ASSASSINATION GAMES (2011)

2010, Motion Picture Corporation of America

Director
Ernie Barbarash
Producers
Brad Krevoy, Patrick Newall, and Justin Bursch
Writer
Aaron Rashaan Thomas
Cinematography
Phil Parmet
Editing
Peter Devaney Flanagan

Cast
Jean-Claude Van Damme [Vincent Brazil], Scott Adkins [Roland Flint], Ivan Kaye [Polo Yakur], Valentin Teodosiu [Blanchard], Alin Panc [Kovacs], Kevin Chapman [Culley], Michael Higgs [Godfrey], Kristopher Van Varenberg [Schell], Marija Karan [October], Bianca Van Varenberg [Anna Flint]

After their work together on Isaac Florentine's THE SHEPHERD: BORDER PATROL (2008), Jean-Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins play unlikely allies in this tense action thriller from director Ernie Barbarish.

Vincent Brazil is an aging assassin in Bucharest, Romania. As he recently completed his latest mission, he is given a new mission from his contractor Culley. The target is local mob boss Polo Yakur. Polo is a ruthless gangster who gets things his way at any cost. As a matter of fact, he and his boys terrorized a couple and after gang-raping the wife, the wife is now in a coma. The husband, Roland Flint, also is a top assassin. When Brazil goes to kill Polo, Flint happens to be there as well. The ensuing shootout results in the death of Polo's brother.

When Brazil and Flint confront each other, they soon realize the only way to stop Polo is to team up together. Brazil wants the money for the job while Flint wants to seek revenge for the attack on his wife. Polo learns of the arrangement and hires two corrupt police officers to go after Brazil and Flint. Will the two assassins successfully hit their targets and at what cost?

Aging action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme and British martial arts ace Scott Adkins (who idolized JCVD) work well as a team here. Previously, they had fought each other in Isaac Florentine’s 2008 film THE SHEPHERD. The chemistry between the two seems to work well as a pair of assassins who have different agendas for the same target. This theme is reminiscent of a classic kung fu film, THE SECRET RIVALS (1976), where two experts of various styles have different agendas for the same villain. Where they used kung fu, Van Damme’s Brazil is a knife expert while Adkins resorts to using firepower with a dash of martial arts. While it is not the martial arts spectacle one usually expects from Adkins, it is more about Adkins driving away from his usual dose of MA mayhem and resort of a more dramatic action film.

The interesting choice of casting the progeny of Jean-Claude Van Damme somehow works with this film. Kristopher Van Varenberg plays Schell, one of two corrupt officers working for the target while Bianca Van Varenberg shows a more dramatic performance in the role of Anna, the comatose wife of Scott Adkins’s character. A mystery comes in the form of October, played by Marija Karan. She doesn’t offer much to her role as she is a foil who seems to have a thing for Van Damme’s aging hitman. While she sees Brazil as a lonely man, Brazil actually has a few turtles to keep him company.

As mentioned, Van Damme and Adkins are more known for their skills in martial arts. However, the martial arts aspect of the film is kept to a minimum here. In his brief fight scene against Adkins, Van Damme resorts to using more close quarter attacks while in another brief scene, Adkins throws a few kicks against some of the villain’s guards. However, when it comes to unarmed combat, Adkins follows suit and uses more close quarters attack. Many may not like that idea, but for this film, it works out pretty nicely.

ASSASSINATION GAMES is worth at least a rental to see what Van Damme and Adkins can do without using too much of their trademark martial arts. It survives thanks to the premise of the film and some pretty good action scenes.

AlbertV’s Rating: B