When VAN DAMME made a Career Shift but had Nowhere To Run / Look back and review on Nowhere to Run
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ม.ค. 2025
- After the success of Universal Soldier, Jean-Claude Van Damme was on to bigger things. He was looking to broaden his audience with his next film, Nowhere To Run. The film had more heart and emotion than a lot of his earlier films and he really tried to widen his acting range with the element of romance in this film.
In this video I'll be breaking down some trivia and background into the production of Van Damme's Nowhere to Run and share my thoughts in this review of the film.
He really shows his acting skills in the 2008 film JCVD. the Bouncer was fantastic as well.
Loved JCVD and the Bouncer!
He really shows his acting chops in Jean Claude Van Johnson too. I absolutely loved that short-lived series, so bummed out they didn't do a second season!!!
i wouldn't characterize Van Dame as a great actor as much as Arnold Shwartszeneger, or Sylvester Stallone who to my opinion had better acting chops than the afore mention. I don't think they weren't such great movie stars because of their excellent acting but for their onscreen personas, their bodies, martial arts ( JCVD) and the great pictures they were in. they are no bad actors just not great. Bruce Willies was a good actor, Mel Gibsome awesome as well, even though there's certain thing i don't like about these personalities they are better actors: Tom Cruise, Leo Dicaprio, Brad Pitt. These other action guys were not such great actors but who can forget such things as Rambo, Rocky, Cobra, Terminator, Predator, Commando, Cyborg (to me one of Van Dame's best but so underrated), kickboxer, I also loved Van Dame where he played a Russian evil dude, awesome movie great acting in that one. Those three action muscle guys had that onscreen presence and were key to some of the most iconic actions stories ever
I'm watching the Bouncer!
JCVD is the man, his movies are always a joy to watch. More of his older stuff some new stuff is still cool thou.
Heck yea man!
This is one of Van damme's more underrated films, I loved it & thought he looked the coolest on that motorcycle with the glasses
Born in 84, this was the 1st Van Damme movie I saw in theaters, so it holds a special spot for me.
No where to run is actually a dope movie. I recently just bought it on blu ray. Your channel is dope I like these behind the scenes type of things. Don’t really see these types of stuff. Keep rocking dude with this excellent content 😎👌
Glad you're enjoying the channel!
Badass movie and channel no doubt!
People forget what a great actor Van Damm he conveys emotions well on screen. In my opinion he transcends the action genre even now he still does movies that has emoitional weight.
Very underrated. I will always appreciate this movie and it has a special place in my heart for when I used to watch it in the early to mid 90s on late night HBO in my room.
Nowhere to Run and LionHeart are my top two VanDamme favorites.
I should probably take more time for a JCVD top 3, but Bloodsport, Lionheart, Hard Target. Honorable mention to the Quest
Really great list!
Kickboxer and Universal Soldier (1992) as well!!
5:01 The irony of the pic of Van Damme posing with Chuck Zito like pals 😂
I thought he looked familiar. So what's the story with Zito and Van Damme?
@@robertherrick6703 Van Damme got into an altercation with Chuck Zito in a nightclub in New York. Van Damme talked bullshit about Zito. Zito confronted him and beat him up.
@@Katzenhase Wow. Van Damme was a bit fucked up back in those days. I just finished watching Viking Samurai's video with Steven Lambert where they talked about this story.
Van damme got sucka punched not beat up.
It’s one of his most underrated films, it shows his acting ability and range, I enjoyed it
That movie for me is a treasure especially on that motorcycle scene.
Great Video, I need to rewatch it soon. End had me cracking up
Despite some behind the scenes issues I think this is JCVD’s best first attempts being a serious actor rather than a action hero. This movie would work with or without the action scenes because the story is very heartfelt and moving.
15 years later JCVD would distant himself from martial arts action roles and would do more acting than fighting and he has proved himself to be a fantastic actor
This is the best channel on yt. 100% serious.
LOVED "Double Impact"! The scene where he jumps from his back to his feet, could never do it, but always pretended like I could as a kid!
That kip up was cool... I was able to do it by using my hands, but was never able to pull it off like those guys that could do it without hands lol
@@VikingSamurai At least you could do it at one point. I was never even close to athletic enough lol
@@VikingSamurai , the trick to doing it without hands is to slap the hands onto the knees just as you push off with the head.
I love Nowhere to Run! Saw it in theaters back in the day. My best friend didn't like it because Van Damme wasn't doing his signature moves, but i saw through that and what a classic "man who walks into small town" vibe it had. The fights are brutal fist to fist style use whatever is in your environment to win. The score is excellent!!!!!! Motorcycle chase in particular is pretty exciting! Van Damme jumping onto the Motorcycle in slow motion. And the final fight with a truly evil Ted Levine is one of Van Damme's best fights. Not the best! But definitely should be in top 5. Great underrated flick!
Underrated movie of his...and it is in my top 3 for him!
I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite Van Damme movie of all time but it’s definitely in my top 5, It’s the one movie of his that I always wanted to see a sequel of him getting out of prison and coming back to them,
Nowhere To Run is one of my favorites from Van damme ... well now I'm going to bed and watch Hard Target, which Netflix just released.
Whatcha think about the sequel with Adkins?
@Robd1 replies I should hope it did😂
@@cwrichardson3 Have not seen ... but will now :)
@@cwrichardson3 I personally loved it, big fan of Adkins as well.
I always enjoyed this. I re-watched it a month ago and it holds up really well. Its like a tamer Road House. Also, speaking of Tango & Cash, its a shame they never made a sequel. Its such a fun movie.
I loved this one great to see him something different
I enjoy it. It has way more heart to it than many of his films. It's in the back half of my JCVD top 10. But it's ahead of some good films
Definitely among my top favorite Van Damme films. Must be time for a rewatch.
Man I miss this guy. His career passed too fast.
He never left!
I’ve been watching all your videos. Appreciate all the research you do and work you put in.
Thanks for watching!
Was super confused watching this as a kid as it was missing all the things I loved in his previous movies, mainly the trademark insane martial arts. As an adult rewatching it I definitely enjoyed it way more and it was probably his most complete film at the time for crossover appeal.
Ditto
When he stops the motorcycle tire/engine with palm of his hand, such a badass scene
Very true!
Just subscribed.Now this is my kind of channel.Keep up the good work.👍
Awesome, glad you found the channel, thanks for Subscribing!
I think he was at the peak of his hotness in this movie.
Good film. I just watched it couple days ago. Van Damme has more range than giving credit for.
man your review’s are great, i don’t think i’ve came across anyone on youtube talk about van damme movies like this before ! 🙂 keep em coming 👌
Thanks for the kind words! There's a whole lot more Van Damme coming!
This a very humble story man comes along to help out a family. The Lucky One had a similar plot I love movies like this strangers or drifters who come along to take a stand and make a difference.
I agree, really love this movie!
Love these videos, bud. Keep it up!
I was 17 in 94. Think I saw this when I was 18 and I really enjoyed it.
I don’t think I was disappointed by any Van Damme Film until Double Impact.
Double Impact or Double Team (the one with Dennis Rodman)?
One of his best! Really like it.
One of my favourite Van Damme films! "Sam!"
Really interesting thanks. JCVD was good at acting with children, showed he was much more than just an action star. But when you are pretty much the top action star what else are you gonna do lol. What a legend.
I don´t know if it´s an unpopular opinion but this is one of my fav Van damme flicks... He delivered a fantastic performance, the story was really touching and soundtrack was great
Unpopular or not I agree with you.
One of his best films.
1:06 Lawyer Jacob Blake? The dude from Kenosha?
Underrated movie.
I liked the movie... but I was also 17 and in love with Van Damme. I wish he was more flashy like in his earlier movies. I did; however, appreciate how he was broadening his audience.
Would you consider making a video that ranks what you would consider JCVD’s “Golden Age” films, “Silver”, then his direct to DVD releases? Thanks!
Ya, I'll definitely break that all down in the future.
great video as always
When are you going to do Cyborg?
All in good time.
@@VikingSamurai Good man.
Thank you for doing this one i love tbis movie is one of my favorites i went to the theater with my sister and her bf at the time later her baby daddy lol
Truly one of Vandammes underrated films. Actingwise one his best performances (and characters). Like you say the fights are different from the usual Vandamme style, but it goes well with the films style and tone, with Sam being more of a brawler with a bit of Martial Arts. But I will say Seagal did the better job at throwing a Goon into the car, lol. Id give this film a 4 outta 5.
I would have loved to ee jcvd in more films of different genres and tones. The guy actually has acting talent but most people don't see past his action skills
I loved that movie 🎥
It is good.
Glad you made this video. Great topic.
I recall not loving this film when it first came out because it had less action, and thought it was just a result of Van Damme's ego / conviction pushing the idea that he was "so sensitive", while the film pushed the idea of Van Damme as a sex symbol, which he was but it seemed redundant.
However, watching it years later, it wasn't that bad. Acting, action, cinematography - it was all there. And yes, the chemistry between him & Arquette was certainly convincing.
As for the man-through-the-windshield maneuver, being a Van Damme fan, I actually think Seagal's take on that was better (fewer cuts, more simply shot and edited).
Thanks for the vid, VS.
I loved some of the stunts the
Bike chase was awesome
One of my favorites! But I could say that about most of his movies, lol. I always enjoy seeing JC and Arsenio together - the interviews are so fun! And you better watch those "women driver" jokes 😄
Van Damme and Arsenio are great together, they were good friends, which made the interviews fun to watch.
@@VikingSamurai Wish we could see them together for the release of one of his new movies!
@@ToriGayMinistries Van Damme mentioned he wanted to do a buddy cop action comedy movie with Arsenio Hall, where they'd dress as woman; so it would've been like Rush Hour meets Mrs. Doubtfire lol
@@VikingSamurai 😂. I would LOVE to see that!!
Great video dude
This was an awesome film, showed JCVD acting range
My favorite JCVD flick and I'm the 420th like. Nice. Also a favorite bad guy in Ted Levine and send-off line,"au revoir,f---er"...
Loving the Van Damme content keep it up 👍 I’ve always thought he’s underrated and don’t get the credit. Wish he’d write a honest autobiography bet he’s got some wild stories to tell especially the drug fuelled years 😂
An honest autobiography would be insane! Glad you're liking the Van Damme content, there's a ton more coming; in fact, the video I'm working on now will cover Double Impact.
Viking Samurai great movie! I’ll keep a look out for it 👍
Was this a sequel to The Fugitive?
I liked Nowhere to run. It's a good story.
Great job btw. I had no idea they didnt like eachother on set!!!!
A Van Damme western. I love this movie.
I grew up with bloodsport and double impact, hard target. Bruce lee and Chuck, Steven segal and vandamme. Nowhere to run didn’t seem like a vandamme movie i didn’t hate it
But it seemed weird.
You were a Seagal fan? I just couldn't get behind anything he did for some reason...just wasn't a fan.
Go back and watch it again. It's great as an adult even though it was initially slightly disappointing only compared to his own previous works like kickboxer and Bloodsport.
Is one of my favorite Van Damme flicks
Please can you do a video of timecop I'm a big fan.
Definitely in the future, I'll be covering all Van Damme theatrical released films.
As a life long Van damme fan since 5-6 years old . My first VHS set from Woolworths was Bloodsport cyborg and Death warrant. Double impact was my first movie i saw of VAN Damme a late night Saturday movie on tv if i remember right i was hooked right away . It's hard to pick a top three list but im going to say
1, Death Warrant
2 , AWOL its know in the uk (Lionheat) in US .
3, Double impact.
Honorable mentions have to be Cyborg and Bloodsport. Just had a nice little memory pop in my head . I got AWOL from blockbusters the good old days .
Death Warrant is great!
@@VikingSamurai That's another great film mate👍
I loved Nowhere to Run. Not as action-packed as something like Double Impact or Hard Target, but it's still Van Dammage. It's been a long time since I saw it. I had it on VHS back in the day, but I donated all my tapes years ago, intending to replace them on DVD/Blu-ray. Most of them I have replaced, but I haven't been able to find Nowhere to Run and a few others.
Great film
It’s available on dvd and blu ray over at Amazon
@@satannewsted Yeah but I don't buy from Amazon.
You do a great job
I actually dig the parking attendant line .
Love this vid. Would like something similar on Steven Segal. But maybe when his movies started to get bad.
I covered his first 4 movies pretty extensively, part of my Seagal playlist
This my fav jcvd movie.
Nowhere to Run is a cool, yet simple film, that shows Van Damme's charisma. Sometimes in life, things don't work out the way you want, but at least Van Damme always tries to please his fans.
TERRANCE OUT
Nowhere To Run, was another great Film. It was a really good storyline.👍
Van Damne sent me a signed autograph of the photo of him on the motorcycle from this movie.. - it had more emotional impact.. I liked it!
That is awesome!
@@VikingSamurai Hey Viking..Listen ( and apologises if you've already made an introductory video).But what's your story - have you studied MArts?? You would make a good P.I. - you do your homework, that's for sure. :)
I have a background in Tae Kwon Do as well as Kenpo. I'm currently training in Krav Maga, but haven't been back to that gym since covid hit. I'll still do martial arts drills throughout the week as part of my workout to keep everything sharp though. What about you?
@@VikingSamurai wow..that's awesome. . I too have a background in Taekwondo! With me tho..I studied a different discipline every year; (was never satisfied for some reason) - from Judo - different styles of Karate- Taekwondo- -"pushing hands" Zen Shorin Do - was where I ended - because I graduated University after that and moved..!! I nearly joined my local Aikido class when Covid hit. :( Ive always been intrigued by the Hapkido which Philip Rhee demonstrates in the sequels to ' Bofthebest' movies. Maybe for the future - we'll see.THANKS:)
@@TJ-cg8mq Very cool, it's great to get exposure to a lot of different arts. Elements from each have benefit.
His interview with Arsenio. Lol I like to watch of all them here on TH-cam.
They're great!
That scene (nowhere to run) when they are eating and talk about his penis Lol. I remember watching that movie back in the day and that scene too.
I watched it in the cinema when it was released and at the time i did think was his best film, acting wise!
Hmm... I grew up on JCVD. This is literally the first time I've heard of this film.
That's odd, you should definitely check it out!
@@VikingSamurai I will. Maybe it's just buried in my subconscious somewhere. 😅
I actually like that movie.
Van Damme with a pony tail haha Anyway, he as Chance Boudreaux (Hard Target) is boss even with a freaking mullet!
Very true!
I thought no one had my exact same taste, I was wrong. Ps that jump on bike scene was sikk af!
Hell ya, there are not many scenes that are cooler than that! Lol
One of his best i like the western feel to it
I watch "Nowhere To Run" on the old VHS tapes and after that some many times on TV. I like to this movie and its a very diference to others JCVD movies (ok this guy Sam kick some ass, but he is not a martial art expert like others flicks). But like "Legionnaire" for example the caracthers on "Nowhere..." is much moore interesting, and the action stays on second plane. At that time Van Damme stills named great audience on box office therms and "Nowhere To Run" was a attempt to change a little bit like Schwarzenneger on comedy and Sly on drama.
This should've really gotten him more mainstream.
I did think that aswell because it was quite different to any of his other films.
Rosanna Arquette was great in this, I felt they could fleshed out JCVDs relationship with his partner more at the intro, maybe see them getting arrested and going to jail to set up the bus scene. Overall a good flick, i liked Sudden Death more though, great Die Hard knockoff!
I think this pleased us his fans, made fans of people who wanted to see more range from him and critics of all types. Even the critics who say the politically correct thing all the time.
It's a shame he never got to work with Andrew Davis, who gave Norris & Seagal some of their best work, I'm sure I once read that he was tipped for the lead role in Speed. Apparently it was the surprising amount of mail he was receiving from female fans that made him choose a movie with a romantic sub plot ;0)
Interesting. I know Jeff Speakman (from The Perfect Weapon) was at one point going to be in Speed.
I enjoyed Nowhere to run back in the day. No spinning kicks, but still an entertaining film. I liked Ted Levine as the villain. Pity that he had limited screen time!
He was a great villain in that.
It's funny because Nowhere To Run is my girlfriends favorite Van Damme Movie!!
That's awesome!
I just watched a trailer for a very cool film from 1971 called Vanishing Point. I think a remake of that staring Van Damme would have been a perfect project for him instead of Nowhere To Run, in regards to transitioning into bigger mainstream type movies. Not knocking NTR but it was too subdued a film for some of his fans, and the general public who probably didn't understand the concept of a serious Van Damme movie at the time, which is totally fair tbh. Vanishing Point would have tested his acting, which he wanted, and the car action and chases would have pleased fans AND the general public in regards to visual excitement. It would have been adapted to its new timeline and what was happening around 1993 obvsly. Adding a few fight scenes in too for us "young male karate loving followers." It could have been a cool transition from solely martial arts action movies to what his team and JCVD wanted to do in the future...i think.
Great movie
11:01 i liked it better in Nowhere To Run, specifically because of the camera spit effect. Something about that was just so awesome when I saw it as a kid and it still pretty cool even now.
I always really liked this movie. The ending made me sad as fuck though. I remember always expecting a sequel that never came where Sam “fights his way out”(I took that line at face value). Every time I saw a new Van Damme flick I thought maybe it was a sequel to Nowhere to Run. Even Cyborg lol(I was 8 years old🤦🏿♂️)
That was a cool camera effect!
I think I heard that in one of the interviews Van Damme said that he does only 50% of motorcycle rudung, they hired motorcycle chempion or something like that to do riding on the trail, when police can not follow any more because trail goes on very steep mountain, that is stunt man, that champion did it, but I am still curious is that Van Damme who jumps over police car with motorbike or stunt man???
Pretty much managed to fit all the action from the entire film into this 12 minute video :D
I recall being pretty disappointed but I guess I went in wanting more Van Damme action, rather than more Van Damme acting.
I wonder if Van Damme still camps out and "reads" top heavy??
Lol
I still watch it
Nowwhere to run was a career killer the audience I watched the movie with in Time square was pissed when the movie was over.
Universal Soldier: The Return was a career killer! Nowhere to Run wasn't anywhere near that level of badness. I think people just didn't like it at the time because it wasn't the typical Van Damme movie.
I do like this film nowadays but at the time i wasnt keen ...it was just that film where he did no kicks to me
That was a great show I thought
Love No Where to Run.
No where to Run is a pretty good film.
I think Hard Target, Time Cop and Sudden Death were awesome attempts at mainstream Arnie/Stallone style action movies, love those movies. He got unlucky with Street Fighter though cus if that had been a big hit commercially and critically who knows what he could have been doing after that. I'm sure it wouldn't have been The Quest, Maximum Risk and Double Team...even though i love those movies too.
I wonder how he would have done with making a bunch of Hong Kong actioners from the mid 80s to the 90s. Those were fantastic but VERY challenging fight movies i hear, that Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, Donnie Yen era. Easily the best era for fight choreography...but the most dangerous unfortunately though.
Van Damme initially tried to make it in Hong Kong early on in the 80s but it never panned out. Ironically, his break out movie Bloodsport ended up being shot in Hong Kong, which worked out perfectly, since it was a from a US producer, it benefited from having better production values.