6 Bullets (2012)

Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take a Van Damme direct to video solid action flick, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.Before I go to this movie this is my final review on IMDb of Jean-Claude Van Damme, my marathon that I was doing: I always loved Jean-Claude Van Damme movies to death, I love the actor and I am his biggest fan. Sylvester Stallone will be the first action star that I love and Van Damme will be the second actor that I love and the third one will be Arnold Schwarzenegger. I have grown up watching Van Damme movies from the late 80's to his golden years 90's and I still I am watching his movies today direct to videos today. Six Bullets (2012) is definitely one of the best Van Damme action movies that went direct to video. My favorite Direct to video movies will be Replicant, The Order, In Hell, Wake of Death and this one Six Bullets. Because I just love this movie to death I love it so much. I have enjoyed this movie so much than ever and I still do. Six Bullets rapidly became one of my favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme movies; it tells the story of Samson Gaul, an ex-mercenary known for finding missing children who is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter whose daughter has been kidnapped. It's basically JCVD doing a hard R version of Taken and has plenty of bone-crunching action and tension galore. Plot: An ex-mercenary Samson Gaul (Jean-Claude Van Damme) known for finding missing children is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter Andrew Fayden (Joe Flanigan) whose daughter has been kidnapped.Jean-Claude gives a great performance as Samson and there are some nice Father/Son moments between him and Kris Van Damme. JCVD has long since perfected the role of the tortured soul as he's been doing it for the past decade, but there was something different about Samson that makes me want to see more of him.When dealing with this subject matter (Human Trafficking), you're not about to have one-liners and humor every 2 seconds as that would have been crass. The approach is intelligent, well paced, serious and there frankly wasn't a single bad line of dialogue in it. The opening 10 minutes are almost unbearably tense and more than a little disturbing. Fear not though, there are no rape scenes in the movie: like Taken you don't need to see anything and it's all left to the imagination. I really like this movie (much to my surprise actually), and yes, it is MILES better than Taken 2 and 3, and I don't give a damn what anyone says, it's also much better than bore fest that is Equalizer. Some good direction, acting was good enough,(still I think that actors did a good job, specially Van Damme) and when it was there, action was also well directed. And ending was one of Van Damme's best bad ass moments in my opinion. It could have used more action and Van Damme. This movie made me thinking that Six Bullets could be considered as Van Damme's version of the Punisher.While not as good as Taken, I'd rather watch this than Taken 3. I thought this was a pretty good decent flick. Good story, good actors, good action. Despite the low budget, there are some good set pieces, and the film is pretty slick. There are some good fight scenes, and plenty of opportunities to see that old Van Damme sparkle. What surprises most though, is JC's acting in this film. He plays his part really well, and i was really buying into his tortured soul, and the pain of his guilt. OK, its not the kind of thing to really stretch an actor, but given Van Dammes background and previous work, I was taken aback at how well he came across on screen. Its fair to say that the box's claim that its "the best Van Damme movie in years" is not far short of the mark. For Van Damme fans, you'll be really pleased. For everyone else, its a watchable thriller. t is the most action-packed film in years! One of the biggest surprises in the movie was Joe Flanigan who was great as the desperate father willing to do anything to get his daughter back. He definitely has the potential to become the next big action star. Ernie Barbarash did a good job directing this movie, at least the film was so much better than Assassination Games and Pound of Flesh, I like Pound of Flash, but I just love 6 bullets much more. Overall: This movie get's by a solid 10, because I have enjoy it a lot and the film to me felt more realistic than Taken 2 & 3. I will get this movie on Blu-ray next month and 6 Bullets is yet further proof that Straight to DVD/Blu-ray movies are where real action fans can find the movies we've been waiting for. It's one of the best films JCVD has done in recent years and will easily make my top ten list JCVD of the year. Six Bullets is a 2012 American action film directed by Ernie Barbarash, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joe Flanigan, Anna-Louise Plowman, and Charlotte Beaumont. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on September 11, 2012.10/10 Grade: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: Motion Picture Corporation of America Rodin Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joe Flanigan, Anna-Louise Plowman, Charlotte Beaumont, Steve Nicolson, Kristopher Van Varenberg, Bianca Van Varenberg, Uriel Emil Pollack Director: Ernie Barbarash Producer: Brad Krevoy Screenplay: Chad Law Evan Law Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 55 Mins. Budget: $10.000.000

If Liam Neeson can have a big hit with Taken then why not jump on the bandwagon.6 Bullets has Jean Claude Van Damme playing a mercenary Samson Gaul infiltrates Eastern European human trafficking rings and rescue boys and girls from the sex trade.At the beginning of the movie we see him rescue a young boy but Gaul failed to take into account the collateral damage of his actions which left two young girls dead.Haunted by this he ends up drinking and working as a butcher.The plot kicks off when a teenage American girl is kidnapped from her hotel in Romania and the parents turn to Gaul for help. Gaul reluctantly accepts as he also persuaded by his son who is a cop. Gaul discovers that the criminals are being aided by the Romanian secret service on behalf of a wealthy Arab arms dealer who wants an American virgin.The film wants to make serious points about the child vice trade, a serious issue in parts of Eastern Europe since the 1990s wrapped around an action thriller. Van Damme is assisted by Joe Flanigan who plays the dad and who in the movie plays a major MMA star, therefore he can share the action scenes with Van Damme.Of course its basically a low budget Taken rip off without much verve or characterisation that the original Taken had. Its still an involving story, decent action scenes although the parents of the kidnapped daughter are flatly drawn.

Why do cheap movies all ways have that same style of music in the background? I also hate it when the music doesn't stop, constantly playing throughout the film!There is no need for this, it's very irritating.I had to stop the film 30 minutes in because of this. I can't really comment on the film because I didn't see it till the end. But what I did see is that the fight scenes was chopped so many times. Surely JCVD can do a 10 second fight scene in the same camera shot? If not then he needs to stop making action movies. I hope the next film he does is better as I have always been a JCVD fan :)

The last Van Damage film I saw before viewing '6 Bullets' was 'Universal Soldier: the Return' circa 1999. While that JCVD effort was not so hot I viewed it out of nostalgia for the original Universal Soldier. Going into '6 Bullets' I was somewhat leery of the aging action star's ability to entertain on a level comparable to his most popular films of the eighties and early nineties; all of which I saw in the theater and thoroughly enjoyed for the over-the-top bullet and brawn ballets they were.I read a few reviews and based on the largely positive reception of '6 Bullets' decided to take the risk. I am glad that I did. What struck me first upon hitting the play button was the older, time weathered and more serious appearance of JCVD. His haggard, world weary visage reminded me of Tim Thomerson at his prime. From the opening scene, tension begins to build as the above mentioned aged Van Damme sporting prescription glasses and very plain dress navigates the lavish halls of a modern brothel in some eastern European hellhole. There is no nervous bounce to Van Damme's stride, nor sign of humor in his expression as was often the case in many of his earlier films. Here the muscles from Brussels is all world weary, haggard intent as he follows a thug to a meeting with some scumbag who sells children by the hour.I was not expecting great or spectacularly new hand to hand choreography in the fight scenes and boy was I wrong. The very first action sequence is intensely fast and vicious and, I found it quite refreshing. Whoever advised the director for knife combat techniques knew their stuff and it shows. There were no ballet like leaping spinning kicks, nor molasses slow sparring. It was literally quick and to the point.Impressed, I sat back and got comfortable in anticipation of the rest of the film. Overall, '6 Bullets' did not fail to entertain throughout. Van Damme is a former soldier for hire who in his retirement runs a second generation butcher shop, drinks like a sponge and sometimes accepts cash to locate and retrieve missing children. All is not perfect with our aging action star, however. While his character is an honest man of good intent, he is also heavy handed and his mission planning skills flawed. He is an ex soldier who has done unspeakable things for a payday and the guilt he experiences for his past mistakes effects his current endeavors through haunting memories of the victims he has unwittingly gotten killed. He is not quite completely on his game, but still he tries to do the best he can in situations far less than perfect.When the daughter of an American celebrity is kidnapped, Van Damme refuses the parents' impassioned plea to find their child and deal with the scum who abducted her. He retreats into the bottle and the film would have ended their had something not arisen to make finding the young girl and ensuring her safety, personal. The rest of the film entails much kicking, punching and shooting in the vein of most other JCVD action flicks, but something about the violence in '6 Bullets' came off to me as more seasoned, less shallow than any other Van Damme effort of the past. Van Damme's Samson Gaul is perhaps the most complex character he's yet played, and that alone adds much substance to the overall effect of the movie. To sum up, at times the unfolding events defy the rational - this is an action film - but overall the plot worked for me, and the acting of that aged, world weary Van Damme fit the film just right. If you're a long time JCVD fan, '6 Bullets' is a must see as he has definitely returned to the screen in good form, even if that screen is just on your television or computer monitor. For those who haven't a history with the actor's past films I would recommend giving it a shot. You just might become his next fan.6/10 for effective action sequences and a competent enough plot, plus two for a Van Damme who looks to have come full circle as an actor.