My admiration for Jean-Claude Van Damme is well documented. On top of his iconic physicality, what makes him so special in the action pantheon is his willingness to embrace goofiness with complete sincerity. However, his filmography in the last couple of decades has left me rather cold, which is why I approached The Last Mercenary with a grain of salt.
Van Damme plays Richard Brumère, a secret agent that left his son behind for security reasons. But when the latter’s identity is stolen to be used as cover for a black market deal, Brumère is forced out of obscurity to protect him, and hopefully, establish the bond they never had.
Even though this synopsis seems like it has high stakes, drama and tension, it doesn’t. The Last Mercenary is, first and foremost, a comedy where every plot development is fueled by unapologetic stupidity. It basically works as a playful tribute to Van Damme himself, which is especially evident in the fact that this is a story about an action legend whose best days are already behind him, but still has the spark and skill to provide some spectacle. Nothing terribly insightful, but in the end, it’s all watchable thanks to its veteran leading man. There’s a theme about Brumére accidentally turning his son into a useless idiot by trying to provide safety, but it’s never really explored beyond surface level.
Over the years, Van Damme has acquired an appealing weariness that works like a charm and displays his range. The material he’s working with is cliched and predictable, but he gives it just the necessary pathos to keep your attention. In the comedy beats, he has a confidence and self-awareness that make him shine where other actors would feel awkward and cringe-worthy.
The supporting cast, on the other hand, has a harder time squeezing blood out of the stone and don’t always leave the best impression. As a result, Van Damme is left stranded in scenes where chemistry is vital. There isn’t a Dennis Rodman or Wilford Brimley equivalent that he can properly bounce off.
An underrated factor in Van Damme’s best films is the villains, usually played by respectable Guys You Know From Somewhere™. These were often provided with moments as cheesy and bombastic as Van Damme’s. Unfortunately, the villains in The Last Mercenary are consistently obnoxious and never feel like a real challenge to overcome. There’s one whose only character trait is being a dumb Scarface fanboy, and the schtick gets old very quickly. It’s the type of lazy writing that thinks pop culture references are inherently funny1.
The action has some solid slapstick bits, but it’s edited, shot and illuminated in such a way that makes it pretty obvious that Van Damme is not performing a lot of the stunts. It’s not egregious enough to ruin the film, but it does break the immersion for the audience.
The workmanlike quality of the action is compensated for with broad humor. The film is at its best when it makes fun of convoluted spy movies that try to be smart, but are nonsensical instead. I appreciated this element because it has become somewhat old-fashioned in the current studio landscape.
The post-Bourne filmmaking era has seen some attempts to honor cartoony action vehicles from the eighties and nineties, but all of them do so with annoying irony and weightlessness (looking at you, The Expendables). The Last Mercenary doesn’t fully recapture the charm of Van Damme’s most effective films, but it’s still an amusing ride if you’re nostalgic for the Belgian star’s glory days.
