Jean-Claude Van Damme's Art of Self Destruction

[@kptecx-xs2dw]

Bloodsport inspired an 8 year old me to dedicate my life to martial arts. As a two time black belt in shotokan karate, Thank you Van Damme

[@madmax4971]

Osu! I had a similar path. Gojuryu karate. 2 tournaments 1st and 2nd place. Then broke my arm celebrating with my class… wild pack of 8 years mowed me down for the a slice of pizza from the head sensei. 😂 lost some rotation in my right arm but still practice kata to this day.

[@jamesd4267]

Same here!!! I was 10 when I saw Bloodsport and was hooked.

[@giacomotognoni9865]

Damn, Same. But I went to kickboxing

[@ryandonovan5205]

Van Damme had a good 15 year run as one of if not the best action stars in history. It probably won't be topped ever again

[@sic6664]

Timecop and Universal Soldier are still some of my all time favourite movies. Van Damme is the man.

[@renaldsunset]

Timecop is one of those comfort movies that I ADORE watching on a rainy day

[@СергейЛобов-о3т]

He made a huge contribution to action movies with his inimitable style. Despite all the criticism his movies are the best in terms of martial arts and action. On top of that they are made so realistic and natural, you watch and you bilieve his screen hero. After you like to go and train, it was the excellent motivation to start martial art classes. He reached his success by hard working and sweating. Great job had been done. In 1980s and 1990s he was on his peak, and at the end of the day he is a human being, so he failed due to bad addiction and wrong things being done. That is life. But he found the courage and power to recover and returned to normal life. Esteem, respect and many thanks to you master Van Damme.

[@IamRaloPib]

I watched...never believed 😂

[@rodneyadderton1077]

Great comment.

[@jh230377]

No Retreat, No Surrender , Bloodsport and Kickboxer 3 of my favourite movies ever. Respect To JVD and they helped me get into Karate. 👍

[@cobras034]

Tbh I prefer Van Damme over anyone else in the 80s

[@Amadeus_Eisenberg]

In the 80s, for me, no. Definitely in the 90s, though. Same thing with Sylvester Stallone for me. I much prefer his 90s movies over his 80s movies. Just like Van Damme's, they were cooler, more varied, more interesting in the 90s. I think Arnold has the best 80s movies. Almost everyone else shined more in the 90s for me.

[@JoeBlogging]

And yet you have a pic of another 80s star..

[@KnightIndustries572]

Im 51 now, and the 80's and 90's were just a GREAT time for action and martial art movies, Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Steven Segal, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schewarzenegger, Dolf Lungdren, love them ALL! I'm a martial artist and still look on these guys for inspiration!

[@discover6396]

Jcvd over Arnold? No way

[@marshallartsentertainment3741]

@@cobras034 Chuck Norris FTW!

[@konigeurichderwestgoten4460]

Cyborg is my FAVORITE movie. I'm a fan of the cyberpunk-dystopian tribe setting like Escape from New York/LA. It's one of those movies that gets much better as it progresses and the real beauty of it is that they did the best they could with what little they had - you don't see that effort and creativeness much anymore. Their attention to the costumes. The weapons. The use of remote locations and burnt out buildings. And my God, the opening scene with Fender (Vincent Klyne) narrating his love of suffering and bloodshed in the ruined world? PERFECTION.

[@rodneyadderton1077]

That scene gave me chills as a kid. 😂

[@wentworthmiller1890]

4:34 The day this video received 1K likes was the most important day of your life - but for Van Damme, it was Tuesday. As bad as Street Fighter movie may be, I loved it and watched a dozen or so times! It gave the world the famous Bison Tuesday, therefore, it will always be a legend.

[@Hollywood_Lore]

Thanks for noticing. Time to grind 🫡

[@kentaroo.7759]

I rather watch Jean Claude Van Damme than Steve Seagal any time.

[@jamesd4267]

Van Damme will always be one of the most impactful people in my life since I was a kid.

[@weston407]

was he Double Impactful?

[@alexw.8999]

The JCVD Universe is 80/90s comfort food. Love that guy.

[@LakeLyfe315]

Jcvd was a legit karate champion in Europe. You have to take his movies for what they are, good action, bad story. He will always be favorite action star!

[@PointWithin]

“Cocaine is a helluva drug” -Rick James

[@poligonzo5300]

And the craziest thing is that Jean-Claude Van Damme in real life is the hero of a lot of athletes a lot of bodybuilders a lot of karate fighters he is sometimes the reason for a lot of people lifting weights and try to look good because he was so good looking and he had a great body so in essence even if people in Hollywood are jealous of him and criticize his career or try to bring him down for everyone else he was their hero

[@D1Snr]

Van Damme was a legend during my childhood. I remember seeing Bloodsport for the first time as a 10 year old. Then Kickboxer and Double Impact came out. It's common knowledge that he developed a pretty huge substance problem. He apparently has a huge fortune. I remember reading how a few years back he walked into a Bentley show room and bought 4 Bentley cars.

[@florinivan6907]

He got old and the action movie genre changed. Simple.

[@TheGhostOfJohnWicksBeagle]

once the matrix came out it was bye bye action star for awhile.

[@MichaelMAuth]

Old? Compare his age in films to Statham etc

[@florinivan6907]

@@MichaelMAuth Minor detail. When they crafted Van Dammes action man image it was partly based on his boyish good looks. Statham even in his early 30s looked older. Lets be honest even circa 1998 Statham could pass for 40. So his action man image was never partly based on looking young. Van Damme by 2000 was already looking older. So his action image from the early 90s no longer worked. Statham because of his aged appearance could keep doing action movies even well into his 40s and 50s.

[@DexterWhite-v8i]

The drugs aged him horribly.

[@artosin]

Van Damme IS part of my childhood memories. One of my film heroes.

[@villain5873]

00:03 Van Damne with his glasses, GOD bless him❤

[@scottgregory6129]

He can do the splits! Never met the guy, but I worked as a P.A. and heard the phrase "Jean-Claude Van Damage" because he never pulled his punches on set. I was also friends with one of the screenwriters of Timecop. Just schlocky mid grade entertainment, although Bloodsport made quite an impression on me as a teenager. Like I said, he can do the splits. And Steven Segal will always beat J.C. when it comes to ... uh... jerks.

[@renaldsunset]

Excuse me what is a PA

[@djmegahurtz]

was waiting for the Timecop mention, instant nostalgia

[@blaaa22awwwf]

His looks are seriously underrated as well, his face when he is young, during his peak is fresh AF. A really good looking sexy dude.

[@KingdomWithin7]

JCVD is still a LEGEND in my book.💯

[@djvernski]

He was MASSIVE!!! In the 90’s. As a young teen growing up, it was a ritual to wait and see what blockbuster he would be involved in next. I do recall feeling like the steam had been lost when street fighter was released. Personally I never liked Dennis Rodman and I couldn’t understand why Jean would make a movie with him. Really enjoyed hard target in the cinema but as I got to young adulthood, I noticed his movies were going direct to dvd. Same as Segal. Only Arnold and Sly seemed to be able to keep their cinema releases happening at the end of 90’s. The JCVD really did feel like a confession in front of camera and peek into who he was in his heyday and the regret he feels, despite his success. He was jacked back then, had good looks and great abilities. 80’s and 90’s action was never the best for dialogue nor delivery. We didn’t care, they were our childhood hero’s and our parents too, that we couldn’t wait to watch on VHS, dvd or the cinema.

[@JediRyu99]

Van Damme can be old and still do his thing, it’s Hollywood. If he can still kick he can do a more modern martial arts take in a movie. Like a Lion Heart 2, where he’s retired. Just keep the drama and action elements and no comedy. As crazy as this sounds id like to see Stallone write a script with Van Damme attached, both of those guys know how to capture well choreographed fights. A action film with drama would be great for both of them…like a Lion Heart type movie with Rocky at its heart. You can even pull a expendable type cast lineup… Mike Tyson or Terry Crews Donnie Yen Dave Bautista Scott Atkins Jackie Chan? Logan Paul

[@palmereldritch7777]

Get real, everybody likes a comeback guy - and JC van Damme is still on the up and up.

[@prairiewitch8217]

He’s gorgeous how could he not make it. Just cause he didn’t speak English. Bloodsport was amazing film.

[@kieronwebster887]

cant believe you only have 4.5k subs, Great Content! +1 sub

[@playstationaccount4473]

I think Van Damme was seen as more European rather than Arnie or Sly who were American. He was also about a decade younger than them.

[@killaseason82]

Arnold is American?

[@playstationaccount4473]

@killaseason82 well not really but by the time he was a star he was a beloved American residing in Los Angeles. That way Van Damme was the guy from across the pond.

[@killaseason82]

@playstationaccount4473 right hints the thick accent lol dude sit down n shut up

[@bretthumphrey6821]

I enjoyed all his movies still watch his movies today

[@TheRedmethod]

I just want to say that your videos are incredibly well-scripted, excellently edited, and super interesting to watch. The way you tell these stories is really engaging, and your style is spot-on. Your channel definitely deserves more attention, but I’m pretty sure that if you keep this up, you’ll easily hit 100k and even a million subscribers in no time. Wishing you continued success!

[@Hollywood_Lore]

Really thankful for your kind words man, hit me right in the chest 🥹 went grinding✌️😁

[@bluewave7120]

The title is way too negative JCVD still has millions of loyal fans around the world who grew up watching him and will always be respectful to him

[@eclipsesolar8345]

He was huge in Europe, Portugal as him as on of the greatest action stars. In my childhood all loved him, men and women. Was my father's favourite action stat alongside Chuck Norris. If today you ask anyone on the Planet who is Chris Evans, Christian Bale or Van Damme the majority will know quickly who is Van Damme.

[@gogogoup]

i was into martial arts when i was a kid thus van damme was my favourite due to his kicks.

[@phobiazzzero4935]

at his career peak the studios offered him $9M for 4 movies..meanwhile Jim Carrey was paid $21M for his next movie..he went to producers and asked for more money refusing the $9M offer..since then his career went down!

[@6LVRDRGN]

As a man I am a subject matter expert and I can easily verify that “ego” is bad mojo

[@robin-comments]

I kinda liked Sudden Death as a kid and watched it many times.

[@Hollywood_Lore]

Same actually

[@RobertQuant]

Rest in peace 🪦 🙏🙏🙏 powers booth u were a great villain 🦹 on that movie 🎥

[@TheGhostOfJohnWicksBeagle]

It's Frank Dukes, like put up your dukes.

[@the180degreerule3]

4:51 this shot 😂 😂

[@rickyrichreacts9667]

Most have Bruce lee as their favorite martial artist actor… me, it’s always been van damne

[@Michael-it6gb]

'No retreat no Surrender' was actually released a month before Rocky IV, and they had the same concept of the "underdog" fighting a Russian in the final battle. Both villains of Van Damme and Lundregs Russian fighter characters they played were called Ivan. Strange "coincidence"?

[@johnnyguitar6639]

2:07 There's a interview with Kurt Mckiney Jason from No retreat no surrender. He dismisses those stories

[@renaldsunset]

Very good video ! To be honest the title grossed me out (I thought it was negativity towards JCVD) so I brushed off the video when it appeared in my suggested content but it came back 3 times so I gave it a try

[@psilva2462]

He still gets huge paydays to make movies in Europe and Thailand, he just made a movie for Netflix as well. He's still highly successful

[@antoniobotello1903]

BLACK EAGLE was an awesome and overlooked.

[@rickymicky272]

As a kid, I liked watching anyone with muscles. I wldve confused him for Arnold or Stallone if it wasn’t for his kicks.

[@donaldduck7461]

Van Damme saved EX2

[@Hollywood_Lore]

so true

[@altaydraws]

Yes his comeback towards the end was the whole movie

[@Mia-dt3gl]

He was incredible in that movie. By the end my dad and brother were screaming, “Get him! Kill him!” at the TV, which I’d never seen them do before with a movie. 🤣

[@ReysonFox]

Regardless JCVD was for me at least an inspiration into Martial Arts and Kickboxing. And unlike Sly or Arnold or other big muscle superstars at the time JCVD's physique was legit and to this day can never do the split as good as the man himself.

[@johnmonachelli5256]

Casting ogre in bloodsport shows off some of his genius

[@saifhasan4717]

4:28 Forrest Whitaker!!

[@Treayom]

Lionheart is still one of my favorite movies

[@bretthumphrey6821]

I even liked street fighter

[@RobertQuant]

Even though Jean Claude was the star Raulll Julia last performance what made street fighter his best movie along Addams family Raul Julia playing M bison 🦬 and giving it is all for His kids cause they were fans of the video game Gave me more respect for Raullll rest in piece my brother 😢😢😢😔🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦🪦🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🤢

[@justinparkerthewildwolf6394]

He's good with fights and punches

[@AJVANBAKKER]

Subscribed good video, I was unable to find any mislead statements nor any mistakes... I pretty much know all bout him... I even learned some new things like all u mentioned about death warrant

[@BDS1313]

same here

[@AJVANBAKKER]

@BDS1313 Cool bro, I used to be JC's biggest most obsessed Fan... I mean I dedicated my life to be able to do all the Martial arts moves n tricks that he does. Until Knock Off, my level of Faness went downhill from there... but still enjoy some of the old movies.

[@robbertag808]

@@AJVANBAKKER So, you didn't use to be JC's biggest and most obsessed Fan, if your level of Faness went downhill after Knock Off... lmao. That's when it only started for me.

[@AJVANBAKKER]

@robbertag808 well that's a matter of opinion... Instead of staying a fanboy, I chose to train my a$$ off not do drugs and eventually I would be able to do everything he could and more as I met and trained with martial arts masters who surpass him in level in every way... I can outkick outstretch JCVD, Scott Adkins, MJW, Ip Man, Name them I actually fought in Karate, Judo, Taekwondo(USA National Champ) MMA in Mexico and Dutch-KICKBOXING In Holland... not trolling, I've proved this... ih yeah and 20 years Bouncer experience in LA, Mexico, Holland and Spain... Some of the stuff JC pretends to do in movies I've done in real life... everything after knock off sucks... some people like bad movies... The most disappointing recent film that I gave a chance was The Bouncer... but having been a real one in 4 countries for 20 years... JC's the bouncer was a complete waste of time

[@AJVANBAKKER]

@robbertag808 Yeah matter of opinion, I didn't sit around just fanboying it, I actually put in hours, days, weeks, years, decades of training became better than JC himself in every way, and still going hard! Can u do a 360 van damme kick? Can u sit in full Splits for an hour straight? Cuz I can... I can even do kicis van damme coukd never do, lije 540 720(real high level kicks), I can even hold my legs higher than him, can u?? Have u ever fought? Cuz I have inside and outside if the ring, just saying. Yeah some people like all the bad movies after Knock Off... Some of us can't stand bad movies, no matter who stars in them... so who is a bigger fanboy, arguebaly You, who's more like Van Damme or even better yet, Better and more badass than JCVD, yep that would be ME, The Fan Who SURPASSED him in Skills. THE END. -Master AJ(International Bouncer).

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

JCVD's best film was "Lionheart". If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it.

[@billzco6137]

I never even knew about the movie with Rob Schneider. I actually want to see that now lol

[@mroberts453]

The worst role JVD ever did was being Barneys punching bag in the Expendables movie.

[@altaydraws]

Jcvd movies are usually soul driven the concept is usually spiritual. He does not focus on pure masculine energy. He is very flexible

[@hectorherbert6585]

ballet is actually excellent to develop fitness & leg strength and suppleness of both tendons & muscles....observing a top ballet dancer's body muscles explains all...starting ballet then moving on to Martial Arts is a great idea...

[@joshthemediocre7824]

Nothing bad came of his career, just blockbuster after blockbuster because he directs his career with MF'ing spinkicks!

[@MightyEmperor97]

I think he’s doing alright if you can talk about him for 21 minutes, and he probably could whoop your ass at his age

[@SunChipss]

Bloodsport and Street Fighter are fucking classics! Lol

[@garethjones2746]

Cyborg made with a broken camera from a broken mobile phone? Back then? Did I hear that right? Hmmm

[@Hollywood_Lore]

Hmmm 🤔

[@givemorexp]

Phone was sent back from the future by JCVD himself... da da daaaaaaa

[@RobertQuant]

That’s Capps 😅😅😅😅 Director Alex Prius from cyborg never said that

[@matrix_comix]

Yea but he NAILED kylie minogue at her peak!!!!

[@blaaa22awwwf]

I had no idea he had so much legal trouble. My hunch just says that he doesnt deserve it.

[@brazah4987]

His moves were silky smooth, there is no denying it. His English however was 😂

[@yakkattack]

48 with my big legs and my karate I can do splits noooo problem

[@patricklindsay72]

LOL, you got Double Impact memorized

[@johnconnor7131]

You can also do queefs

[@UrbanOutlawsSk8Co]

Jean Claude Full-Gram 😎

[@MarioLamRedRebel]

Alcohol and drugs happen.

[@JohnTheBaptist87]

Sudden death is a great movie

[@RobertQuant]

Sudden death next Tuesday on 4K and blue ray Rest in peace Powers booth 🪦🪦🪦😔😔😔😭😭😢😢😢🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@WallStreetIceCream]

Legend

[@ryanmccarthy2033]

Fantastic job sir

[@jabar4860]

1000 likes? Really? Come on guy, just release the damn Ed Norton video.

[@castlebravocrypto1615]

The train in the thumbnail is trying to derail itself

[@jimcook7053]

Blood Sport was a great idea but based on some guys total fantasy.

[@teoc7790]

Frank Dux is REAL!

[@jimcook7053]

@@teoc7790 yea but his story which was great made a fantastic film was all made up :)

[@teoc7790]

@jimcook7053 story is true, but the footage was lost because of earthquake and aliens, Frank explained that in one of his interviews. Frank Dux actually beat the former UFC champion Michael Bisping.

[@Uo2Me]

But it was a grate movie as a kid.

[@altaydraws]

Just like superman or the punisher

[@familydogg1234]

I think Van Damage was one of the people blown up when a hand grenade went off- in " Missing in Action". Fun Fact Ice T did some songs in the soundtrack. He also spoke to Jackie Chan pre " Rumble in the Bronx". Don't know what happened there. I loved " Cyborg"- Van Damage said " that was the worst one ". " Hard Target" is always good to watch. Ive seen all of his films- there are so many!! Thanx- this was great. Good research..❤❤❤❤

[@steveavecillas1114]

Nothing last forever Hollywood was never a long-term career

[@BrianThomas]

Still an action star in my book. I wonder if his kids will pick up the mantel?

[@Amadeus_Eisenberg]

It's not looking good. They seem to be just regular rich kids living a comfortable life and not looking to reach any heights. And they're all pretty unimpressive.

[@BrianThomas]

@@Amadeus_Eisenberg such a shame. What waste of a good opportunity.

[@ramblincapuchin9075]

I genuinely believe that Van Damme wanted to fit the bill of a work horse. It seems to be a vice and his persian flaw I reconcile with his work ethic because sometimes you just want things to go your way because you worked it and actually work out for style points. The trouble with being a one man show however, is that the rest of the talent is concerned about their personal follow through His bipolar issues and his connection to drugs appear to be correlated with being high functioning. I don't call it ego, it's baked into man to want to be on the cutting edge. This is why he hits for real and pumps up his volume. There's also something to be said about wanting to match your pump, if arnold can do it why not me? I don't know if that is the way he thinks or if I'm just projecting my values, but if you are involved in a project and its success rides on your commitment, you kind of feel compelled to do everything in your power to bring you the thunder If you know what you are capable of, everything else feels like fetters. It's really a shame to think that an exercise in masculinity requires so much coercion from the people around you. As in you kind of have to enforce your dominance to get people to recognize you are the alpha in the room. But in a working system, there are rewards to playing into a winning formula. Keeping that pressure and intensity should yield discipline in theory Whether or not he can ask this from one studio team to another is anyone's guess. It would aplear that you've got to be able to read the room. This seems to be the motif of his success and the roles he takes. Play the villain long enough to get people on your side. Then be williig to do all the work to get people to appreciate your side of the equation. Otherwise you are only as good as your promoter

[@getinetkifle3341]

Van Damme was/is everybody's Favorite action movie star than the critics tell us. He might have a bad luck in advertising that is the secret of most less talented successful action movie stars of his time. That's a hardly his fault. The American movie industry is so racist and the critics are hypocrite. He did not get what he deserved economically. The challenges had contributed for his drugs abuse, that's been a common in Hollywood figures. Nevertheless, Van Damme remains a cherished actor for most of the younger generations of 80's, 90's and early 2000. Noone can take that from him. Unfortunately, the measure of success is biased. Hollywood is a problem for real actors if one don't submitted to the right, connected people's unacceptable demands

[@ProCrow9882]

Lion Heart AKA A.W.O.L

[@abelmakori]

He got old leave the man alone

[@RobertQuant]

Yeahhh actors and musicians make their best work when they start young once they get older they get lazierrrr and retire

[@Amadeus_Eisenberg]

My favorite Van Damme movies are actually some of his least successful ones, from the late 90s. I absolutely love the Tsui Hark-directed Double Team and Knock Off movies. And 1999's The Return is my most favorite Universal Soldier movie to this day. They're the Van Damme movies I care to own and watch the most. Really fun movies that just don't get old and are very good to watch again and again. Also, with his constantly reducing budgets around that time, it would have been a great time to make do with what you get, think things through and make something really great that leads to a big comeback.

[@giacomotognoni9865]

When men were men, flaws and all

[@hectorherbert6585]

the first costume in Predator was rejected by the production...it looked more like a giant chicken with teeth than the final costume we all know...and yes it was unbearable to wear in the jungle's heat..,they worked on that for the 2nd one...

[@RobertQuant]

Actually it was the incredible work Pf Stan Winston that made the predator creature who he is more taller and scarier 😅😅

[@master2uall88]

I love universal Soldier and to be quite honest I can't stand Van Damme and his splits bulshit but I did like a majority of his movies back in the day and the same can be said for Steven Seagal who was an a-lister for a while also but now they both have kind of faded into the Dustbin of history but Van Damme I think is kind of made somewhat of a comeback where Steven Seagal is still considered a joke

[@RaPtOr9600]

@SpaceIce is the greatest fan of JCVD on KZbin

[@dmaster20ify]

a man that can skin out

[@dudetrustme8320]

How ironic that timecop was so successful, ehen it's a comically bad movie, while the quest, which might be his best film, failed.

[@screenapple1660]

he didn't work hard like he used to in bloodsport. he got lazy and lazier next films after films. it's like that because he know he gets tired by age.

[@prairiewitch8217]

Became his partner … sparring partner lol

[@marshallartsentertainment3741]

Bruce Lee - Icon/Legend JCVD - Former Action Star

[@Kick548]

Брюс Ли просто умер вовремя, он тоже употреблял наркотики и думаю если бы не умер уже был бы старым пердуном никому не интересным , если Ван Дамм умер в 93 году тоже остался бы иконой.

[@marshallartsentertainment3741]

@@Kick548 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@waatsookitopii4806]

T'so

[@waatsookitopii4806]

Hunya

[@WolfHeathen]

To be fair, a 12-year-old girl without any martial arts experience could beat up Seagal. Aikido isn't even a proper martial art. You're probably better off using yoga.

[@texxstalker]

16:20 i think he wasnt bipolar just on and off on coke...

[@cesarrodriguezarchundia6569]

Hey man, his life Is everything but boring....

[@Viv8ldi]

He played a gay karate fighter? Which movie please?

[@alexeypolovinchik8731]

Dude, I require more memes. I want you to entertain me. I'm too stupid to watch serious videos for that long. Memes!!11!!! 1!! 1! 1! 1! 1! 1111

[@AnnoyinglyCharming]

1 hit wonder. PPL got board of splits.

[@jimbrown5091]

Unpopular opinion...dude is a poor imitation of a real action star.

[@DexterWhite-v8i]

He was a one trick pony.