Maximum Risk (1996)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Ringo Lam

Writer (WGA):

Larry Ferguson (written by)

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

The Other Side of Safety.

Plot:

A policeman takes his twin brother's place and inherits his problems and a beautiful girlfriend. He...

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Mafia | Twin | Russian Mafia | FBI

Cast

Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Alain Moreau / Mikhail Suverov
Natasha Henstridge	...	Alex Minetti
Jean-Hugues Anglade	...	Sebastien
Zach Grenier	...	Ivan Dzasokhov
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Agent Pellman
Frank Senger	...	Agent Loomis
Stefanos Miltsakakis	...	Red Face
Frank Van Keeken	...	Davis Hartley
David Hemblen	...	Dmitri Kirov
Stéphane Audran	...	Chantal Moreau
Dan Moran	...	Yuri
Donald Burda	...	Nicholas
Rob Kaman	...	Morris
Herb Lovelle	...	Martin
Denis Costanzo	...	Innkeeper

Also Known As:

Bloodstone
The Exchange

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, and for some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (cut) | USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Future Shop, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

It was Jean-Claude Van Damme's idea that Asian action director Ringo Lam direct this film, as his American directorial debut.

Quotes:

Cab Driver: I could find a penguin in a sand storm.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gargoyle (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Under The Oak Tree

This is the kind of movie Van Damme should of been making.

In Ringo Lam's Maximum risk,Jean Claude Van Damme is a french cop,who finds out that he had a twin brother seperated at birth.The brother has been murdered so He decides to find out who the brother was,and in the process runs afoul of the Russian Mob,Crooked FBI agents,and is stalked by a hitman called redface,who looks like Brian Bosworth.To top it all off He hooks up with the dead bro's moll played by Natasha Henstridge.Whatta guy!

Now before one thinks this is another Twin brother action "twice the ham sandwich" from Van Damme,look closer and you will find a "Damme" good action movie.

There are shoot outs.Fist-fights,a nice chase scene involving a moving train,and a fight in a bath house,that has Van Damme wearing nothing but a towel!Most scenes would be ripe for parody,but somehow it gets pulled off right.

Ringo Lam is one of the best action directors there is today,and he proves it with Maximum Risk.He gives the movie the right look,pulse-pounding action,some suspense,and some qiuet scenes at the right time.

He also gets decent preformances from his actors.Henstridge gets some good moments,and looks great.But for the most part is wasted.As the Villians Paul-Ben Victor and Zach Grenier are not very menacing,which is the main flaw here.The movie villian needed a bigger star or presance.They do okay though.The guy who is redface,however fits the bill.

Ringo Lam also gets what is probably the best acting from JC ever as the bewildered and guilt-ridden cop.He also delivers the action goods.

Given a lousy Release date in 1996,Maximum risk was overlooked at the us box office,but went on to be a hit overseas.Perhaps with a better date this would have found the audience it deserved.

The best Mainstream Movie Van Damme ever made.

8/10.