The Last Mercenary - Reviews

The opening sequence is out for promotion, my opinion is very positive, the split is awesome, the action is very solid and the sequence is very cinematic and well shot. Well Done JC!

I can't wait to watch it tonight! Some good action in it?

The Last Mercenary 2021 ★★★★
Watched Jul 30, 2021

Todd Gaines’s review published on Letterboxd:
More Jean-Claude Van Johnson than Van Damme, The Last Mercenary is an exciting action flick from France.

JCVD is getting up there in age. What kind of martial arts were you expecting? I think The Last Mercenary fits JCVD’s goofy side of his personality. He is having a lot of fun, and I had a lot of fun watching him and his team attempt to save the day.

I hear the English version has JCVD dubbing his own voice, so you do have options if you do not like subtitles. I like subtitles, because I like looking at words.

Where my JCVD fans at? I can’t see why you would not like this one.

Review in French: www.premiere.fr/Cinema/News-Cinema/Le-Dernier-mercenaire-sur-Netflix-un-festival-JCVD---critique



Google translate:The Last Mercenary: it sucks, but it sucks! A disgusting of references and undigested pop music with a tired Van Damme who self-parodies without conviction. There's really nothing to save, if you really want to see a film in which Van Damme plays with his image: JCVD.


silverscreenanalysis.com/the-last-mercenary-2021-review/
On the other hand, if you want to see a different version of Van Damme. One that shows flashes of his old action persona, while also showing off a sense-of-humor, as well as spots of emotional endearment, then you will have some fun with this movie. If you are looking for something more traditional to his American actioner’s from the 90’s then you may be let down. I will admit I wanted more out of this one. I wanted to love it, but I didn’t. I loved what Van Damme brought to the film. He’s dancing. He’s in many comical disguises. He’s kicking ass, being a father, and these sections for me are where this film thrived. I also had some fun with the jovial atmosphere it created. The international locations and production-design do create a polish film with plenty of visual appeal as well that I appreciated.

But it was hard to tell if this movie was taking itself seriously or parodying the genre. Again, some of the sense-of-humor, and the tone overall could have been lost in translation. So, I would say if you are a fan of Van Damme, or have seen the trailer and it has your curiosity, that it is worth a shot to see if it’s to your taste. Regardless, Van Damme was awesome and certainly the best thing going for this film as he should’ve been. He shows his comedic chops, he shows he still has his kicks, his charm, and plenty of gas in the tank for many more years to come. So, let’s hope this is a start to the resurgence of Van Damme back in the movies.

Full review here: joethemnmovieman.com/2021/07/30/lastmercenary/

Maybe it was the excitement to see Van Damme in such a well-made film (production design, effects, and even song selection are top notch) but I totally loved The Last Mercenary and found myself forgiving the occasional slide into conventionality. It’s mild enough for parents who grew up on the violence of Bloodsport to show their young teens without worrying too much about bad content but also action-packed enough to keep genre fans enthralled for the duration. I can imagine if this is a success (and I believe audiences will flip for it) a sequel will be guaranteed. Fingers crossed Van Damme can rise to the top of the Netflix charts because I want to see more of these characters in future installments.

Translation by Google:
The Last Mercenary : It's always nice to see JCVD that I still like so much, but the film ouille ouille ouille, the rest of the cast is slammed (except Éric Judor who is too strong), the jokes it falls into the water almost 100%, it's ultra classic warmed up seen 1000 times.




I just finished #TheLastMercenary and frankly it's a pleasant surprise! A good casting and
jcvd
in a French film in Belmondo mode, it's top Klappende handen-teken
#Netflix #Vandamme

Van Damme was one of the greats of the action genre in the 90's and one of my youth idols. I've always been very Belgian, but films like 'The Last Mercenary' are plentiful in his career.

I don't recommend it to anyone much to my chagrin.


3.5 stars
It’s nothing we haven’t seen before but it’s all exceptionally executed and keeps us in the moment, even on those occasional blips in the narrative where we’re tempted to roll our eyes it all.

In many ways, The Last Mercenary is very much a hallmark of the French action satire sub-genre (if that’s actually a thing) where you’re walking a very fine line between serious and ridiculous and thanks to a shockingly good performance from Van Damme it makes for a fun night in if you’re looking for something that’s familiar but not all at the same time.







In Van Damme's latest movie, the Netflix original The Last Mercenary, Van Damme is game for all of the ridiculousness created by director and co-writer David Charhon. Van Damme throws himself into the dopey comedy and delivers fluid, energetic action throughout his fight scenes. But, the movie is convoluted and full of dumb jokes and annoying supporting characters, which takes the focus away from its charismatic star's committed performance.