Jean Claude Van Damme is now reaching 60 years old and he has started to choose wisely roles that are more suitable to his age and The Bouncer (aka Lukas) shows his acting skills are maturing as well.
Here he stars as Lukas, a tough nightclub bouncer struggling to raise his 8-year-old daughter. One day, Lukas loses control during an altercation with a client and ends up in police custody, while his daughter is taken away from him. Things take an unexpected turn when Interpol recruits Lukas to bring down a Dutch drug ringleader operating from Belgium in exchange for his daughter’s custody.
The film is a dark and gritty thriller, obviously with a European feel which shows the sometimes desperate measure someone will go to provide for and protect your family.
Vann Damme gives a subdued performance of a man who is tired of his profession but just cant seem to see a way out. He is skilled at what he does and when push comes to shove he shows no mercy. The story has a simple structure, seen before but done in a different way and style which makes it very watchable.
The Blu ray released from Dazzler Media is a mixed bag with a great 1080p transfer with vivid colours and good clarity. Audio on the other hand is a big dissapointment. Shot in Belgium in the original mixed language of French / Flemish and English, here it is just the DTS 5.1 English dubbed version and while Van Damme dubbed his own voice, it can be off-putting. Why we was not given the choice of original language with subtitles is baffling.
Extras are just a trailer. A good and enjoyable action / thriller which is worth a watch just a shame the original sound mix was not included.
FILM: 7 PICTURE: 8 AUDIO: 5 EXTRAS: 1