Director: Simon Fellows
Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Selina Giles, Mark Dymond, William Ash, Stephen Rea
Anthony Stowe (Van Damme) is a crooked cop with a heroin addiction. After being in a come he reawakens wanting to be a better man, but his former partner is after him.
Until Death surprised me because it’s not a mindless action thriller and tries to have an interesting character arc. It’s a solid redemption story with Van Damme looking suitably strung out for the first part of the film. It’s actually quite well-paced as well, although the relationship drama between Anthony and his wife feels forced. The corruption at the police station felt a bit odd because I couldn’t quite work out what Stowe’s agenda was. At times he seemed to be protecting his own interests and other times he wanted to go after the bad guy.
There’s some decent action and the shootout at the end is fine. I also thought there were a few neat camera tricks that provided some dynamism to the film. If you like Van Damme then this is one that I think you should check out. I liked it more than I was expecting and it’s better than some of the typical throwaway fare that he’s done before. My main complaint is that he doesn’t roundhouse kick anyone.
