the police firmly agitated. Police Lt. Dalia Barr (Sofia Milos from TV's CSI Miami) is assigned to watch over Rudy, and before long, they are teamed in the quest to discover the secret plans of a mysterious religious sect known as "The Order".

The screenplay co-written by Van Damme, has massive credibility issues and many logical flaws. Rudy more than once, exhibits a remarkable ability to heal at a superhuman rate. How many undiscovered underground treasure chambers are there left in the world, especially one that is so conveniently well lighted? Credibility of course, is not the major reason to see a Van Damme film, and the action scenes in this one are not bad. His trademark kickboxing is frequently on display, and for the finale, Jean-Claude does battle with a broadsword. Overall, this average Van Damme film, is a slightly below average action adventure.

Charlton Heston contributes a crusty cameo, and some voice over work as well. Cyrus, the renegade leader of the Order, is your stereotypical religious zealot, and is played by the numbers by Brian Thompson. Ben Cross appears to be close to scraping bottom here, as a corrupt cop.

The Order starts out with some promise, but soon begins to unravel. Van Damme, will probably never be taken seriously as an actor. Often his most humorous lines occur when uttering a profanity. Jean-Claude still has some physical skills, and is capable of better work, however unless he gets finds quality material, his fans will be continuing the quest.

Van Damnes worst
Im a big fan of Van Damne,but when i saw this movie i was really disapointed,the setting is dull,the story is dull and the guy he fights dull.I love Van Damnes other movie,but this is the only one that sux. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

better than expected from a Van Damme wannabe
I bought this movie for [$$$] bran-new so I guess for that price it's worth the money. It's basically a story that's been done a million times before. You know the assassination of a political leader, the cover-up, framing the good guy, the whole sha-bang. Daniel Bernhardt's acting is exactly what I expected. As Good as Jean Claude Van Damme's, which is not excellent. He probably didn't get an academy award for best actor in this move. I think this movie is better than some of his other ones that I've seen, though. The real reason I think to see this movie is for the villians. There's Robert Englund, who everyone knows him...that's right, he was in Urban Legend. Then there's that psychotic-looking Brian Thompson. You may recognize him from movies like Cobra, Hired To Kill, Lionheart, and in his younger days, one of the punks in Terminator. (he's the other punk besides Bill Paxton) If you were to pick on Daniel Bernhardt movie to watch just because there's absolutely nothing else to watch, then I'd recommend this one.

Saturday Afternoon Matinee
As B-movie action flicks go, Perfect Target, is pretty good. Most everyone knows who Robert Englund is. And even if you don't know Brian Thompson's name, you will definitely recognize him. But, the story centers around a dispossessed ex-Green Beret (Bernhardt) living in a small South American country. He is recruited by Englund to join a team of mercernaries hired to protect the country's president. He butts heads with a local Federale (Jim Pirri) and things heat up even more when he begins to fall in love with the Federale's sister. She is the leader of a band of freedom fighting guerrillas. It's a world where power is fleeting, loyalties are constantly changing, and trust is hard to come by.

There are some good action sequences with the actors doing most of their own stunts. (Watch for the soldier falling off the garden wall. That stunt alone cost the movie one star in my rating.) Englund proves he can be frightening even without Freddie make-up. Bernhardt is believable as the cynical, world-weary Benson.

The real treat here is Jim Pirri as Miguel Ramirez. He not only turns in a rock-solid acting performance, but slow motion playback on his fight sequences reveal he is also a skilled stunt performer. That, his athleticism, and his smoky good looks make a winning combination. ... Read more