BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

leplatypus i mean Jackie Chan not Jesus Christ!Indeed, it's a comedy kick movie set in Orient… honestly i am not fond of the action movies from the expandable cast but this one is not that bad! For me, there was 3 great things: 1) entirely shot on location in Hong Kong and that's fantastic for the exotic feeling: the sea, the jungle, the cultures...2) another attempt to do twins with a single one: lately, i keep watching movies using that trick: BTTF, Géaldine, Laurel & Hardy, Noomi, ... Here the result is not that bad, especially coming from JCVD who didn't attend Strasberg courses!3) the hot Alonna Shaw who is the perfect look alike of my famous shrink who crossed my way a long time ago! If i'm honest and remember well, it's this likeness that put me on the trail for this movie but it's another twin story...

adonis98-743-186503 Twin brothers are separated when their parents are murdered but 25 years later they re-unite in order to avenge their parents' death. I just finished Double Impact and wow this film does hold up really well even tho it's 25 years old and sure it does have your typical one liners and over the top action but it's a Van Damme Action Flick what did you expect? But like many people said this film is very underrated and the whole story was pretty cool having the same actor playing 2 roles and Van Damme did pulled it of really well with both performances and i really don't have any flaws or any actual problem with the movie it was funny, action packed and there's even a Bolo Yeung v.s Jean Claude Van Damme fight sequence that was really good and even scary at parts and overall the movie was really good (A+)

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com 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.

BA_Harrison Twin baby brothers Alex and Chad (Jean-Claude Van Damme) are separated after their parents are killed by hit men acting on the orders of greedy businessman Nigel Griffith (Alan Scarfe) and local triad boss Raymond Zhang (Philip Chan). Alex is raised in a local orphanage by French nuns while Chad is taken abroad by loyal friend of the family Frank Avery (Geoffrey Lewis). 25 years later, Frank—now the owner of an LA dojo where Chad is an instructor (and where pastel coloured gis are mandatory!)—tracks down Alex, reunites the brothers in Hong Kong and helps them to avenge the murder of their parents.Some might argue that Jean Claude Van Damme struggles to play one character convincingly, and that having him play two is not exactly the greatest idea in the world. Those people are wrong. Double the 'Muscles from Brussels' kicking ass, including his own, is actually one of the greatest things to happen in a 90s action movie. That's double the explosive action, double the corny one-liners, double the gun-play (with double the ammo), double the fight scenes and, ultimately, double the fun.Despite its silly set-up, Double Impact is a genuinely tough film, with very little comedy ala Jackie Chan's Twin Dragons; the colourful Hong Kong location not only allows for plenty of authentic flavour, but also enables the use of local stunt-men for whom a hard whack in the head is all part of a day's work. The action comes thick and fast, feet and fists regularly meeting face, making for some really convincing karate smack-downs. On top of all the martial arts mayhem, viewers are also treated to lots of brutal ballistic action, each bullet hit resulting in a delightfully bloody squib eruption.Star Van Damme might not be the greatest thespian to ever grace the silver screen, but he does surprisingly well in his dual roles, convincingly creating two distinctly different characters; he is aided in his task by some well executed special effects and the careful use of body doubles. The rest of the main cast are also very impressive: Lewis is as marvellous as always (the guy is a legend in my eyes just for giving the world Juliette), busty blonde Alonna Shaw gives the film sex appeal as Alex's plucky girlfriend Danielle, Chan and Scarfe ooze malevolence, and Bolo Yeung and female bodybuilder Cory Everson make for superb hench-people (does anyone play an utterly ruthless killing machine as convincingly as Bolo?).