Double Impact Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Double Impact Blu-ray Movie Review

When Van Damme mentions he can do the splits, just take his word for it.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 24, 2012

While never greeted with a rapturous response befitting a world-class thespian, Jean-Claude Van Damme made a welcome impression performing in low-budget actioners that didn’t tax his English language skills, focused primarily on his feats of strength and flexibility. He was a built guy with a thick accent and a wide-open face that could register fear and fury (not to mention a stupendous command of plausible confusion), and his early work benefited from that simplicity. His dominance began with “Kickboxer,” a 1989 martial art scrapper that brought Van Damme into moviegoer peripherals. It was a treat to see such a fresh face on the action scene, and his releases, while undeniably crude, were perfectly suited to the actor’s limited abilities. The recipe was simple: grunts, splits, and kicks. Sprinkle in some sentimentality and a nondescript baddie, and there was a successful Van Damme production. 1989 to 1991 were the prime years of development, highlighting the bruiser building a name for himself with minor yet profitable studio work, culminating with “Double Impact,” which was the first Van Damme vehicle to be blessed with serious studio faith. Columbia Pictures accepted Van Damme’s tried and true twins gimmick, planting the movie with a late-summer release date to see if the growing fanbase would turn out en masse for the Muscles from Brussels.

When a business deal in Hong Kong takes a criminal turn, infant twins Chad and Alex (played as adults by Jean-Claude Van Damme) are orphaned by villain Griffith (Alan Scarfe), with family bodyguard Frank (Geoffrey Lewis) able to secure the safety of the babies. Taking Chad to California, Frank offers the young man a happy life of karate classes and American comfort, blissfully unaware of the danger he narrowly escaped from. When word of Alex’s existence arrives, Frank drags Chad back to Honk Kong to meet with his criminally-inclined twin brother, hoping the two will bond and reclaim their rightful stake in Griffith’s stolen fortune. Combative but willing to deal with each other’s personality, Chad and Alex begin to disrupt their enemy’s underworld ties to gangster Zhang (Philip Chan), chipping away at the empire with help from Frank and Alex’s girlfriend Danielle (Alonna Shaw), a woman the short-tempered bruiser is extremely protective of.

Van Damme takes co-producing, co-story, co-writing, choreography, and starring credits in “Double Impact.” No wonder the film is fiercely determined to showcase his pouty sex appeal and face-smashing action prowess. If somebody else had control of the picture, I doubt we would witness a moment where Chad proves his Gumby-like flexibility for a crowd of excited ladies at his gym, with the camera capturing his superhuman splits in lurid detail, possibly confusing the target demographic for the film. It’s ridiculous yet undeniably impressive. Let’s see Steven Seagal try that one. In fact, let’s see Steven Seagal bend over and touch his shoes these days.

One has to approach “Double Impact” with a sense of humor. Clearly Van Damme was interested in designing a slightly doofy creation for himself, permitting the strongman a chance to stretch as an actor, attempting to play two roles of conflicting personalities. The divide is plainly addressed, dressing Chad up as a DayGlo-drenched Southern California dandy, while the heavily moussed Alex enjoys chomping on cigars and hulking out over the tiniest trials of the day (also questioning his brother’s sexual preference). It’s impossible to confuse the twins. Nevertheless, the cartoon effort is appreciated, keeping the feature modestly entertaining in its persistent broadness, although the picture is practically “Godfather: Part II” in terms of Van Damme’s lackluster filmography. Most the elements come together without much fuss here, displaying a production ease that satisfies the script’s request for as much suspension of disbelief as humanly possible.

Director Sheldon Lettich (who would go on to work with Van Damme on numerous occasions, creating a Scorsese/De Niro dynamic for the bottom-shelf generation) runs a relatively tight ship, generously serving up heated, nicely choreographed action beats, spreading the chaos all over sweltering Hong Kong locations. There’s also a pronounced sense of humor that helps to loosen the endeavor up, nudged along by Van Damme’s eagerness to maintain Chad and Alex’s idiosyncrasies with what little here passes for sibling banter, while dependably rubbery Geoffrey Lewis finds himself in stripes, refereeing the picture in the straight man role. Mercifully, “Double Impact” doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a slightly aware action festival, allowing the cast to move freely about between scenes of violence, even gifting weightlifter Cory Everson a supporting role as a villainous enforcer with lesbian appetites. She makes an interestingly intimidating impression -- no small feat considering this is a movie where Van Damme plays twins.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of problems to distract from the fist-first merriment. At 105 minutes, the picture feels strangely endless, needlessly caught up in the gears of its ridiculous plot, as though anyone is actually keeping track of the details. There’s also an uncomfortable mid-movie scene that finds Alex fighting visions of Chad bedding Danielle, proceeding to trash his home in a drunken stupor, visualizing a softcore porn moment between his brother and love that gives impatient male audiences exactly what they paid for: boobs. Well, twice the Van Damage too, but primarily boobs. There are a few indulgent, legitimately awful scenes of confrontation that keep the feature from becoming delightful junk food, most hastily arranged to beef up Van Damme’s screentime. But I supposed that’s to be expected with a star who’s practically involved with every single production department. I suspect he catered the shoot too.

Double Impact Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is satisfactory for a catalog title of limited importance to the studio. Fine detail is quite good, preserving facial particulars and the humidity of the locations, while fabrics retain texture. The clarity of the BD also brings out the limitations of the "doubling" effect, exposing the enormous seams of the work -- at one point, Alex is transparent as he argues with Chad. However, grimaces and make-up work are crisp and inviting, while locations are comfortably surveyed. Colors are slightly faded but adequate, boosted by the costuming and its extreme California pastels, while bloodletting brings a pop of red. Forest greenery also makes an impression, bringing some fresh air to the picture. Shadow detail is passable with some crush, though the presentation features an overall boost in brightness, losing fullness to the blacks. Print features mild debris.

Double Impact Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix represents a slightly subdued Van Damme Blu-ray event, lacking a bolder arrangement of surround punishment, reflecting its initial theatrical intent. A more intense sonic experience is missed, but the limited range of the mix successfully supports the visuals. Dialogue exchanges are crisp, satisfactorily clarifying accents and Van Damme's attempts to accentuate his dual performance, with nothing lost to distortion or chaos. Bass isn't hefty, but explosions and hard hits of violence offer some punch. Scoring is limited, keeping its distance, but registers with ease. Atmospherics are thickly rendered yet adequate, sustaining location particulars, while brutality is preserved in hearty sound effects.

Double Impact Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:41, SD) is included.

Double Impact Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Double Impact" is easily digestible and provides perhaps the most accurate snapshot of Van Damme's brief screen supremacy. Admittedly, he's fun to watch, especially when tragically lost in delusions of thespian might. Unlike his borderline immobile contemporaries, Van Damme carries a weird screen energy that's exploited splendidly here. He was never great with drama, lousy with the English language, but put the man in tight pants and surround him with Asian stuntmen, and there's pure joy to be had.