Double Impact (1991)

Director:

Sheldon Lettich

Writers (WGA):

Sheldon Lettich (screen story) &
Jean-Claude Van Damme (screen story) ...

Release Date:

9 August 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

One packs a punch One packs a Piece together they deliver

Plot:

Jean Claude Van Damme plays a dual role as Alex and Chad, twins separated at the death of their parents...

Plot Keywords:

Hero Killing Woman | Breasts | Female Frontal Nudity | Sex Scene | Boat

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Alex / Chad Wagner
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Frank Avery
Alicia Stevenson	...	Baby Chad
Paul Aylett	...	Baby Alex
Andy Armstrong	...	Paul Wagner
Alan Scarfe	...	Nigel Griffith
Wu Fong Lung	...	Chinese Nurse
Bolo Yeung	...	Moon
Philip Chan	...	Raymond Zhang
Sarah Yuen	...	Nun at Orphanage
Sarah-Jane Varley	...	Katherine Wagner
Julie Strain	...	Student
Eugene Choy	...	Mr. Chen
Jack Gilardi Jr.	...	Karate Student
David Lea	...	Karate Student

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Germany:18 (video premiere) (cut) | Iceland:16 | France:U | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 (video rating) (cut) (1992) | Germany:18 (re-release) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (theatrical rating) (cut) (1992) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:18 | Germany:16 (cinema release) (cut) | Australia:R | Denmark:16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Stone Group Pictures

Trivia:

Due to a strong friendship formed between the two actors on the set of Bloodsport (1988), Jean-Claude Van Damme wanted no one but Bolo Yeung to play the lead villain in this movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Chad and Danielle are chasing Griffith between the containers, Griffith's shadow is cast back and Chad and Danielle's shadow is cast forward.

Quotes:

Danielle: Where are you anyway?
Alex: I'm taking my brother on a fishing trip.
Danielle: Give him a big kiss for me, all right.
Alex: Big kiss? I'll give him a big kick in the ass, that's what I'll give him.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 1992 MTV Movie Awards (1992) (TV)

Good Van Damme Film

Hearing Van Damme try to do a mixture of French and Hong Kong accents is funny, it's even funnier when that character can out-act the other character also played by Van Damme. 'Double Impact' is a good Van Damme film, going thematic points, not bad acting, good action sequences, good pacing, and Bolo Yeung. Is it the best Van Damme film? No, and let me tell you why: Whilst there are many positive things about this film, there are a lot of problems with the effects. I do not doubt Bolo Yeung's strength but when he lifts those barrels, you can clearly see that they're made of foam, and whenever Chad and Alex are together, you can either see through one of them, or the matte-lines are just too obvious. In this day and age, all of these things would be unrecognisable if you were to put the same actor together with himself on screen, and the use of technology is very dated. It kind of reminds me of 'Return of the Jedi' whenever Luke is fighting the Rankor underneath Jabba's Palace, you can see that Mark Hamill is staring at a blue screen right in front of him. Another problem I find in this film, as with many of Van Damme's films, is the exposition as to why he speaks with a foreign accent (ie. "You weren't born in France, I just raised you there"). The third problem I find, again, as with most Van Damme films is seeing his butt. Another error I find is the idea that Alex would head-butt his identical twin brother who he has never seen before in 25 or so years before ever getting to know him. It just doesn't make sense, I mean, if you didn't know that you had a brother, and then you suddenly saw him for the first time in over 25 years, you wouldn't go right up to him and head-butt him in the face, you'd ask questions, you would be in shock.

Those errors noted, I really do like this film because it manages to keep the story in check at all times, the pacing is very good, and it never gets too bogged down in back-story or exposition, and it flows quite evenly. The second thing I like about this film are the action sequences, which, to be honest, are few and far between with the exception of the opening sequence and the end sequence (which reminded me of Lethal Weapon 2). I was always used to seeing Van Damme just get into fights for absolutely no reason (Death Warrant), so this change of pace was new and quite welcome. The story is also quite well told and was an opening to the new generation of Van Damme fans who wanted to see him act as well as fight, something he would do a lot more often in a film like 'In Hell', in particular.

Corey Eversen - What a fox! If there was one girl I would not like to meet in a dark alley, that would be her, but at the same time, I think I would like to meet her in a dark alley. Call me weird but being dominated by somebody like Cory Eversen (and I know she would dominate me) would be an absolute dream. I can safely say that, for once in my life, I would not know what to do with somebody like her. In this film, she plays a femme-fatale, a psychopathic hit-man (erm... hit-woman) who works for the bad guys. She is certainly no match for the sheer brutality of Bolo Yeung, but what she lacks in the brutality department is compensated quite easily in the looks department. The thing is, as I am writing this, she is nearly 50 years of age, so she is almost as old as my mother, which would be quite weird. But if I were the same age as I am now in 1991 whenever this film was released, she would be more than welcome at a family barbecue.