June-Claude Van Damme: Maximum Risk (1996)

Maximum Risk is another film that gives us two Van Dammes for the price of one. Okay, one of them only appears briefly but the plot of the film centres around the fact that Van Damme is a twin so we can include this movie in the list of films that have more than one JCVD for your money. Unfortunately, it's probably one of the least entertaining, although not without some redeeming qualities.

Van Damme plays a cop who finds out that he had a twin brother when he is called by a colleague to a crime scene that features a corpse of someone who looks just like him. It turns out that his deceased twin brother was involved with the Russian mafia and corrupt FBI agents, and was also engaged to a beautiful woman (Natasha Henstridge). Van Damme decides to deal with some bad guys while getting revenge, and also ensures that he gets some quality time with Henstridge.

The best thing you can say about this movie is that it's not dull. In fact, if only things were crafted with a bit more care, or if more money was available, this could have been another winner in the Van Damme filmography. The script from Larry Ferguson isn't too concerned with anything that doesn't move characters towards the next chase or fight sequence, which would be commendable if those scenes were a bit better than they are. The direction from Ringo Lam is decidedly average when viewers might rightly expect more from him, although the action is at least shot much more competently than many other features that Van Damme would star in over the next decade or so.

The leading man is about as good as he usually is here. He doesn't often differentiate from his usual performing style (certainly not at this stage in his career) which means that fans will be kept happy enough while detractors will keep avoiding his movies. Henstridge makes a bit more of an impression than many of the other women who have starred alongside him, but that's more to do with her being who she is rather than anything inherent in the source material. As for the supporting cast, they're a ragged group of interesting actors, rent-a-villains and unfamiliar faces populating the groups of amassed henchmen. More recognisable names include Jean-Hugues Anglade, Zach Grenier (okay, I recognised him straight away), Paul Ben-Victor and Frank Senger.

Although a relatively painless watch, Maximum Risk isn't one I can imagine a lot of people rewatching (despite the fact that I just did). It's disposable entertainment for a late night when you don't want your brain to do any work, and you may even want to force it to have a rest under the influence of your favourite alcoholic beverage. It's inferior fare, but the star power and a few decent sequences make it just below average, as opposed to truly awful.

4/10

Buy it here.
Americans can buy it here.

Species (1995)

Species is a delirious b-movie given an (at the time, anyway) a-list cast. There are many ways in which the whole thing could be written off as complete nonsense unworthy of your time, and I'm sure that many people feel that way, but there are also many ways in which it just keeps piling on the fun until viewers give in and go along with the whole ridiculousness of it all.

The plot is all about contact with alien intelligence. Yep, scientists searching for extraterrestrial life have hit paydirt but this isn't so much a flowing dialogue as it is a fractured exchange of ideas. Earth has been sending up a message for a long time now and aliens finally respond with a formula that leads to a great new energy source. The second message from somewhere out in the universe contains information about alien DNA and how to splice it with human DNA. So the science folk give it a go. They end up with a young girl (Sil, played by Michelle Williams). Sadly, when Sil starts displaying some worrying behaviour in her sleep it's decided that the project must end. Which means destroying Sil with cyanide. Sil doesn't like that plan and escapes, just in time for her body to change as she metamorphasises into her adult form (Natasha Henstridge). She needs to be found and stopped so a team is assembled consisting of an anthropologist (Alfred Molina), an empath (Forrest Whitaker), a molecular biologist (Marg Helgenberger) and a mercenary (Michael Madsen). They are given their instructions by the team leader Xavier Fitch (Ben Kingsley) and the hunt is on. Meanwhile, the rapidly-maturing Sil starts to get broody.

Roger Donaldson directs from a script by Dennis Feldman that throws a few smart lines in with a number of laughable clunkers (the context of the moment that has Forrest Whitaker saying "something . . . . bad . . . happened here" remains one of my favourite unintentional laughs ever). Yet it seems clear throughout that all involved knew how preposterous the core idea was - a gorgeous alien is on the prowl for a mate while a group of folks try to get to her in time - and had a lot of fun with it.

The whole movie is lifted immensely by the presence of the gorgeous Natasha Henstridge in the lead role, as averse to clothing as she is beautiful. The rest of the cast all get to have at least one or two great moments - whether they are supporting actors being seduced by Henstridge, Whitakler and Molina enjoying a number of Long Island Iced Teas, Kingsley trying to stay cool and calm under increasing pressure, Helgenberger flirting with Madsen or Madsen just being a cool hardass.

But the big bonus that the movie has is the presence of the great H. R. Giger in the design department. Yes, the visionary who gave us the main creations in the Alien universe here lends his considerable talents to a project that sees him creating something equally arresting, even if the surrounding movie isn't quite the horror classic that the Ridley Scott film was. Not every film making use of such talent needs to be a classic and Species doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is - a gloriously demented, sexy, sci-fi horror with some great (and not so great) effects here and there, some enjoyable nastiness and a great main character.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Species-Special-Edition-DVD/dp/B0002ADWYY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347484116&sr=8-3