The stage curtains open ...

"Double Impact" has got to be my most favorite of all the Van Damme movies out there. Jean-Claude shows some acting chops as he plays two very-different twin brothers, Alex and Chad Wagner. This film was very polished and highly produced and promoted, making it one of the best cinema attractions to his name.

When twin brothers, Alex and Chad, were babies, their parents were killed by a triad hit team, separating them in the process. Alex grew up on the streets of Hong Kong while Chad led an easier life being raised in France. Also there that night, was the Wagner's hired body guard, Frank Avery (Geoffrey Lewis). Frank reunites the two brothers 25 years later so that they can reclaim what is theirs and exact revenge on their parents' killers.

This was such a fun movie. It's very typical of martial arts action films which were so prevalent in the early 90's. Van Damme carried both roles well. The editing was top notch, especially where both brothers are in the same frame. The fight scene between the two brothers was done so flawlessly, it really made you think that Van Damme was fighting Van Damme. Also making an appearance is the ever formidable Bolo Yeung, in one of his better roles.

I have watched this movie so many times that I've lost count. This is a very high recommend. The fight scenes were choreography perfectly, the story was strong, the characters well cast and acted, the use of colors excellent, the cinematography and pacing spot on. Besides maybe Universal Soldier, this is Van Damme's best produced action fest. 9 stars out of 10.

The Muscles from Brussels takes a co-producer and co-writer credit on this routinely plotted but agreeable action picture. Van Damme plays twin boys, who were orphaned in the 1960s by thugs representing some greedy white collar criminals. One of them, Chad, ended up in L. A. where he got to live a fairly soft life. Alex, on the other hand, remained in Hong Kong where he became a street smart smuggler. 25 years later, their "uncle" Frank (Geoffrey Lewis) locates Alex and reunites the boys so they can have a classic bit of revenge - and reclaim what's theirs in the bargain.

All of the action is watchable if never truly inspired. There's a good deal of hard hitting violence (the naive Chad takes his lumps before the story is over),and plenty of effective squib action - not to mention a hearty helping of explosions. The exotic Hong Kong setting certainly helps a lot, as well. One sequence is particularly striking, and you can see bits of that in the trailer. And there's a fairly satisfying confrontation between Van Damme and martial arts icon Bolo Yeung, who plays Moon, a goon who ends up with a fake eye and a nasty scar due to Franks' intervention back in the 60s.

There's a certain degree of entertainment in watching Van Damme play two distinctly different characters. Thanks to some reasonably effective movie trickery - body doubles, special effects, and the like - we get to see the twins interacting regularly. Philip Chan, as crime kingpin Raymond Zhang, and Alan Scarfe, as the nefarious Nigel Griffith, are decent action movie baddies in the classic tradition. Both the blonde Alonna Shaw (as Alex's girlfriend Danielle) and the athletic brunette Corinna Everson (as henchwoman Kara) add much sex appeal. The eternally solid and reliable Lewis is a tremendous asset to the story, lending it an appropriate amount of respectability.

"Double Impact" may not be memorable in the end, but it sure provides a nice diversion for the better part of two hours.

Seven out of 10.

Yet another slice of Van Damme craziness, this one glossier and more B-movie-ish than the rest. The sheer unintentional humour value offered up by the fact that Van Damme plays twins make this film unmissable - the split screen work, where Van Damme converses with himself, is a must see. Aside from this unusual aspect, it's business as usual with Van Damme taking on a double quota of blonde bimbos and vicious enemies who die by the bucket load in various violent ways.

This film achieves due to some very slick action sequences which don't scrimp on the violence. Baddies are kicked, punched, stabbed, smashed in the face with bottles, shot, burnt, just about every death imaginable. On top of this there are some gratuitous sex scenes, plenty of cheesy dialogue and more ham acting than you can shake a stick at. Van Damme is as wooden as ever, but he's actually not that bad in the dual role and creates a believable rapport between the two brothers - aided, of course, by some nifty special effects. Geoffrey Lewis, father of Juliette, who you may remember from countless westerns and thrillers of years past, enjoys himself as Van Damme's ageing sidekick. The other imposing presence comes from the mighty Bolo Yeung (BLOODSPORT),always a formidable opponent, who has a fantastically brutal fight with Van Damme at the end of the film!

I loved this B-movie. Every aspect is enjoyable - dumb, yes, but eminently enjoyable. The showdown gives us a chance to watch the chief baddies die some very unpleasant - and fitting - deaths. This has to be one of my favourite Van Damme films because it achieves what it sets out to do - namely providing lots of hard-hitting action, some goofy plot twists, bad acting, and lots of big explosions. And what more could you possibly want?