This is not your average Van Damme flick. Its also not your average action/revenge movie either. There's no doubt that this is a huge step up for Van Damme. His acting is very impressive, in my opinion his best work yet and he is still in great shape and can perform the kicks, no problem. The story is simple but it gives more to you then it should. We get to see Van Damme's character completely break down, and for this you feel for him, which makes his revenge just as sweet as it is for him, for you. Aside from Van Damme the rest of the acting is pretty good. There are also some great fight scenes and car/motorcycle chases. Another thing I noticed is that this movie looked like it had a nice budget..100 times better then Derailed and better then In Hell..It was nice to see that Money was being dished out for Van Damme again. Anyway overall I give this a 10 for Van Damme's great performance, the stylish action and the way the story was executed. Van Damme fan or not, try and check this one out.

It was great to finally see the new Van Damme movie. I enjoyed this better than his previosu 1 - IN HELL.

Acting by VD was very good, along with everyone else. Though, the editing was choppy in some places, everything else abiut the movie was fine with me. Despite the fact that 'The End' shows up, when I thought it was pointless to put that up. It could have gone straight to the credits.

This is still 1 of Van Damme's best movies in a while.

This is the best action movie of 2004. This really should have gone to theatres here, considering how much crap that Hollywood releases now.

This is a must see, for Van Damme fans & action fans.

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.