Inferno

It's no secret Van Damme has lost much of what clout he once held at the box office when he's now reserved to doing leads in straight-to-video action flicks. I guess the hindsight is you could say that about any of the other big action stars. It's been awhile since Arnold really pulled in the audiences and even longer for the likes of Stallone, Norris and even good 'ol Steven Seagal.

So it wasn't the biggest surprise when Van Damme's latest 'Desert Heat' went straight to video. The strangest thing is it's leaps and bounds ahead of Universal Soldier 2 that got a theatrical release and Van Damme is actually pretty good when he's relaxed and having fun. With a few familiar faces in the supporting cast helping out.

This one finds Van Damme as a man at his emotional end. He believes he's got nothing to live for anymore and when we met up with him he's ready to commit suicide and end his life. What happens shortly after that is pretty basic, but fuels the rest of the story. A bunch of dirty people try to wax him and leave him for dead and he swears to make them pay in blood. So not entirely original. With more gunplay than there is martial arts - you have to decide if that's a good or bad thing for a Van Damme flick. It's a case of opinion and/or taste more than anything else. The atmosphere is light and everyone seems to be having fun. Which is great. This story couldn't have survived a single viewing if it took itself seriously.

I'm not recommending this outright, but I'm not saying stay away either. Love or hate Van Damme, this is a half-decent addition to his mixed slate of movies and if nothing else this movie contains one of the most unique sex scenes I've seen in an action movie in a really, really long while. It's both erotic and vaguely comical at the same time if you can believe that. You'll have to see the movie to know what I mean, but this all goes back to an earlier point. It never takes itself seriously and that's what keeps things enjoyable rather than being a pain to watch in the end.

Wow, this movie is almost like a Road House for the late 90's. In other words, this is a good, no, GRRRREAT bad movie. Van Damme effectively plays another dumb guy / bad ass/ good guy. JCVD arrives in a small desert community populated almost entirely by abrasive creeps. Abrasive is putting it mildly, these guys snort crank/coke and verbally abuse old folks/hot waitresses around the clock. Of course Van Damme must help out the old folks and hot waitresses, probably because he's on some spiritual journey, or maybe he just wants to get laid, or maybe because he was planning suicide anyway. Whatever, the case may be, 2 old indians (one a motorcycle, the other an actual human being) help him get it done. The mullet adorned red necks and bikers which he awkwardly incapacitates are worth the price of admission alone. For my money this belongs amongst the best of Van Damme's entertainingly stupid body of work. Don't miss it!

I chanced upon this screen gem on USA as part of their Jean-Claude Van Damme summer movie marathon. Kind of a bizarre mix of "Mad Max", where a loner takes on thugs on motorcycles who are terrorizing the citizens of some out-of-the-way "town" ("town" as in five buildings and a law-abiding population of 12); "A Fistfull of Dollars"/"Yojimbo"/"Last Man Standing", where a loner pits two rival criminal organizations against each other; and gay porn (two sweaty men in their underwear massaging each other's feet!).

All of the supporting characters are campy caricatures and the interaction is comical. Gee, Rhonda's world famous apple pie was so good that JC took only one bite and left the rest... and apparently no one in the desert bats an eye at murder, or drinks water for that matter.

The action was OK for a DTV flick, but don't rent it if that's what you're looking for. Its real appeal is the campiness. "Desert Heat" is a good pick if you want something mindless and off-the-wall to kill a couple of hours.

I saw this movie on Tv. It started good with showing a coyote running in the desert. But after that it became machoactioncomedy. As Van Damme fan I could watch it. I even enjoyed somehow. The story is simple: Bad guys steal his bike that belong to his friend and shoot him. He survives and he wants revenge and take his bike back. The movie tries to be this spiritual movie and it even succeeds in it but the comedy kinda spoils it. I liked the set where the movie was shot. The old people were funny. Ohh that sex scene was hilarious. There is man who goes straight to action! And of cource everybody love Van Dammes martial art kicks and we see them. They save best for end of the film. Checkout Pat Morita from Karate Kid series. Danny Trejo played JCVD´s mysterious friend. Like every review I tell you: If you are Van Damme fan you might like it. The movie went straight to video but I think it would do okay in the Box Office. Overall **/*****

Oddly enough, then I have actually never seen the 1999 action movie "Inferno" (aka "Desert Heat") from writer Tom O'Rourke and director John G. Avildsen before now in 2022. And I grew up watching the action movies of the likes of Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Van Damme, and so forth.

I enjoyed "Inferno" for what it was, but this wasn't among the best of movies from Jean-Claude Van Damme. Sure, the movie was watchable and entertaining, but it was suffering from being a little bit too generic. But hey, at least it made for the type of entertainment where you just lean back, munch on the snacks and watch the action on the screen.

The acting performances in the movie were good, and they definitely had a good cast ensemble for the movie, with the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Danny Trejo, Pat Morita, Larry Drake, Jaime Pressly, Bill Erwin, Vincent Schiavelli and Jeff Kober to mention the most recognizable.

There is a good amount of action in "Inferno", and it is definitely the action that mostly drives the movie forward and carries it a great long way.

My rating of "Inferno" lands on a five out of ten stars.