Pound of Flesh (2015) User Reviews (51)

A fun Van Damme film.

[RoboRabbit89 · 6/10 · 28 November 2017]

Let me start by saying that this was a fun action movie, Van Damme is, I felt really cool in this film.

He plays Deacon Lyle, a sort of french special forces contractor, who is on vacation in (I think it was the Philippines), I've seen it a few times but forget where it's set. While there he wakes the next morning to find that his kidney is missing and preparing to get it back.

I have to admit that the story to this film is very simple but I still found it enjoyable.

Jean Claude Van Damme is very good in this as Deacon, but I always enjoy watching his films.

Charlotte Peters is pretty good in her role I think this is her first film role but I found her performance exceptional. And she is very sexy too, she is a gorgeous Irish woman very attractive.

As for the rest of the cast they were good too. The action scenes are pretty good as well, all of the fighting was done in a way I feel was fresh and inventive, I realize that some of you complain about noticing Van Damme's double in the fights, well to be clear, couple years ago he suffered a mild heart attack on the set of "Assassination Games", so that's self explanatory, I am in no way shape or form bothered by this, besides he is getting older.

Anyway overall I liked this film, it's one of those sit back, relax and enjoy the body count type of films.

I give it a 6/10. A fun little action film and if your a Van Damme fan I recommend this to you.

Watchable, but that's it!

[gabriel_sanchez · 4/10 · 12 July 2015]

PLOT: 5/10 - The movie plot was fine. Nothing special at all. It's pretty straight forward, though that's not a bad thing at all if done right. And this movie doesn't do it that wrong.

SOUNDTRACK 5/10 - To be honest, nothing to see here, folks.

SPECIAL EFFECTS 4/10 - I debated with myself if I should give it a 5, but the green screen effects in this movie is used way too often on scenes that didn't need it. I know, it's a B movie, but there're plenty of them who does it right.

ACTING 5/10 Though some acting can seem shallow, most of it is fine and, sometimes, believable. Nothing new on Van Damme's acting (comparing it to most recent movies he's made); John Ralston does a nice job on acting here too. Some fight scenes aren't that good, as the moves are really badly done.

OVERALL 4/10 - Though the movie may look kinda cliché, it's a nice action flick, that's pretty straight forward in general. Some scenes might have some bad visual effect but, overall, it's a movie that's OK to watch, considering you know you're in for a B-action movie.

Not one of the best Van Damme films, but it's not one of his worst either.

[Hellmant · 6/10 · 8 May 2015]

'POUND OF FLESH': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Jean-Claude Van Damme stars in this martial arts action flick; about a man trying to get back his stolen kidney, in order to save his dying niece. It was directed by Ernie Barbarash (who also directed Van Damme in the B-action films '6 BULLETS' and 'ASSASSINATION GAMES') and it was written by Joshua James. The movie costars Darren Shahlavi (another martial arts B-action film star), John Ralston, Charlotte Peters and Akie Aleong. It does have some decent fight scenes but it tries to be a little too emotional, and overly dramatic, as well (which it doesn't quite have the resources for).

Van Damme plays Deacon; a man who just arrived in China, in order to donate a kidney to his deathly ill niece (Adele Baughan). He rescues a woman (Peters) from her attacker (Shahlavi), nearby the hotel he's staying at. She asks to buy him a drink, as thanks, and he wakes up the next morning with a kidney missing. With the help of his extremely religious brother (Ralston), the father of the dying little girl, Deacon decides to track down the criminals that robbed him, and get his kidney back. It helps that Deacon is an expert martial artist and former black-ops agent, of course.

I used to be a huge Van Damme fan (he was my favorite actor, briefly, as a kid) and I still enjoy watching his movies. He doesn't deliver a very good performance here though, because it seems like he really didn't want to be there (he can be a pretty good actor, when he's passionate about a role). Shahlavi, Ralston, Aleong, and a few others, do give decent performances though (on the other hand). The fight scenes are entertaining as well; and there's a decent story hidden in there too. The melodrama, and cheesy production values, do make the film a little hard to bear though, at times. It's not one of the best Van Damme films, but it's not one of his worst either.

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Solid B-action movie

[Dr_Sagan · 11 June 2015]

The premise of "Pound of Flesh" is interesting to say the least. It's difficult to describe the plot without any spoilers. It unfolds in every scene. It's not a "mystery" per se, but if you think you have the usual revenge type b-seagal-movie you are mistaken.

Overall it is good for what it is. I liked the pace (not too hasty or abrupt), I liked the direction and editing, and the plot/script is good enough.

Van Damme got old, as it was expected. We see his trademark feet open 180 degrees as in many of his movies, but the stuntman was obvious in a few scenes. The green screen used in many scenes, including many scenes inside a van are distracting but I wouldn't insist on that as a serious flaw.

The newcomer (her 1st movie) Charlotte Peters has an interesting look that maybe give her some good roles in the near future but she need lots of training in her acting (despite the fact that she went to Drama Studio London, a prestigious drama school based in England).

The conclusion, that I won't spoil you, is satisfying, something that lack many movies nowadays.

My recommendation: Check it out. Is better than the 5 average you see here. I gave it a 8 to boost it a little. Might not worth such a high score but I think is better than other recent movies of Jean-Claude.

Another light plotted Van Damme flick

[dimbost · 3/10 · 7 June 2015]

I don't usually write reviews for bad films. But being a huge Van Damme fan and loving his older movies, i thought that this would be a good film as Van Damme really hyped it up. Unfortunately the film falls apart very quickly. The most funny and annoying part of the story and most ironic i guess, is that they still use the Kick boxer line "Our parents got divorced i stayed with dad and my brother went with mom" to establish his thick french accent compared to the American accent that his brother has. The Acting was cheesy, mediocre at best. Van Damme probably was the best actor in the film. The story was a Van Damme story with a stupid twist, which would not have swayed the character in the end, but its the story tellers felt that Van Damme's character needed more drama and so we have the ending we get. The CGI was extremely bad. I couldn't understand why they had to use Green screen for the night club when in the next scene they are clearly standing in a similar if not the same actual night club that they just CGIéd before. Anyways, i hope that Van Damme fans can enjoy the film solely based on being JCVD fans

If you like Van Damme you will like this, otherwise you have probably already seen a movie like this. Nothing to rush and see

[cosmo_tiger · 5/10 · 25 May 2015]

"Would you kill to save her, even if it meant your soul?" Deacon (Van Damme) is relaxing when he sees a woman being harassed. He helps her and ends up staying the night with her. When he wakes up in a bathtub he is tying to piece together the night. When he realizes his kidney has been taken out of him he isn't sure what to do. Now him and two of his friends must not only try and save Deacon, but get the kidney in time to save his friend's daughter's life. These are the hardest movies for me to review. One reason is because I have just not a big fan of Van Damme. Another reason is is that these movies are so generic it's hard to really enjoy them. All of these straight to video movies starring Van Damme and Segal have to do with a tough guy trying to save someone he cares about the only way he knows how…violence. There is always a different catalyst but for the most part the start and end the same way. This one is no different. If you like Van Damme you will like this, otherwise you have probably already seen a movie like this and it's nothing to rush and see. Overall, generic and not all that exciting, typical Van Damme. I give it a C.

No. Just no.

[Movietajm · 1/10 · 12 October 2018]

This is an awful movie in every way. Van Damme is a "has-been". His movies in the 90s was excellent but now the company has low budgets and this is the result. The overoperated, once great actionhero, Van Damme truly has ended his great career many years ago. His acting contra the awful manuscript is a disaster. People giving this movie 8 or 9 obviously hasnt got a clue about great movies. I write about 300 movies/year and believe me when I say that this is really a worthless try for a movie... Sadly...

Pretty Good

[bob-rutzel-239-525430 · 7/10 · 3 August 2015]

Deacon (Van Damme) helps Anna (Charlotte Peters) from being mugged in an alley, they have drinks, go to his room and later he wakes up in icy water. Still later he realizes he was drugged and he is missing a kidney. Whaaaat? Oh, and he wants his kidney back. Wouldn't you?

The fight scenes are good, but lasted way too long. By Hollywood's thinking, the fight scenes need to go on forever to make sure you understand and appreciate the talents and skills used by the players. See?

I know you are wondering if Van Damme does a split across a hallway or some-such. Well, he does something, not that but you won't be disappointed. Hey, he's not a spring chicken any more.

Along with Van Damme, the real winners in here are the supporting cast and even the bad guys led by Darren Shahlvavei as Drake were spot on. We enjoyed this cast as they contributed quite a bit in dialogues and facial expressions. Good guys Ana (Charlotte Peters), Deacon's brother George (John Ralston), and Kung (Aki Aleong) Deacon's contact in Singapore made this more enjoyable as they believed in what they were doing helping Deacon.

Here's the thing: there are quite a few twists in here and some may surprise you and they don't stop until the very end. When you think you know something up comes something else to consider. So basically, it's surprise, surprise, surprise.

Once you get past most of the twists you may know how this is going to end. Hey, if I can figure it out, so can you. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes, briefly, one time in the beginning. Nothing is seen. Nudity: No. Language: Brief soft stuff.

Game over

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 10 February 2018]

Deacon (Jean-Claude Van Damme) goes to Hong Kong to donate his kidney to his niece. The night before, he runs into an ironic urban legend and gets his kidney removed in a hotel home. Determined to get his kidney back, Deacon injects morphine and goes after the bad guys with his brother George (John Ralston) getting in the way.

This is another in a series (it is not over) of old action heroes beating up guys less than half their age and doing it with a handicap. I know I can barely walk after I have been under a knife, and when I do, it is not pretty. How far will this go? I mean he tells a story of crawling across the Afghanistan desert with two broken legs.

The film was fun for a moment when Van Damme chose the Bible as his lethal weapon of choice. There was of course some Hollywood street theology dialogue which didn't help the film. The most amazing aspect of this film is that this script was sold.

Guide: F-bomb, sex, Van Damme/ body double butt nudity

it's great to have Van Damme Back as Main Role and not best movie i have seen but it's a Mixed with Crank, John Wick

[nikola17 · 6/10 · 13 August 2015]

this is one of hell good comeback Van Damme witch is great before last terrible release of movies with van Damme like Alien Uprising, Swelter pointless movies ever made with Van Damme i Mean Enemies closer was good Pound of Flesh is mix Crank and John Wick because like Crank (2006)Jason Statham been poisoned buy gangs he has to run to keep blood pumping, find guys who did it and like John Wick (2014)Keanu Reeves when John Wick dog is been killed then he goes out there killing these bad guys who killed his dog.

Plot: Pound of Flesh (2015) Jean Claude van Damme (Deacon) come to Manila, Philippines to donate his kidney to his dying niece he was black ops agent he was spending his vacation and have found mystery woman getting attacked from and find Goran (Darren Shahlavi) was bushing Ana (Charlotte Peters)you have great fight with Jean Claude and Shahlavi fight each another didn't went for long but with strange picture to movie Deacon went to club with Ana had spending each in bed that night Deacon wakes up at bathtub frozen he kidney is gone big cut on his back someone toke his kidney he needs it back. his brother George(john Ralston)witch is annoying character an annoying Religious/Brother why is he part of movie ? he is just guy i wanna say leave movie your fired. that's good point of saying it to actor. Deacon is looking for his brother George who has daughter with Kidney Problem he needs his brother for what ? i thought Deacon was a Black ops special agent i thought he deal everything on he's own Deacon has person he knows and working with him long time Kung (aki Aleong) Deacon remembers he went to nightclub went back wants answers from Asian Girl saying threat saying i am going to hit you with bible i laughed

Deacon was at club start bushing and kick people in club getting bible start hitting the guys not of them the fights were good one shot single camera no cut to cut scene really reminds me of John Wick but it didn't do the best scene like that movie low budget very low budget.plenty doubles of Jean Claude like i mean like you see him fighting but in background you can't see his face just back of him fighting like double stunt i think lame idea still sucked idea i mean Claude is still fit he doesn't need stunt double why ? i had problems with movie when movie is not even Finished like poor green screen while driving in cars, gunshots were very fake specially background when you see Jean Claude that fake staff on his hair like white staff i can't even explain it well but it's like background of movie while they were in club and driving cars and gun shooting is not even completed. that happens sometimes still good movie but still worth of fun ride very easy story line still not bad as Swelter this is not best Jean Claude movie but i have seen better this. there's not much to say about this movie one of stunts when Deacon does the splits in Timecop, Blood sport, Cyborg this is one of amazing Splits does it while car is moving one of action scenes were low budget very low $7,500,000 but the fights were not too bad one of action scenes were very good but ending was just eh eh i don't want to spoil it i don't think this is one of best Jean Claude movies i have ever seen. but i thought it was better movie then Swelter (2014) trash movie, this is a lot better but with some problems with movie Darren Shahlavi sadly past away 5 August 1972 – 14 January 2015 i like him as great villain sadly past away so soon, he did great job in this movie as villain fighting with van Damme in 3 scenes in movie a lot of gore and pound i have enjoyed it 6.10 expect it's van Damme movie not like Swelter or Alien Uprising trash this is one of main role of Van Damme movie and you see him a lot more kicking ass all the way to end of movie that's it.

Career worst?

[mikesblast · 2/10 · 30 May 2015]

First off, I am a HUGE Van Damme fan and I enjoyed the two other JCVD/Barbarash collaborations. That being said, this movie was absolutely AWFUL. Every bad element a movie can possess, this movie pretty much has. Bad green screen, bad script, horrible fight/action sequences, bad acting(somewhat excluding JCVD), doubling for every other punch thrown, hell even doubling for scenes of JC sitting on a couch!! This was such a waste of a fun premise. They tried to throw in WAY too much tacky drama instead of just going balls to the wall with action and violence. I guess though, since it wasn't Van Damme in most of the scenes, that wouldn't have made a difference. This may even give that cluster of turds he did in the early 2000's(Derailed, The Order, Second in Command, etc) a run for their money as worst Van Damme movie ever. Such a disappointment. Good luck viewers!

Van Damme is Back!

[albrechtcm · 8/10 · 19 July 2015]

I don't want to discuss the storyline here because from the start it's off-beat, surprising and entertaining. After so many cinematic dogs that made it look as if Mr. Van Damme's films were going the way of Steven Seagal, this turnaround is arguably one of Mr. Van Dammne's best films. The script is right on, direction tight, and the storyline went off in a really different direction. He has to fight, yes, but not just to show off his acrobatics every other scene. And rather than just another action flick, this has heart and a story that may stick with the viewer. Someone once said that a good story should have an ending that is inevitable, yet still a surprise. I liken a good story to a magician on stage. He places his top hat upside down on a table and goes through his array of tricks, and although you just know it's coming, when at the end he pulls that live rabbit out his hat you're surprised and amazed. In this case, I was expecting to take a step further and really surprise with that rabbit, but still, the ending was quite satisfactory, maybe even better that what I had expected, all things considered. I'd say this is a film any Van Damme fan should have on the shelf. One little thing: Although this was shot, entirely I think, in Canada, it was supposed to be Manila. I've never been there, and I imagine there are a great many people there from China, but in much of the movie, judging from the background and all the signs and passersby, I'd have sworn we were in Hong Kong or some such place. That didn't hurt the film however. I'm just saying....

nothing great here

[pdqpaul · 6/10 · 20 December 2020]

Although I generally like vandame, this is prebaby his worst film, the bit about his fighting after just having a kidney removed, and his constant in all the fights, is just kind of ridiculous, it just made terrible fight scenes, I just was not at all impressed with this movie, not even the plot, just a typical plot. I gave it a six, but I really could have given it much lower, just not a good movie.

A good solid Van Damme underrated action thriller flick!

[ivo-cobra8 · 1/10 · 17 January 2016]

Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take a good solid action Van Damme thriller, drama flick, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.

Pound of Flesh (2015) in my opinion it is a solid action thriller Van Damme action movie to watch. This is the last movie of him that he made he is filming now a Kickboxer remake, it is my favorite movie that does not need a remake, neither does Bloodsport those two are classic Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. It is time for me to end the Jean-Claude Van Damme marathon, 6 Bullets will be the last movie I will review about Jean-Claude Van Damme. I am not going to review, No Retreat, No Surrender, Street Fighter, Nowhere To Run, The Quest, Inferno aka Desert Heat, Derailed, Dragon Eyes, Welcome To The Jungle, Enemies Closer and Swelter. Because they suck all and they are time wasters for me. Pound of Flash and 6 Bullets are the last movies of Van Damme I will review I am not going to review JCVD because I did not enjoy it the movie and I thought it was sad satire but still a good acting performance from Van Damme.

This movie Pound of Flash is pretty solid action film that is mostly drama. You do have a few action scenes, shootouts and a little martial arts fights. The film is more about a hunt about man's kidney who are trying to save a young girl's life and the clock is ticking. Deacon Lyle will do anything that it is in his power to save his nice, who in fact is his daughter. Mostly the movie ends dramatically that Van Damme dies which that shouldn't have happened, but sacrificing himself for saving the young girl's life was beautiful. I know there's a lot of people out the who doesn't like this movie and I think is horrible, I think it was much more better than Assassination Games because that movie sucks! Plot: In Manila, Philippines to donate his kidney to his dying niece, Deacon Lyle (Van Damme), a former black-ops agent, awakes the day before the operation to find he is the latest victim of organ theft. Stitched up, Deacon descends from his opulent hotel in search of his stolen kidney and carves a blood-soaked path through the darkest corners of the city brothels, fight clubs, back-alley black markets, and elite billionaire estates. The clock is ticking for his niece and with each step he loses blood. 'Pound Of Flesh' sees Van Damme back to what he does best - nonstop, hardcore action.

Two of my favorite actors start in here Darren Shahlavi who is no longer with us anymore and Aki Aleong. Darren Shahlavi died last year January 14th 2015. R.I.P. I have enjoyed the actor in his action film and one of my favorite all time action films Bloodmoon (1997) who played the martial artists killer. The lead role had Gary Daniels and Chuck Jeffreys who did a great terrific job playing the detectives and martial artists hunting Darren Shahlavi and fighting with him on the end of the film. Aki Aleong played the main villain in my all time favorite Chuck Norris film Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988) which is very underrated action film that I just love.

I think a lot of people are expecting 'JCVD does Crank' and although Pound of Flesh is quite insane it's never quite as over the top as Crank. It isn't without a sense of humor though with a few choice one-liners and it relishes the rather crazy concept. I like this movie for what it is, it is not my favorite Van Damme movie, but it has a lot of drama and action in it. I just see this movie at the primer with Van Damme himself and I must say it's very good film. Great movie, Van Damme did a great job.

OK there reason this does not get the full 10 by me stars is because the script is no Shakespearian play! I know that sounds really harsh but honestly in general the film is surprisingly good. Van Damme acts well and his fight scenes are not all about high kicks, there's a great deal of punching, blocking and hand to hand combat. There are also some fight scenes where the choreography really surprises you when you expect one thing and something else happens. Well done Van Damme.

Overall: Pound of Flesh is a more serious movie than you'd maybe expect but it's definitely worth watching for the first rate action scenes, JCVD doing the splits and of course Darren Shalahvi's scene-stealing villain. I think it was a good movie and I did like it at all, was little slow paced in the beginning and the movie quickly went fast around not bad for Van Damme.

Pound of Flesh is a 2015 Canadian action thriller film directed by Ernie Barbarash, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Darren Shahlavi. It is the third collaboration between Van Damme and Barbarash (following Assassination Games in 2011 and Six Bullets in 2012).

8/10 Grade: B- Studio: Ace Studio Odyssey Media Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Darren Shahlavi, Aki Aleong, John Ralston, Charlotte Peters, TFBOYS, Jason Tobin, Philippe Joly, David P Booth Director: Ernie Barbarash Producers: Jonathan DuBois, Jeffrey Giles, Mike Leeder, Henry Luk, Michael Lurie, Kirk Shaw Screenplay: Joshua James Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 44 Mins. Budget: $7.500.000

Van Damme is back!

[m_roberts_07 · 24 May 2015]

Jean Claude has been doing very well in recent times. It is great to see him making a decent comeback. My wife and I took the pleasure of watching Pound Of flesh tonight. I'm enthusiastic about it giving a rating of 8-10 - The movie provides plenty of action which is what I'm mainly in it for.

My wife is a Filipina and we were happy to recognize areas of Manila in the movie. I have this feeling that I may have been around the area during the time Van Damme was visiting the Philippines. The beginning starts of a little rough, but when the action begins and the twists start to roll in...This gem starts coming together better. My wife cried at the end. The story was well set up and unpredictable. I hope these guys get back together again for some more kick ass movies in the near future.

Can't go higher than 4* sorry!

[ZeroCoolRO · 4/10 · 7 December 2020]

The movie theme is very easy, he got "fished" from the hospital while he went there to test if he is or not a kidney match for his niece. Someone paid someone, and bad guys found about him, and stole his kidney, and now all movie he run around to find his kidney to take it and give it to his niece. The thing that ruined everything, was when he found out that need $20.000 to pay a doctor that his friend found to finish the transplant. And guess what, no one had the money except the escort who had EXACTLY $20.000, was the exact sum that she was paid to drug him. EXACTLY 20.000 USD. Come on ... wth.

The movie was OK, rated with 2/5 so here is a 4/10 (everything doubled) .. cant go higher, movie was dull and not very entertaining.

Potentially good B-movie fluff descending into contrived nonsense

[elpatoletsplays · 3/10 · 4 October 2016]

Ah, Pound of Flesh. Such a criminally cheesy and over-the-top premise - Van Damme gets his kidney stolen and needs to get it back from the scumbag criminals that got in order to save his dying niece. It's a move that seems like it has the perfect foundations to create a JCVD B-movie classic. Unfortunately, the issue with Pound of Flesh is that it falls over itself trying to be more complicated than it needs to be and forgets the basics matter most.

The story is as the premise I previously stated - but there's massive deviation along the way, in the form of numerous silly unnecessary plot twists. Honestly, the premise is ridiculous enough on its own that you could just go with it and enjoy the crazy ride. But instead, the creators of this feel the need to convey some sort of depth that isn't done well and isn't even necessary in the first place - it's a DTV Van Damme flick! Keep it simple with Van Damme beating guys to bits in pursuit of his quest and you keep everyone happy. Instead, the film has half-cooked attempts at trying to touch on themes like religion, sacrifice and family loyalty. The "attempts" mainly consist of random plot twists involving these things, with the characters acting in completely unrealistic ways. There's suspension of disbelief and then there's just stupid, and this well crosses the line into stupid.

It feels like another one of these DTV action movies where there is no real plan and one scene is created after another - Seagal's poorer DTV material often had this issue, leaving glaring plot holes and characters behaving in irrational or idiotic ways just to further the story somehow. There wasn't many plot holes in this from what I could see, mainly because any attempt at a consistent plot was superseded by crazy twists.

It's sad, because for the first half hour or so, everything seems to be going well. An entertaining premise has been established and you're ready for JCVD to go out on the hunt. After that, it seemed the creators didn't know how to properly sustain interest in an action movie during the quieter midsection so plot twists and poor attempts at character development came flooding in.

As for the action itself, the best scene is probably the first one, as we see Van Damme performing his martial arts repertoire and beating guys to a pulp. Everything thereafter is never really interesting, with Van Damme doing a bit of gunplay and also MMA but it never really works compared to his classic martial arts routine.

Also, this seems to have strong use of green screen in completely unnecessary situations. The main culprit is when Van Damme and other characters are driving in the car - there's a pretty obviously visible green screen outline on the actors. It begs the question, why? You're already filming in the location on the green screen. Why not film them actually driving? It's just another bit of stupidity in a long list.

I believe I've said all that needs to be said about this. It's a shame, because the premise is so ridiculous in itself that it could potentially be really entertaining - then they messed up the plot, writing, and direction...this is one to miss.

Give Van Damme his kidney back!

[estebangonzalez10 · 3/10 · 21 June 2015]

"What I'm really good at is killing."

We all know what Jean-Claude Van Damme is really good at, it's his amazing stunt work and despite his age he continues to be in great physical form. Honestly the only film I'd seen him in after the 90's was The Expendables 2 and he was one of the only redeemable characters in that film. He made over a dozen films since the last time I had seen him in the first Universal Soldier sequel which was about the moment I lost interest in his work. I grew up enjoying his performances in movies like Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Lionheart, and Universal Soldier, but after that his body of work got very repetitive. I don't know why I decided to check out Pound of Flesh considering it has been an eternity since I've seen him in a starring role and the film hasn't received any love from critics or audiences, but I guess I just wanted to see if he was doing anything different. I'm sure the nostalgic factor also kicked in a bit.

The film opens with Van Damme waking up in a hotel room naked in a bathtub full of ice. I was immediately reminded of the scene in Universal Soldier and I kind of guessed from the second the story began that this was going to be just another Van Damme vehicle. We get some strange flashbacks (done with cheap effects) where he recalls spending the night with a woman he had saved and everything begins to come back to him slowly. He was drugged by this woman (Charlotte Peters) and now he discovers that his kidney has been removed. The first thing Deacon does is call an old friend, Kung (Aki Aleong), who immediately shows up to offer his assistance. This is where we are told Deacon is in the Philippines visiting his brother, George (John Ralston), and Kung insists that he let things go considering the black market is very dangerous in the region. Deacon will not let it go because the reason for his visit was to donate his kidney to his dying niece. So the quest for his missing kidney begins as he decides to return to the bar where he met the woman and try to connect things from there on. Darren Shahlavi plays the villain who will do what it takes to keep Deacon off his tracks.

With a few exceptional moments where Van Damme gets to use his martial art abilities and prove he can still split his legs, Pound of Flesh is incredibly dull and cringeworthy. The dialogue in this film is incredibly stupid and Aleong's character is only introduced to explain the situation and to give us some background on who Deacon is. The film is basically a conventional revenge film with a low production value and some absurd revelations. The pacing of the film dragged whenever they tried to force the relationship between the two brothers which wasn't interesting despite the fact that the story depended on it to build the tension. I think I've already written too much about a film that never put any effort into trying to deliver a quality revenge film.

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

Where is my kidney!

[kapelusznik18 · 6/10 · 2 March 2016]

****SPOILERS*** An almost unrecognizable Jean-Claud Van Damme due to all the hits and kicks he took to his head and body over the years as one of Hollywood's top action adventure hero's is, you guessed it, action hero and former US black ops #1 government hit-man Deacon who's out of his right kidney that's been stolen from him, while he was out cold, to be given or implanted to an un-named multi billionaire who's blood and DNA are a match with his. In fact Deacon was to donate his precious kidney to his bible thumping brother George's, John Ralston,nine year old daughter Isabella, Adele Baughan, who's on life support suffering from acute kidney failure.

Deacon gets the help of retired, in the city of Manlia, Chines mobster Kung, Aki Aleong, and his #1 henchman Nardo, Brahim Achabbakhe, to find his missing Kidney that was surgery removed or taken from him. That's in order to give or implant it to its rightful owner Isabella before she ends up dying of kidney failure. For a man with only one kidney Deacon or Van Damme has no trouble in taking out the some two or three dozen or so bad guys working for the billionaire Mr. Rants, David P. Booth, who needs his kidney to keep him alive.

****SPOILERS**** It's when Deacon finds out just who the kidney is for and whom he has to kill to get it he suddenly gets cold feet. Not so with his bible thumping and turning the other cheek brother George who's now more then willing to murder a totally innocent man in order to get it and save his daughter who has just hours to live. It was at the very end that even George came to his senses and didn't to pull the trigger. As for Deacon like in the movie D.O.A he knew all along that he was dying but survived long enough until he took care of those that operated on him without his knowledge or consent. It's then that Deacon passed away when his remaining kidney that was doing the work of two and all the stress, in taking care of business, it went through finally gave out.

It's Time to Hang Up Your Splits

[docm-32304 · 5/10 · 17 December 2020]

OMG...the trouble with some of these dated action heroes is that they either don't know when they're past their expiry date or, they're too vain to act and look their age. Van Damme looked like he had both kidneys removed. He looks like a corpse at 55 and his overly dyed hair is ridiculous (Sly Stallone pay attention too).

Not what i have hoped for

[Renegay · 6/10 · 6 April 2015]

Another Barbarash/Van Damme movie. The third in a row. This time a big difference. It isn't shot in East Europe!! but in Hong Kong. To bad it doesn't show..

Van Damme loses his kidney after a rough night. He wakes up without a kidney.. the kidney he wanted to give to his niece.( but he decided to drown it with whiskey first) A odyssey starts to find his kidney back.

This movie has lots of good action but everything around it is extremely dull.

Van Damme seems motivated but looks terminal and is doubled even more then i could spot in Enemies Closer. There are also some really bad slow motion kicks that came straight from the 90's. The brother seems to have the best acting skills but he and Van Damme have no chemistry. The fight with Shalahvi are great but nothing better then The Shepherds end fight between Adkins and Van Damme.

It was actually a big bore. I already expected this after seeing the trailer. The sets are boring and dark and this movie has exactly the same depressing pace as Assassination Games and Six Bullets.I was glad to see no Van Damme family members this time..

I think Ernie has got the max out of JC these days. Time to move on

I was expecting better mainly due to hype...

[destroyerwod · 5/10 · 23 June 2015]

This movie was somewhat hyped as the "Van Damme is back in full action force" or something like that. I was expecting an action showcase, with spin kicks and fights all the way true. Instead the movie seem to focus a lot on story...

Don't get me wrong, the story is not bad, its not stellar either but this is more what would i expect from a Pierce Brosnan movie in 2015, not a Van Damme one.

The first fight of the movie despite being very short is actually one of the best, it shows kicking and what we are use to see from Van Damme. The rest seem to mainly focus on MMA type of ground and grappling attacks, which if done right can be fun on screen, but here i tough it didn't suit Van Damme at all. The fights just appear to be slow, clunky and lack luster in general. I know Van Damme is not too young anymore but i left me without much excitement unlike his other recent movies that i fairly enjoyed.

Sadly Darren Shalavi passed away lately and this will be one of his last film along his Kickboxer remake role(if he had time to finish everything, which i hope he did) and to be fairly honest i know he could do much better than in this movie. Maybe he had to tone down himself to match Van Damme, but i saw much better fights with the younger Scott Adkins for example.

Another thing that was very bad is the fake CGI blood, it really looked terrible. There is also one particular gunshot they totally forgot to add the damage to it. You will know which one when you see it.

Now despite being far from a great movie, it was enjoyable to a degree, i guess i was just expecting a lot better from a kick ass trailer. I had much more fun with 6 Bullets and Ennemies Closer for example. But i still think Van Damme has a lot of potential left, i hope he keep making movies. Lately its been hit or miss but the misses mostly had him in secondary roles, like Dragon Eyes or Universal Soldier 4, but this one has him really as main character. I will still rent the next one no matter.

Alas, This Is The Last Time We'll Ever See Darren Shahlavi in action...

[Vivekmaru45 · 8/10 · 18 June 2015]

Superb film, I'd give it 8/10 any day of the week. Despite the negative reviews given to the film, it's a solid action thriller that keeps the viewer hooked till the very end. Despite the fact that Van Damme isn't as young as he used to be, his acting certainly is very sincere. He has made a few mistakes in his life, but now he is a man who is seeking redemption.

The film is about a man, Deacon(Van Damme), who has a one night stand with an unknown woman, then later wakes up to find himself in a tube full of icy-cold water. He finds out that he had been drugged, and while he was incapacitated, one of his kidneys was removed.

Now it is a race against time to recover his missing kidney. As any typical Van Damme lover will know, this movie has great martial art sequences. We also have the late Darren Shahlavi, who has an awesome physique and who also acts well. Aki Aleong(The Quest 1996 as Khao) makes a welcome appearance along with John Ralston(Life With Derek 2005). Charlotte Peters makes a change from modelling to acting. This is her debut, I believe, in a film with a cult action star.

Van Damme Selection: Bloodsport, Cyborg, Kickboxer, Lionheart, Universal Soldier, Hard Target, Timecop, Street Fighter, Sudden Death, The Quest, Legionnaire. All these films I have seen and I highly recommend them to see/buy.

Thank you for having the time to read my review. May you live long and prosper.

AWESOME MYSTERY NOIR THRILLER WITH AN EXCELLENT VAN DAMME!!!

[lukem-52760 · 7/10 · 5 October 2020]

The old skool Action Legend Van Damme is back with another low-budget & straight-to-dvd B-movie Action flick & this one is really good, Actually it's a decent well made & often exciting Action Thriller with a good serious performance from Van Damme as Deacon, a former black-ops agent, who awakens to realise his kidney has been taken as he's in the Philippines to donate it to his dying niece. This shocking set-up is done really well & we get to follow Deacon on his crusade through the dark & seedy mean streets of the City that's full of brothels, fight clubs, back-alley black markets & elete billionaire estates all full of corruption. Van Damme shoots & beats his way through lots of scummy bad guys but there's a real story here & a dark story & this stuff does happen in real life & that gives the film a gritty, dark dangerous atmosphere.

This is a violent action Thriller but with a real emotional story & heart to it & with real relationship & family problems. Van Damme's on screen brother George played by John Ralson is another fantastic performance that reminded me of Dustin Hoffman in the 70's Cult Classic STRAW DOGS!!! A pair of fantastic pieces of acting that lifts this DTV flick way above the usual crud & into the really good movie category.

Van Damme is a legend of the Action genre & i grew up watching & loving the guy & consider his A. W. O. L, DEATH WARRANT, DOUBLE IMPACT, HARD TARGET, CYBORG & MAXIMUM RISK as some of my all time favourite films!!! Van Damme is a childhood hero of mine just like Schwarzenegger, Seagal, Stallone & more, he had a huge impact on me growing up & it's nice to see he's still working hard in the Action genre just from the low-budget straight-to-dvd side of the business & that's fine, glad to see he's still kicking-ass & looks in great shape still. I've loved his work with Scott Adkins, those two are fantastic together especially in ASSASSINATION GAMES (excellent film) & Adkins is the best of the low-budget Action genre now.

Pound of Flesh is a fast paced, Action packed dark Thriller that looks good & has a decent on form performance from an old skool Action legend. Definitely one of Van Damme's best of his cheap output. A decent Thriller with a twisty Noir style & one of Van Damme's best acting performances of his Career, if not his best!!!

bizarre!

[coex23 · 3/10 · 23 July 2017]

Spoilers!!

The basic story here in the Philippines is Van Damme rescues a woman in an alley, she buys him a drink, they have sex, he wakes up without his kidney and then has to get it back. It's nice to have both right? No! JCVD was about to donate his kidney to his estranged brother's dying daughter! Time is ticking away!

Well, if you chose this movie after having read the plot description: kudos! Not saying this stuff doesn't happen in the world, as it clearly does, but the way it's set up and executed here is slightly on the preposterous side of things.

You would think after many years as an iconic action figure, JCVD could land a roll that has a budget. (OR, maybe he could take a cut in his pay to help out the crew a bit? You know, like Keanu.) There is more green screen effects in this film than any random thousand public access TV shows from 1982. It's that bad. On top of that, there's way too much unnecessary CGI effects (bullet holes with smoke, bullets seen zinging by, really bad blood splatters, etc). Yes, it's a b-movie, but come on: have some pride in making your film and do it right!

For a rather average action film, this whole premise is rather weird. Having our hero wake up from covert surgery and then load up on morphine and pursue bad guys is quite a stretch for any viewer. Then to have him quite viciously beat the crap out of several bad guys with almost no consequences on his wound, body, etc... kiinda silly.

Then to throw in the convoluted back story of his niece/daughter dying is a bit much. There's one scene where JCVD's brother picks up the limp, dying body of the girl and asks JCVD if he wants to hold her; as if she's not real. He passes her to him and, of course, she wakes up! Later, after finding JVCD's kidney, after it was put in the body of a different dying 7 year old, there is a long moment where JVCD's brother is holding a shotgun to the kid and seriously about to kill him. Naturally, it doesn't happen. BUT, what a freaking odd moment to write into a JVCD film. When dying kids are tossed into the plot and moved around like pawns for the sake of action and/or drama, you can count me out.

Finally, as you expect from a script this utterly stupid, the dialog is beyond bad. I got the feeling that whoever wrote it never studied language in any form, nor studied film either. Absolutely abysmal dialog crammed on top of a juvenile plot.

And, yes, as per his contract in all his films, we get fully nude JVCD, including multiple rear end shots. Ugh.

Buyer beware!