(Credits: Alamy)
Anna Kendrick recently displayed her directing chops with Woman of the Hour, a crime drama based on the true story of the dating game killer. And while, prior to that, most would pass her off as that actor who starred in Pitch Perfect and appeared in Twilight, she was by no means a newcomer, even by the time of her other appearances in the vampire flicks.
She’s been frequenting screens and the sets of Hollywood since as far back as 2003, so it’s safe to presume she knows plenty about film. After all, she’s one of the most popular modern actors in the industry and has proven with the likes of Up in the Air, where she starred alongside George Clooney, that she’s capable of a wide range of roles.
With this in mind, there’s probably a certain type of film that you’d expect to be on Kendrick’s list of favourites. But, after the third instalment of Pitch Perfect, the actor revealed her unique concoction of favourites. Among classics like In Bruges and His Girl Friday, came something much more unexpected: JCVD. If, like me, you’re wondering ‘What could that possibly stand for?’, it is, of course, Jean-Claude Van Damme, but Kendrick was speaking specifically of the 2008 satirical black comedy about the martial artist.
In contemporary terms, JCVD is to Jean-Claude what The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is to Nicholas Cage. It depicts a fictionalised version of the iconic Belgian action star, one who’s down-and-out and gets caught in the middle of a post office heist in his hometown. While it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, it was actually critically well-received, although it didn’t break any records at the box office.
For Kendrick, however, it’s a perfect movie. Speaking to Rotten Tomatoes, she said, “JCVD was just bang-on the entire time. It was just so lean and solid and this perfect blend of dark humour and some really genuinely touching moments.” While the film’s premise and the action star behind it might not immediately bring to mind ‘touching’, Kendrick’s not wrong in her analysis.
There’s one scene in particular that many audiences and critics praised for Van Damme’s vulnerability and range. For a moment in the middle of the heist, the character and the camera ascend above the set, and he delivers a powerful monologue while holding back and occasionally spilling tears. Exploring the complex issues of fame, money and success in Hollywood, as well as topics like love and drug abuse, the scene blurs the lines between the real and the fictional Van Damme to create a truly poignant moment.
In a film about a fictional version of an action hero, you might not expect to be brought to such emotional heights, something which Kendrick highlights in her praise of the film: “It’s such a beautiful thing when you’re watching a movie and they manage to take you there”.
They do, all because director and co-writer Mabrouk el Mechri saw behind the Hollywood mask and believed there was more to Van Damme than first imagined. It might not have been the most famous Van Damme film or the most heavily awarded, but Kendrick shows her real knowledge of what makes a good film and what a good film can be by adding this one to her list. After all, isn’t great cinema that which takes us by surprise and forces us to confront our beliefs about the world?
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