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Maximum Risk (1996)

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56 comments in total

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15 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Good & Bad Of 'Maximum Risk', 22 May 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This Jean-Claude Van Damme action vehicle gets good marks for sound, low profanity, some very good action scenes and some interesting characters that keep your attention. It loses marks for excessive violence, too much "Rambo" mentality (good guys don't get hit despite a barrage of bullets) and, yet, another modern-day film in which the FBI is corrupt.

This is also another of these action films that has TOO much action. It would be better with some more lulls. It almost gets ridiculous in spots. Nevertheless, some of the scenes such as car chases, fires and explosions are so well-done you have to admire the great stunt work in here. Man, those stunt men earn their money!

You would be hard-pressed to find two leads in any film with the bodies of Van Damme and Natasha Henstridge and neither are shy about showing them off, so you have the usual gratuitous sex scenes, but they are brief, as is the profanity. This is a loud film. If you have good speakers, be ready to have the room shake with lots of bass.

Overall, it's about 100 minutes of mindless but entertaining diversion.

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12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Over-plotted., 4 October 1999

Author: gridoon

This Van Damme vehicle is plotty, yet the plot is mostly uninteresting, and ultimately cliched. The car chases are spectacular but repetitive, and that repetition quickly grows tiresome. Fight sequences are mostly impressive, but when Van Damme faced the same (great) opponent for the THIRD time, the thing started resembling a parody. Best reason to see the film is, as the first reviewer points out, the presence of the smashingly beautiful and athletic Henstridge. Van Damme's performance is OK, as always.

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
This is the kind of movie Van Damme should of been making., 7 August 2004

Author: HandsomeMax from United States

In Ringo Lam's Maximum risk,Jean Claude Van Damme is a french cop,who finds out that he had a twin brother seperated at birth.The brother has been murdered so He decides to find out who the brother was,and in the process runs afoul of the Russian Mob,Crooked FBI agents,and is stalked by a hitman called redface,who looks like Brian Bosworth.To top it all off He hooks up with the dead bro's moll played by Natasha Henstridge.Whatta guy!

Now before one thinks this is another Twin brother action "twice the ham sandwich" from Van Damme,look closer and you will find a "Damme" good action movie.

There are shoot outs.Fist-fights,a nice chase scene involving a moving train,and a fight in a bath house,that has Van Damme wearing nothing but a towel!Most scenes would be ripe for parody,but somehow it gets pulled off right.

Ringo Lam is one of the best action directors there is today,and he proves it with Maximum Risk.He gives the movie the right look,pulse-pounding action,some suspense,and some qiuet scenes at the right time.

He also gets decent preformances from his actors.Henstridge gets some good moments,and looks great.But for the most part is wasted.As the Villians Paul-Ben Victor and Zach Grenier are not very menacing,which is the main flaw here.The movie villian needed a bigger star or presance.They do okay though.The guy who is redface,however fits the bill.

Ringo Lam also gets what is probably the best acting from JC ever as the bewildered and guilt-ridden cop.He also delivers the action goods.

Given a lousy Release date in 1996,Maximum risk was overlooked at the us box office,but went on to be a hit overseas.Perhaps with a better date this would have found the audience it deserved.

The best Mainstream Movie Van Damme ever made.

8/10.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
One of Jean Claudes better films, 25 September 2006

Author: galahadfairlight from Bath

This is Jean Claude Van Dammes coming of age film, where he proves he is actually an actor as well as a martial artist.

His character and portrayal of the character were very convincing, none of the stupid smiling and gurning of previous roles he's played.

Ignore the twins storyline aspect of the film, this is not a retread of Double Impact, and the films could not be more different.

Problem for JCVD is that his many martial arts fans might find this film a bit too intelligent, and the usual cinema goer simply won't see it because its got JCVD in it, which is a shame really, as its not a bad film at all.

There are no real downers, the villains are suitably villainous, the direction is good, JCVD is good, the story is OK, and just as importantly, JCVD's acting is good.

I caught this film again for the first time in an age, and I have to say, I liked it.

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11 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Van Damme's Best., 14 December 1999

Author: teddy-33 from Minnesota, USA

"Maximum Risk" is not just a good Van Damme movie, but it's also probably one of the better action movies in the last few years. The story is well written (for an action movie), and is fast paced. Director Ringo Lam ("City on Fire") impresses the viewer with excellent action sequences. This is definitely Van Damme's best turn as an actor. Natasha Henstridge does a rather decent turn as the damsel in distress, and creates good chemistry between herself and Van Damme. I don't see why this was a huge flop in theaters; it's surely Van Damme's best and at heart an exciting action flick.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
If you see only one Van Damme film..., 15 July 2002

Author: sterling-6 from the heartland

If you see only one Van Damme film...see Maximum Risk. It is a decent thriller, not just a martial arts flick. Unfortunately, after seeing how good Van Damme can be (yes, he can act - something we've yet to see from Stephen Seagal who he's usually compared to) it makes you sad to see how many bad films he's really made.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Decent US Debut for Ringo Lam., 24 February 2006

Author: argentobuff from United States

French Cop,Alain(Jean Claude Van-Damme)one day finds out he had a twin Brother,travels to America to find answers about who he was,and who murdered him.Running afoul of the Russian Mob,a Brian Bosworth Looking Hit-man,and crooked FBI agents along the way in New York.He also finds himself Protecting/falling in love with the dead bro's squeeze played by Natasha Henstridge.All leading up to a big shoot out in an abandoned Wherehouse...Sorta.This is not your usual Van Damme movie.

Matured Van Damme?Yep.

For starters Maximum risk is helmed by Asian-action-man,Ringo Lam.He gives the movie a lot of atmosphere and style.The fight scenes are realistic,gritty,and for the most part brutal.Notice Van Damme goes for the Jugular here.Breaking bones as well as high flying kicks. The gunfights are staged well.Some good chases.And a nice scene involving a chainsaw.

The scenery is worth it too.We start out in warm,beautiful,summertime France to Dead of winter, smelly, New York city.I think its a nice contrast arc on the story.

Lam gets one of the very best acting gigs outta Van Damme Yet.He is at his darkest and most volatile here.Natasha Henstridge is kinda wasted to anything but eye candy.Zach Grenier and Paul Ben Victor are just okay as the bad guys calling the shots.Trouble is they are not really a physical threat for Van Damme.Stefanos Miltsakais as Redface fits this bill very well.His 3 confrontations with Alain are worthwhile.although its get to be a little tedious bordering on parody.

This would probably be the best Van Damme movie if it were not for the slow pace and excessive dialog,which does serve a purpose.Its just we get some flashy action.Then 15 minutes go by leaving us wanting more.Then it starts up again.Brake.Gas.Brake.Gas.

The gunfights are good,but It seems Ringo was holding back a little from his usual trademark stuff to pacify the suits behind the scenes.

If your looking for the usual from JC,then go watch the Quest.This is a much more complex,adult-themed movie.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
VanDamme´s best (what doesn´t mean too much), 19 June 2000

Author: bateman-16 from Hamburg, Germany

Maximum risk is quite surprising to a person that has seen more then on of his movies. Director Ringo Lam made an average action-movie, that can be compared with most of the other mid-quality action movies, what is a special predicate to a `Muscles from Brussels`movie. It has a quite classy style, an interesting atmosphere and, last but not least, the beautyful Natasha Henstridge. Even VanDamme doesn´t make you crying by his acting, he does a relatively good job. Of course you may not compare Maximum Risk (oh, what a creative title!) to `Ronin`, but after watching `Knock off` it´s the hell of a good movie... in special standards, of course.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Van Damme the ULTIMATE 80's / B-movie actor, 12 April 2006

Author: rowanpearce from Australia

Damme, Jean Claude made it to the big screen with this film. Co-starring the sexy Natasha Henstridge (she even looked good when she was pregga's). There is decent sexual innuendo, but nothing ever progresses to what made me rent this film, as i'm sure thousands of other viewers were hoping after watchign Species. I mean, it should have been guaranteed with a B actor like Van Damme, and a Hollywood tart like Henstridge, it sounded like an unbeatable combo. Nevertheless, there is decent fighting, and i will cut JCVD a break as he is old despite looking like a 30 year old. Worth a watch as it has good perve ratings and action. The formula that Hollywood as thrived on for decades. Keep up the good work guys!

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Top action delivered by Van Damme and Lam, 2 August 2000
Author: action-6 from Froland, Norway

Maximum Risk is the second Van Damme-movie to be directed by a HongKong-director(the first was "Hard Target" by John Woo), Ringo Lam delivers stylish action as always, but this isn`t the same as "Full Contact", but this is very good after American standards. Van Damme delivers his usual stuff. Maximum Risk is great! 9/10

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