The movie opens twenty-five years ago in Hong Kong. The parents oftwo twin babies, Alex and Chad, had borrowed money from Raymond Zhang andNigel Griffith, two lead smugglers.
They needed the money in order tobuild a tunnel between Hong Kong and the mainland. After the tunnel wasbuilt and the money collected, Nigel Griffith and Raymond Zhang had a gangof hit men massacre Alex and Chad’s family. Frank Avery, a friend of thefamily, races into the scene and finds the parents already dead. The twobabies are in the back seat with a maid.
She takes Alex and flees thescene. Frank sees Chad left behind and takes him and runs. Twenty-five years after these events we find Frank Avery, who isplayed by Geoffrey Lewis, has raised Chad as his own kid. They own a gymin Los Angelos.
Frank has been trying to locate the other brother for thepast twenty-five years and has finally found his whereabouts in Hong Kong,working for Raymond Zhang, played by Philip Chan Yan Kin, and NigelGriffith, played by Alan Scarfe. Frank and Chad go to Hong Kong and meethis brother. Interesting events take place when they arrive since Alex’sgirlfriend Danielle Wilde, played by Alonna Shaw, thinks that Chad is Alex.Alex arrives and head butts Chad.
When Chad revives from being knockunconscious, Frank convinces the two brothers to help avenge the deaths oftheir parents. The setting for this movie is very appropriate. They are in Hong Kongwhere the laws are not up to par with the American Style. This allows thecorrupt trades of Zhang, Griffith, and Alex to go on hardly disturbed bythe Hong Kong police.
The dominant theme in Double Impact is vengeance and it is seen quitereadily once the action gets rolling. Alex and Chad are out to kill Zhangand Griffith for the massacre of their parents. As the movie rolls on, Alexbecomes suspicious of Chad because he thinks that he is playing around withhis 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 andAlex are both played by the same person, Jean-Claude Van Damme, whichjustifies the movie’s name, Double Impact. The main character Jean-ClaudeVan Damme plays more roles than just casting. He is also the fightchoreographer and one of the producers.
His talent of kickboxing has comethrough in his first great achievement where he played as Frank Dux inBloodsport. Another great kickboxer in Double Impact is Bolo Yeung, whoalso 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 beentoned down somewhat in this movie.
Most of the fights are with highpowered guns as they, Chad and Alex, seek to find Zhang and Griffith andkill them. The special effects in this movie are amazing. Not one placein the movie is it slightly obvious that Chad and Alex are both the sameguy, except that you know they are in reality. To top off the amazement onthe viewers part, the movie producers include a fight with Jean-Claude VanDamme against himself! How they pieced the fighting scenes like this oneand the special effects of the two brothers working together is a greatachievement.
There has been so much time and precision taken into accountwhen the movie was produced and it shows through its many scenes of actionwith the two brothers fighting. In previous movies with Jean-Claude Van Damme, the dialogue has beenquite limited, but in this movie it is incredible. Jean- Claude Van Dammeplays two roles, each with a completely opposite character. Alex is atough guy in the smuggling business in Hong Kong and Chad is a Californiadude as an aerobic instructor in the gym Frank and himself own.
Overall, the movie is written, produced, acted, and directed verywell. It deserves high accolades and should be seen by any action movieenthusiast. Watch it for yourself and you decide.
