Maximum Risk Blu-ray offers solid video and great audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Alain Moreau (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a French soldier, never knew he had a brother,
much less a twin, until he found him lying dead on the streets of his European home town. To
find out who his brother was, Alain must step into his shoes. he must become Mikhail, and
follow his footsteps back to New York's tough Little Odessa and into the same shadowy
underworld that swallowed his brother. There's only one problem: all traces of Mikhail's life are
rapidly disappearing, and the one person who knew Mikhail best may not be telling all she
knows...
If you are playing this tape, then I am already dead.
Has there ever been an actor who has played action-oriented identical twins -- twice -- in his
career? Jean-Claude Van Damme has, in both Double Impact and Maximum
Risk,
albeit his twin in the latter is the driving force behind the story, not a primary character as in the
former. One cannot claim Maximum Risk to be classic Van Damme. That distinction
goes to films like Bloodsport and Kickboxer, decent movies in their own right,
and
the pinnacle of Van Damme' success as a martial arts movie star. In Maximum Risk,
his
hand-to-hand fighting skills are not the focus of the movie. Instead, he plays a French cop who
relies more on smarts and a handiness with a firearm to save the day, not the inhuman splits, leg
kicks to the face, or rapid-fire punches that made him famous. Maximum Risk rises
above stereotypical Van Damme, and does so as a slightly above average action movie that
requires
some involvement on behalf of the viewer. One cannot expect to doze through the movie and
never lose focus on the plot. While the movie doesn't require multiple viewings to understand, it
does assume its audience is slightly more intelligent and in tune with the story. In that regard, it
rises above both the most mundane of action films and is certainly a breath of fresh air in the
mostly monotonous career of the "Muscles From Brussels."
I want the names and addresses of every critic who ever bashed one of my movies, and I want
them NOW!
French police officer Sebastien (Jean-Hugues Anglade) thinks his partner, Alain Moreau (Van
Damme) is dead. Sebastian finds him in attendance at a funeral, however, and it is soon
discovered
that the corpse is actually that of Alain's twin brother Mikhail (also portrayed by Van Damme), a
brother Alain never knew existed. Alain discovers that he and his brother were separated only
three
months after birth, that Mikhail has been living in the United States, and that he had traveled to
France in search of his brother. Alain chooses to travel to New York City and unearth what his
brother had traveled to France to tell him. In the Big Apple, he assumes the identity of his
brother,
becomes involved with Mikhail's girlfriend Alex (Natasha Henstridge, Species), and sets out
to
learn the secrets that got his brother killed. Pursued by both the Russian mafia and the FBI,
Alain
and Alex must fight for their lives and risk everything to uncover the truth behind Mikhail's
involvement in the Russian mob and bring to justice those who killed his brother -- and now want
Alain dead.
Maximum Risk is one of those movies that you watch and forget thirty minutes later.
There is nothing inherently wrong with it, but there is absolutely nothing memorable about it
either. It may very well be the definition of Saturday afternoon cinema. You make a movie like
Maximum Risk knowing going in that it's nothing to write home about. With a
marketable lead and an attractive female co-star, plenty of loud action, and a story that isn't an
embarrassment, you can be sure that, if smartly made, it'll recoup its budget and enjoy a halfway
decent shelf life at Blockbuster where it might get taken home three or four times per month by
action-oriented patrons who have probably seen it but forgot that it existed. The film isn't all that
marketable; a slick cover art and Van Damme's picture on the box is about the high point for
this one.
Despite it's title, Maximum Risk takes no risks in its exposition, unfolding just as the
audience expects of a very average action movie. If it falters anywhere, it's in the fact that it is
probably a good 10-15 minutes too long and as a result, the film becomes cumbersome. It's
good enough to finish, but you may find yourself checking your watch or glancing at the time
remaining counter on your Blu-ray player several times to find out when it will end. While the
plot itself is fine, involved, and fairly interesting, it often feels like the action is the centerpiece of
the movie, meaning that the story is built around the action sequences, not vice versa. We often
lose focus of what's going on because there seems to be a rush to get to the next action piece
rather than letting the story develop and flow naturally from one action sequence to the next.
Still, the action is entertaining, the soundtrack is loud, and there is plenty of gunplay, fires,
explosions, and chainsaws to keep your interest. This
is probably one of the better performances of Van Damme's career, and he doesn't even do what
he's most
famous for (splits, kicks, etc).
Maximum Risk comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p, 2.40:1 transfer that is unremarkable in
the
context of the best Blu-ray releases to date, but still manages to look very nice. Detail is
impressive
from the opening moments of the film as evidenced by objects like streets, old and worn building
facades,
cars, and even the smaller background objects such as the fruit in a vendor's cart. We're
somewhere
"South
of France" according to the movie (Nice, we later discover), and the movie offers a nice looking,
colorful, and clean image. Colors are natural and vibrant, even though parts of the movie take on
a
duller appearance. There is no excessive grain or noise in the film, but then again coming off of
reviews of Belly and Felon, moderate
grain would look like a freshly scrubbed print. Flesh tones are accurate throughout, as are black
levels. Obvious edge enhancement was visible in one scene as an unnatural outline
encompassed a character. The image is never extremely sharp, but it isn't terribly soft, either.
There is a nice, easy-on-the-eyes middle ground here that makes for a solid 1080p viewing
experience. The result is an image that doesn't jump off the screen, but stays grounded in a
nicely done transfer that won't wow viewers, but is one that lives up to expectations of a
moderately successful Jean-Claude Van Damme action flick from the mid 1990s.
Maximum Risk maximizes its audio with a surprisingly exciting Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless
surround sound mix. From the film's opening foot chase scene, the sound impresses. The rear
channels are alive with ambient crowd noise, and the music begins to swell all around the
listening area. Sound effects, such as the crashing down of a door, deliver moderately impressive
lows. The high end comes across as a bit harsh, such as when Alain hangs onto and falls from an
exterior stairwell in a building. This track certainly doesn't lack volume, but it lacks the finer
nuances and cleanliness of the better soundtracks, trading volume for clarity, crispness for
harshness, and distinct sound for a jumbled smorgasbord of an action movie sonic extravaganza.
Nevertheless, it's still a blast to listen to. After the first few minutes, the soundtrack continues to
be an enjoyable listen. The train station scene in chapter two features great ambience, solid,
deep rumblings when the trains move past, and better highs from the train whistles. Again, the
fire in chapter three is reproduced extremely well here as the flames that engulf the office also
engulf
your living room from all directions. Crackles and crashes are ever-present, and the intensity of
the scene is elevated thanks to the great sound. There are many gun shots throughout, and all
are definitely loud and pack quite the punch. They are not as clear and precise as heard in films
like 3:10 To Yuma, but
they get the job done nicely. Dialogue is clean and well-prioritized with no volume issues. This
track is very loud and aggressive, somewhat harsh, but an awful lot of fun to listen to. This is
one you'll want to crank up, sit back, and enjoy.
The only film-related supplement to be found on this Blu-ray edition of Maximum Risk is
the film's original theatrical trailer (1080p, 1:26). Other 1080p trailers for Redbelt, Starship Troopers 3:
Marauder, Resident Evil:
Degeneration, Damages: The Complete First
Season, and Sony's Blu-ray montage are also included. Finally, this disc is BD-Live (Blu-
ray profile 2.0) compliant, but at the time of writing, the disc's page was not accessible.
Maximum Risk is an entertaining yet slightly too long entry into the long line of
Jean-Claude Van Damme action movies. Serviceable and competent yet completely forgettable, the
movie does nothing to ingrain itself into our memory banks, but it is also good enough to keep us
interested until the very end where we shrug our shoulders, mutter "OK," and move on to
something else. It's hard to imagine that Blu-ray fans, even the most die-hard of action lovers, will
get
overly excited about this release. It features average picture quality and above average sound, but
virtually no extra materials. Recommended for Jean-Claude Van Damme and Blu-ray completists,
but it's difficult to suggest anyone else buy the movie until the price comes down.
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