I always thought Nowhere To Run (1993) was later in Jean-Claude Van Damme’s career but it was inbetween Universal Soldier and Hard Target (maybe my favourite all time JCVD film). I can imagine Van Damme saying about Nowhere To Run at the time: “This is a real movie with a human story with emotions”. As it is lighter on the action and has more of a sentimental approach; it’s basically a remake of the classic western Shane crossed with the look of a 90s jeans commercial. Van Damme is a hunky thief (whose hair is always gelled) that escapes from a prison bus and winds up camping on the land owned by a widow (Rosanna Arquette) and her two kids including Succession’s Kieran Culkin at child actor stage whose character believes this intruder is “ET”. Thankfully Van Damme’s around to throw down at the goons bullying the family due to the land-grabbing greedy corporate developer played by Joss Ackland (classic villain from Lethal Weapon 2; he’s lit to look like a ghoul at a town hall meeting). Ted Levine (Silence Of The Lambs, Heat) is the creepy ex-cop henchman and the actor adds enough method acting weirdness to make his villain role memorable. There’s lots of bonding with the hero-worshipping kid and romance-novel-cover heat between Van Damme and Arquette, and every so often Van Damme remembers he’s an action hero, rides a motorcycle around like Steve McQueen and kicks some butt while delivering one-liners (“Three strikes, you’re out” as he clubs someone with a wooden beam). Part of Van Damme’s star iconography is his sex symbol status, so there’s always excuses to show off his abs and his butt (even the size of his penis is discussed at the dinner table!). Handsomely shot by director Robert Harmon (The Hitcher) and his cinematographer, this was an enjoyable Friday night flick. If it was slightly more gonzo in its fight scenes, I’d say it’d be a good double with Road House. My favourite shot: Van Damme reclining in a tent wearing a suit while reading a nudie magazine called Top Heavy. Rented off iTunes. Recommended.
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