Maximum Risk

Directed by Ringo Lam, Maximum Risk follows a French police officer (Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Alain Moreau) as he attempts to solve the murder of his twin brother alongside the dead man’s girlfriend (Natasha Henstridge’s Alex). Filmmaker Lam, armed with a script by Larry Ferguson, delivers a briskly-paced thriller that benefits from its compelling storyline and smattering of exciting action sequences, and there’s little doubt, as well, that the movie receives plenty of mileage out of Van Damme’s compelling (albeit uncharacteristically grim) turn as the central character – with the actor receiving ample support from a roster of such talented periphery players as Paul Ben-Victor and Zach Grenier. (The latter’s sneering, mustache-twirling portrayal of the movie’s villain remains a ongoing highlight, to be sure.) It’s subsequently clear, then, that Maximum Risk‘s handful of narrative lulls, including a protracted closing stretch, are hardly as problematic as one might’ve feared, while the exciting, violent climax ensures that the whole thing concludes on a palpably positive note – which does, in the end, cement the film’s place as a better-than-average Van Damme vehicle.

*** out of ****