USA: JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME STARS IN 'MAXIMUM RISK'

Record ID: 546561

  • Title: USA: JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME STARS IN 'MAXIMUM RISK'
  • Date: 7th October 1995
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) VAN DAMME SAYING HE STARTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LADDER WITH SMALL BUDGET MOVIES AND THAT "MAXIMUM RISK" IS MORE SOPHISTICATED AND INTELLIGENT (FRENCH)
  • Embargoed: 22nd October 1995 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA7YFO56Z3444XUQ3LJQYITWZH7
  • Story Text: Jean-Claude Van Damme moves towards a more serious action role in his latest movie, "Maximum Risk." The movie, which opened in Los Angeles on Thursday (September 12), is a moody thriller, with an international plot and cast.
    It is directed by Hong Kong director, Ringo Lam.
    "It's the first sophisticated type of story in my career," Van Damme said at a recent interview.
    "It's like 'French Connection' with a Russian flavor." The story is about identical twins who are unaware of each other's existence until one of them dies and their fates become intertwined.
    Belgium-born Van Damme plays Alain, a retired French soldier who becomes involved in a world of intrigue and crime.
    Alain's mission is to discover who killed his brother, Mikhail, who was murdered while trying to reach him.
    The action travels from the sunny French resort of Villefranche, in the south of France, to New York's Little Odessa, where Alain's quest leads him.
    Once there, he is mistaken for his brother and is drawn into the Russian underworld.
    As the story develops, Alain becomes more and more like his brother until he faces an identical fate.
    Natasha Henstridge plays Alex Minetti, a hostess in a night club and the key in Alain's search. She is also the dead brother's former girlfriend.
    The romance that develops further blurs the line between the twins' identities.
    This is Henstridge's second feature following her debut in "Species." "Maximum Risk" was largely shot in New York, a fast-paced and danger-filled setting to the plot.
    Ringo Lam ("Full Contact," "Prison on Fire" and "City on Fire") has a following in the U.S. but this is his directorial debut in Hollywood.
    Van Damme has also worked with another Hong Kong director, John Woo, in his Hollywood debut, "Hard Target." Established as one of the world's foremost action stars, the 34 year-old also starred in "Timecop", "Nowhere to Run", "Double Impact" and "Universal Soldier." His first movie was "Bloodsport."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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