JCVD (and the monologue) (2008)

French with English. "Critical Drinker" and this movie's many other fans say it a hundred times better than I could. (See below.) Not your typical action flick by any means.

Synopis from Letterboxd:

The Biggest Fight of His Life!

Between his tax problems and his legal battle with his wife for the custody of his daughter, these are hard times for the action movie star who finds that even Steven Seagal has pinched a role from him! This fictionalized version of Jean-Claude Van Damme returns to the country of his birth to seek the peace and tranquility he can no longer enjoy in the United States, but inadvertently gets involved in a bank robbery with hostages.

Trailer

Reviews:

Read the review by Florin Scanlon at Letterboxd. There are no spoilers. Here’s an excerpt:

Van Damme's best performance in terms of acting by far. That doesn't say much though so let me further gush with praise. It's a performance no actor would be ashamed with, it's the real deal, the amount of emotion he manages to bring out is quite astounding. It's like he's been abducted by aliens - big fans of Van Damme no doubt - and gifted with the ability to act with subtlety and confidence. There's a six minute long uninterrupted scene where Van Damme breaks the fourth wall and completely lets out. Sadness, regret, self-criticism, a man who has nothing left to lose and still a lot left to prove. To us but most importantly to himself.

You might also want to check out Critical Drinker’s praise on YouTube. There are some spoilers after about halfway through, so be warned, but I think the primary value from this film is the journey and not in finding out what happens per se, so … Drinker gets into the actual movie at 1 minute 11 seconds.

The Famous JCVD Monologue

Even if you don’t watch this movie — even if you don’t like this kind of movie — you might want to see the “the monologue” which has been posted to YouTube in a few places, some versions with English subtitles, some without. The monologue is a six-minute-long segment of the film where Jean-Claude is lifted slowly out of the scene he’s in the middle of, up into the rafters of the set, and, looking directly into the camera, strts talking rather authentically and emotionally about his life. Never seen anything like it, and whether you’ve loved the man or disliked him all your life, I think this is something you can’t help but appreciate at some level.

It’s free, right now, on YouTube and elsewhere:

Watch the monologue with English subtitles

Here’s the monologue with English subtitles. I couldn’t embed this video, so just follow this link: Jean-Claude’s Monologue. The subtitles aren’t very good but they’re good enough.

Or, watch the monologue without any subtitles:

More comments by even more viewers

The most unexpected and unforgettable 4th wall break ever

Quelle scène magnifique ....

His best film hands down... and a brilliant film in general! So underrated... his action was always amazing, but here he absolutely proves his acting is right up there with his physical skills!

I was never into his action movie career but loved this one. Even Quentin Tarantino was a fan of this movie. Cheers from Belgium and thanks for picking this for your eloquently written reviews...

I'm so glad you're bringing more attention to this film, CD. The first time I saw it I was genuinely touched. I grew up on his films like many others. Watching him in this strange, deeply personal film felt like I was watching a wounded animal. It was, as you said, compelling. Highly recommend this film. Great video man.

The monologue made me cry & im not embarrassed to admit it, I don’t cry easy, but I guess I see a lot of myself in him & it made me realise that the older we get the more we regret some of the life choices we’ve made. The opening to the movie is epic as well, this movie is so underrated it’s unreal.

I think it’s just real & raw, he’s basically admitting his own downfalls in his life & it’s hard to watch, especially if you yourself have a lot of regrets & downfalls, I’ve never seen anything like it in a film before it is very powerful that’s for sure.

His monologue in this made me feel deeply empathetic towards him. When he claimed he "accomplished nothing" I felt so profoundly sad for him. All that money and fame, touching so many people's lives, my own included, yet feeling empty. I would love so desperately to write to him and tell him how he inspired me to get in shape, apply myself to martial arts and improve my life for the better. He was kind of a douche and narcissistic, but I always found him personable.

Saw this movie accidentally, glad I did. The guy has soul, man.

JCVD is amazing. Period. It's worth watching for that heart-wrenching monologue alone, but there's also the opening action scene which is more a meta-commentary on his career than an actual action scene, the courtroom scene where he has to sit there and listen to his life being dissected, and the scene you mentioned where larger-than-life Van Damme kicking his way out of the situation is contrasted with the human Jean-Claude getting beaten down by reality. Everyone should see it at least once.

Perhaps one of the best meta aware films ever made.

This should be watched for that fantastic opening scene and that amazing van Damme monologue. It's his finest roundhouse kick yet.