House of Van Damme at Chapeltown Picture House
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
The Muscles from Brussels is back on the big screen this month thanks to Chapeltown Picture House who have dedicated a whole day to the films of one Mr. Jean-Claude Van Damme. An action icon thanks to his work in the late-80s and early-90s, the Belgian tough guy is being honoured with a three film marathon that promises plenty of explosive action, bad puns and unnecessary leg splits.
House of Van Damme kicks off with the star’s role as mercenary Gibson Rickenbacker in 1989’s cult cyberpunk thriller Cyborg. That’s before John Woo’s 1993 US debut, Hard Target, which sees JCVD play an out-of-work homeless Cajun merchant seaman (there aren’t many of those across cinema history) in a film loosely based on Richard Connell’s famed short story The Most Dangerous Game.
The marathon ends at the beginning, with Jean-Claude’s breakout role in 1988’s Bloodsport. Centred on a underground martial arts tournament in Hong Kong, the film launched Van Damme to mainstream action stardom, as the sweat-and-blood soaked spectacle earned a cult following.
