Until Death (2007)

Directed by: Simon Fellows | 113 minutes | action, drama, thriller | Actors: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Selina Giles, Mark Dymond, William Ash, Stephen Lord, Gary Beadle, C. Gerod Harris, Wes Robinson, Stephen Rea, Alana Maria, Fiona O’Shaughnessy, Adam Leese, Rachel Grant, Maggie Eldred

Contrary to what you would expect from a film with ‘Muscles from Brussels’ Jean-Claude Van Damme (‘Time Cop’), ‘Until Death’ is not a martial arts film. No spectacular battle scenes, but still a lot of action. This time Van Damme plays a role he has never taken on before, namely that of a corrupt police officer; Anthony Stowe. Although he doesn’t seem to fit this role at first, he fulfills it in a fairly compelling way. This is mainly due to the anything but civilized manners of his character, which he clearly knows how to make his own. You can see that he empathizes well with his role and therefore he knows how to convince you of his acting skills.

The trailer for ‘Until Death’ gives a pretty good idea of ​​what to expect from the film. The storyline is clear and is partly supported by intriguing music. The dark and dark atmosphere that this film conveys also comes across well in the trailer, partly due to this sound and the spoken texts. Although the many fans of Van Damme might have wanted to see a little more action, the depth in the characters ensures that the story becomes more realistic and the viewer can empathize more with the characters. Stephen Rea, who broke through internationally after being nominated for an Academy Award for his role in ‘The Crying Game’ (1992), puts in a good acting performance. He plays the role of Callahan, criminal and ex-partner of Stowe, in a very convincing way. The camera work is also good and ensures that the action scenes come into the picture clearly and shockingly. Furthermore, the flashbacks of Callahan’s actions are strong and add just a little more drama to the film.

However, there are also drawbacks to be noted. The film is quite slow and long-winded at times. Although at those moments more attention could have been paid to deepening the emotions of the characters, this is not done. That could have made the film stronger and more realistic. Now ‘Until Death’ remains too much in the action genre with vague interruptions in which there could have been a bit more drama. There is also another carelessness: a bump on Anthony’s forehead suddenly appears on the other side of his face in a scene near the toilets. ‘Until Death’ is a great movie for an evening relaxing on the couch. with the mind and mind at zero. The storyline is not difficult to follow, you are immediately involved as a viewer. Jean-Claude will in any case know how to entertain his viewers. Three stars for this reasonable B-movie.