The movie opens twenty-five years ago in . The parents of two twin babies, Alex and Chad, had borrowed money from Raymond Zhang and Nigel Griffith, two lead smugglers. They needed the money in order to build a tunnel between Hong Kong and the mainland. After the tunnel was built and the money collected, Nigel Griffith and Raymond Zhang had a gang of hit men massacre Alex and Chad’s family. Frank Avery, a friend of the family, races into the scene and finds the parents already dead. The two babies are in the back seat with a maid.
She takes Alex and flees the scene. Frank sees Chad left behind and takes him and runs. Twenty-five years after these events we find Frank Avery, who is played by Geoffrey Lewis, has raised Chad as his own kid. They own a gym in Los Angelos.
Frank has been trying to locate the other brother for the past twenty-five years and has finally found his whereabouts in Hong Kong, working for Raymond Zhang, played by Philip Chan Yan Kin, and Nigel Griffith, played by Alan Scarf e. Frank and Chad go to Hong Kong and meet his brother. Interesting events take place when they arrive since Alex’s girlfriend Danielle Wilde, played by A lonna Shaw, thinks that Chad is Alex. Alex arrives and head butts Chad. When Chad revives from being knock unconscious, Frank convinces the two brothers to help avenge the deaths of their parents. The setting for this movie is very appropriate.
They are in Hong Kong where the laws are not up to par with the American Style. This allows the corrupt trades of Zhang, Griffith, and Alex to go on hardly disturbed by the Hong Kong police. The dominant theme in Double Impact is vengeance and it is seen quite readily once the action gets rolling. Alex and Chad are out to kill Zhang and Griffith for the massacre of their parents. As the movie rolls on, Alex becomes suspicious of Chad because he thinks that he is playing around with his girlfriend Danielle. We see Alex’s thoughts of Chad with Danielle ashe becomes drunker and his mind imagines that they are having sex together.
These thoughts enrage Alex and he fights his own brother. The whole movie was directed and acted very well considering Chad and Alex are both played by the same person, Jean-Claude Van Damme, which justifies the movie’s name, Double Impact. The main character Jean-ClaudeVan Damme plays more roles than just casting. He is also the fight choreographer and one of the producers. His talent of kickboxing has come through in his first great achievement where he played as Frank Dux in Bloodsport. Another great kick boxer in Double Impact is Bolo Yeung, who also played in Bloodsport, both times as the villain against Jean-ClaudeVan Damme.
Although Jean-Claude Van Damme is mainly known for his kickboxing, Double Impact is a different story. The kickboxing and fighting has been toned down somewhat in this movie. Most of the fights are with high powered guns as they, Chad and Alex, seek to find Zhang and Griffith and kill them. The special effects in this movie are amazing. Not one place in the movie is it slightly obvious that Chad and Alex are both the same guy, except that you know they are in reality. To top off the amazement on the viewers part, the movie producers include a fight with Jean-Claude Van Damme against himself! How they pieced the fighting scenes like this one and the special effects of the two brothers working together is a great achievement.
There has been so much time and precision taken into account when the movie was produced and it shows through its many scenes of action with the two brothers fighting. In previous movies with Jean-Claude Van Damme, the dialogue has been quite limited, but in this movie it is incredible. Jean- Claude Van Damme plays two roles, each with a completely opposite character. Alex is a tough guy in the smuggling business in Hong Kong and Chad is a California dude as an aerobic instructor in the gym Frank and himself own. Overall, the movie is written, produced, acted, and directed very well. It deserves high accolades and should be seen by any action movie enthusiast.
Watch it for yourself and you decide. Word Count: 838.