The Order

I've always been a fan of Jean-Claude van Damme, so I've been mad that his recent movies haven't got theatrical releases, while the latest Adam Sandler and the current breed of gross-out teen movies have. I'd much rather see van Damme on the big screen than another teen movie. Although THE ORDER is far from his best or my favorite of his films (those would be HARD TARGET, SUDDEN DEATH, MAXIMUM RISK, and LEGIONNAIRE), it's still pretty good, even if it does drag in some places and has some hard-to-understand accents. But you can understand enough to know the basic idea of the movie, so it doesn't really matter. Written by van Damme, the story moves had a decent pacer, but the direction could have been a little tighter in some scenes. Van Damme is particularly good, and though it's not his best acting (that would be MAXIMUM RISK), it's better than some of his earlier ones.

The film makes good use of its Israeli locations, sexy newcomer Sofia Milos makes a feisty heroine, and co-stars Ben Cross and Brian Thompson offer good support in roles that are smaller than they should be. Unfortunately, however, Charlton Heston is wasted. I kept saying to myself, "Why go to all the trouble to get a famous big-name veteran screen star to play such a teeny, tiny little role?" His part would have been better suited for the unknown who played van Damme's father, with Heston playing the father. That would have been much better. As I said, some parts tend to drag a little bit, but the action scenes are well-done, my favorite being the entire climactic sequence in the underground tunnel system. There's even some funny bloopers that run before the end credits, though only a few; some more would have been nice.

All-in-all, one of van Damme's better movies storywise, and though I'm not sure if I would actually buy the DVD, I would probably make it an occasional rental. Then again, I'm a big van Damme fan, so I'll probably buy it next time I see it just to have it.

Honestly, I bought this movie at Wal-Mart, as it was in the $5.50 bin and it looked like something that I would enjoy making fun of. It sat around for quite a while before I eventually popped it in to view it and to have a field day making fun of it. However, I didn't hate it. In fact, I rather enjoyed it. Yes, the film is filled with all sorts of different action cliches, but it is an enjoyable film if you don't try to analyze it and just enjoy it for what it is. The film has some good heart to it and the filmmakers themselves give off the impression that they enjoyed making this movie too. I would not advise anyone to go out of their way to see this, but if you stumble onto it, watch it with low expectations and you won't be let down.

These days, I never know what to expect from a Van Damme film. Is it going to be the old high-kicking style, the awful Dennis Rodman-era stuff, or completely different ("he's an actor!") stuff like his most recent and very good film "The Replicator."

I had the same reservations about "The Order". What to expect? Well, the answer is somewhere in the middle. For Van Damme it's a return to his fighting roots with plenty of martial arts and action with less emphasis on acting (which is a good thing).

The plot is a bit lofty, but moves very quickly with some genuinely good fight sequences. The characters, while not Oscar material, are interesting in their own way and include a very sexy leading lady (in tight tube tops!), the guy from "X-files" as a villain, and Charlton Heston who plays a spunky old professor and gets killed far too quickly.

While there may be a few too many things going on (ie. a secret sect, a bomb, a buried treasure, a kidnapping, a heist, an expensive egg, etc.), overall, this film provides good comedy-action entertainment and is not a bad way to spend two hours. Just leave your thinking cap at the door, buy an extra-large tub of popcorn, and enjoy. 4/5 Stars.

I just finished watching this movie and I have to agree with one of the other user comments: Van Damme's acting is definately getting better. He can actually handle more than two words and some grunts. I think he's still got a lot of room for improvement, but the acting is definately not such a joke anymore. I also thought the action was good in this. One thing I didn't like about Replicant was the amount of action. It only had a bit at the beginning and end and they didn't do enough with it, it was too short. The Order, on the other hand, had plenty of action from start to finish. Definately the way to go for a Van Damme movie. I mean, isn't that why people watch them? Anyway, I gave this movie a six. I think it's definately worth more than the 4.6 it has now. As with all Van Damme movies, don't go watch it with high expectations, just sit back and enjoy it for what it is: brainless action. On that scale, it certainly delivered.

p.s. is it just me, or is Van Damme not as big as he used to be? Maybe it was just the lighting :)

This movie is an action comedy. I don't it really was supposed to be a serious action movie. Most people criticize the movie, claiming that it didn't deliver and the fact that it wasn't one of Van Damme's worst movie. In respect to the movie, it is a action comedy in a lighter aspect. I admit though, the movie did have its flaws, and some of van damme's dialogue was too simplistic and cheesy. However, the had its moments, and van damme is still in top shape. I also liked how Van Damme used some of his old co-stars from previous movies (The Quest, Cyborg). Overall, this movie should satisfy any van damme fan. This movie could've produce a lot more, and the Charlton Heston character was unnecessary.

Final Judgement: **1/2/****