Double Impact (1991)

(On Cable TV, May 2022) You can see in Double Impact the intention to make Jean-Claude van Damme a more respected actor – through the now-familiar trick of having him play two roles as estranged twin brothers. It’s not that much of a stretch – and there’s enough fighting action to reassure viewers that he’s still an action star even in playing two roles. The messy plot relies on a familiar blend of criminals, smugglers, drug shipments, clubs, triads, explosives and a shipping containers climax. The Hong Kong location adds atmosphere to the story and bodybuilder Corinna Everson brings something interesting to a henchwoman role (although – weren’t bodybuilding female villains a flash-in-time kind of trope back then?), but this isn’t a particularly memorable action film. Even the love scene is… a jealousy-powered dream sequence? Weird. The twins-gimmick is surely more memorable than many other early van Damme films, and there’s some stunt work to bring this somewhere else than a straight-up fighting film. In the end, though, Double Impact is a serviceable action film for fans of the lead actor… and something substantially duller for anyone else.