Nowhere to Run

An escaped convict befriends a young widow and helps her battle corrupt land developers who want to force her off her land. Jean-Claude Van Damme does an excellent job in all of his movies. Van Damme shows more acting than action in this movie. Van Damme does not display the full martial arts arsenal, but he does display surprisingly effective acting as he does not overact in a role that possess more serious evocation than his other martial arts movies. Very entertaining movie.

Nowhere to run

I really liked this movie, some parts are a little over board and it could have been made better, but it was still enjoyable.

good movie point blank..

its pretty good van damme dose what he dose best..!! which is fighting nd acting

Claude & Roseanna Show Off

This is another Jean-Claude Van Damme action flick, but a definite notch above many of his other films, at least in production values. The photography and stereo sound are excellent.

Actually, this is pretty simple stuff and old storyline of a low-key good guy rescuing the girl from local meanies. Here, Van Damme defends Rosanna Arquette and her small kids.

In another respect, the movie is just another avenue for the two stars to show off their incredible bodies. Neither has ever been shy about doing that and certainly aren't in this movie. My only objection is having one of the kids make a sexual remark, which is done in here. There is no excuse for that.

Ted Levine, who has turned nice guy in the hit TV series "Monk," is an effective bad guy in here. He played a lot of villains before "Monk" came around.

Anyway, it's fairly low-brow entertainment, but at least it is entertaining and fun to watch.

JCVD redoes the classic Shane?

The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)

1. Who is he? Sam Gillen, a criminal on the loose
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? His friend Billy, who breaks him out of police custody, and Clydie (Rosanna Arquette), a worn down widow and mother of two youngsters
3. Does he take his shirt off? In one of the most disturbingly inappropriate images possible in a movie, Sam is completely naked in front of Clydie's children. Luckily, the viewers are spared.
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? In one of his most provocative sex scenes ever, Sam and Arquette do a little carnal gymnastics (JCVD gets to a legit second base on film).
5. Is there a tournament? JCVD steers away from his kumite roots in this one.
6. Is training needed for this tournament? He clearly trained and prepared in some way, because he beats everyone down, has a law degree, understands the nuances of the animalistic fright-versus-flight dynamic, is an accomplished motorcycle stuntman, and knows how to drive a forklift.
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? Sorry JCVD fans, no splits.
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? In the first fight of the movie, one unfortunate guy gets an axe handle to the jewels.
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? No jumping of flying in this one.
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? Essentially he's fighting "The Man" and "The System"; so, it depends on your point of view.
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? It's possible that he had some broken ribs, but that didn't stop him from fixing Clydie's pipes.
12. Does he win? Hmmm...

Nowhere to Run is almost a mirror image of the 1953 classic Shane. An outlaw escaping his past, houses up with a family struggling against the classic tale of greedy corporation versus small land owner. With a sheriff - played by the guy who played Mr. Belding's brother in one episode of "Saved by the Bell" - paid off by the land developer, and a creepy henchman played by Ted Levine, a man who appears to be perfectly suited for only that role, it's up to Sam to save the day. Motivated by the taut, perky body of Arquette, not to mention multiple full frontal shower and sex scenes, JCVD gives us perhaps the best movie in his legendary career, following the lead from Shane one last time, as he rides off into the sunset of an ambiguous future.