For a large portion of Action Junkies, the ’80s and ’90s stand as the pinnacle of action cinema. Names like Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Chan, Willis, Seagal, Snipes, Yeoh, and who could forget Jean Claude Van Damme. Movies like Predator, Cobra, Police Story, Die Hard,Under Siege, Demolition Man, Super Cop, and the film of this review, Double Impact. Van Damme may have been the (Box Office) lesser of the Action Stars of the era, but that by no means impedes on quality. Well, it does sometimes impede quality (Street Fighter, anyone), but not in the case of Double Impact. In fact, this is a case of double the Van Damme is actually something that works in favor of the film rather than against.
Twin brothers Chad and Alex (Van Damme) are separated at birth. One ends up in LA. The other is an orphan on the streets of Hong Kong. Now brought together by “Uncle” Frank (Geoffrey Lewis), they must avenge their parents’ murder at the hands of Gangsters and Industrialists cashing in on Hong Kong’s construction boom of the 1990s. Chad and Alex must first resolve their differences before they’re able to ascend the Corporate Empire that is rightfully theirs.
Co-Writer/Director Sheldon Lettich has adroitly adapted Double Impact from The Corsican Brothers (yes, the Alexander Dumas novella for those Classic Literature Heads out there). Though comparisons will do no good as they’ve just taken the basic plot, minus the whole “the other brother can feel what’s happening to other”, the rest has been Van Damme-ized for this 90s cult action thriller. Much of what’s been replaced feels like HK-Flavored Heroic Bloodshed tropes, with much of the film’s drama centering around corruption, honor amongst thieves, and families. Though some of the drama is outright hilarious. See the manufactured plot machinations they use to get a Van Damme vs Van Damme fight.
Even the action plays out like John Woo’s balletic gunplay with slow-motion-infused gun battles. Though anyone expecting the God-level action set pieces of Woo should adjust expectations accordingly, as one will be sadly disappointed. Double Impact is good, but cannot compare to The Killer, Hardboiled, or even the Van Damme starrer Hard Target. To Lettich’s credit, the film is truly a love letter to the HK-Action new wave and not a simple carbon copy. So much so, they cast not only Bolo Yeung as one of the villains, but the film does a deep dive and casts Woo-Regular and Police Captain extraordinaire Phillip Chan.
This isn’t classic literature or classic action, though it comes close. What Double Impact is, is a hell of a good time and a damn solid B-Movie cult action film. The phrase “double the pleasure” applies fully, as the trailer for the film advertised, “Double the Van Damage”. Double Impact signs, seals, and delivers on that promise.
The Transfers
The all-new 2025 4K Scan & Restoration (16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative) presented in 1.85: 1 Aspect Ratio in HDR, approved by Director Sheldon Lettich, is another excellent presentation from MVD Entertainment’s Laser Vision Collection. The image is crisp, sharp, and without defects. The 35mm shot action film gets a huge uptick in vibrancy and detail because of the HDR encoding, even when compared to MVD’s excellent Blu-ray from 2019. MVD’s Rewind Collection continues to produce truly wonderful transfers for cult films like Double Impact.
The Extras
They include the following;
The Making of Double Impact: Part 1
The Making of Double Impact: Part 2
Double Impact: Deleted / Extended Scenes
Double Impact: Anatomy of a Scene with Director Sheldon Lettich
Double Impact: 1991 Behind the Scenes Featurette
Double Impact: B-Roll Selections
Double Impact: Film Clips
Cast & Crew Interview Clips
Double Impact MVD Rewind Collection Promo
Original Theatrical Trailer
The Making of Double Impact: Part 1 & Part 2 (52:47/58:45) – is a 2-hour 2-part feature-length retrospective documentary featuring interviews with star and co-writer Jean-Claude Van Damme, director and co-writer Sheldon Lettich, producer Ashok Amritraj, co-star Cory Everson-Donia, co-star and fight coordinator Peter Malota, and ”Chad” and ”Alex” photo doubles Jeff Rector & Jerry Rector. Beginning with its origins of being a sly adaptation of The Corsican Brothers, this making of literally leaves no stone unturned. The documentary gives a detailed account beginning with Golan & Globus (of Cannon Film fame) having a two-picture deal with JCVD, and after a test screening of Bloodsport wanted nothing to do with the actor which lead to Moshe Diamant wanted to be in the JCVD business moving onto Sheldon Lettich coming on to help to script the film. There is a wealth of knowledge and anecdotes from the production and even larger. Some of the highlights are watching a Tia Carrere was almost cast (they include her audition tape), and how JCVD was almost cast in Oliver Stone’s Alexander. To discuss more would ruin what’s a great making-of and one of the best special features of the year.
Deleted / Extended Scenes (53:57) –The featurette consists of 23 individual deleted or extended scenes. A lot of it is bits trimmed to secure an R-Rating from the MPAA. Some of it is character work. But the good stuff is the extended fight sequences. They include just about every fight that JCVD has, including an extended version of most of the fights, including Chad vs. Alex. It’s all fascinating to see what was exactly cut from the film. They have even included an alternate extended ending. The footage is all taken from an edit bay or a VHS copy of the footage. It varies from Black and White to Color. One does wish they had the resources to do a restored unrated cut because Leitich does some great slow-motion gun balletics ala John Woo.
Anatomy of a Scene (7:59) – is a breakdown of the mid-film chase scene. It’s a combination of B-Roll footage, The Scene itself, and photos that are all used as a “master class” deep dive into the scene itself, which is essentially a mini-commentary.
Behind the Scenes (6:58) – is an EPK-style archival featurette. The overheated voiceover only adds to the entertainment value of this promotional video.
B-Roll Selections (8:03) – is the raw behind-the-scenes footage without any commentary or interviews interspersed that looks to be pulled from the EPK package given to local news stations. The primary focus of the footage is the mid-film foot chase.
Film Clips (4:51) – is what it sounds like. Five different 90s broadcast quality (e.g., SD) clips from the film. Some fight scenes. Some small dialog moments. They appear to be from the same EPK package given to local news stations, from which the B-Roll Selections originated.
Cast & Crew Interview Clips (6:21) – an interview clip package that features Van Damme, Layton, and Diamant. These also appear to be from the same EPK package given to local news stations, that the B-Roll Selections and Film Clips originated.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Double Impact (1:39), Black Eagle (2:13), Lionheart (2:08), Double Dragon (1:51), Nemesis (2:25), Showdown (2:21), Walking Tall (1:16); Angel Town (2:06);
The Final Thought
MVD Entertainment does it again, bringing another Van Damme classic to 4K UHD life. Highest Possible Recommendations!!
Double Impact has double the Van Damage! Or so says the trailer. The early 90s Jean Claude Van Damme cult action thriller makes its way to 4K UHD, loaded with special features thanks to MVD Entertainment.
The Films
For a large portion of Action Junkies, the ’80s and ’90s stand as the pinnacle of action cinema. Names like Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Chan, Willis,
Seagal, Snipes, Yeoh, and who could forget Jean Claude Van Damme. Movies like Predator, Cobra, Police Story, Die Hard,Under Siege, Demolition Man, Super Cop, and the film of this review, Double Impact. Van Damme may have been the (Box Office) lesser of the Action Stars of the era, but that by no means impedes on quality. Well, it does sometimes impede quality (Street Fighter, anyone), but not in the case of Double Impact. In fact, this is a case of double the Van Damme is actually something that works in favor of the film rather than against.Twin brothers Chad and Alex (Van Damme) are separated at birth. One ends up in LA. The other is an orphan on the streets of Hong Kong. Now brought together by “Uncle” Frank (Geoffrey Lewis), they must avenge their parents’ murder at the hands of Gangsters and Industrialists cashing in on Hong Kong’s construction boom of the 1990s. Chad and Alex must first resolve their differences before they’re able to ascend the Corporate Empire that is rightfully theirs.
Co-Writer/Director Sheldon Lettich has adroitly adapted Double Impact from The Corsican Brothers (yes, the Alexander Dumas novella for those Classic Literature Heads out there). Though comparisons will do no good as they’ve just taken the basic plot, minus the whole “the other brother can feel what’s happening to other”, the rest has been Van Damme-ized for this 90s cult action thriller. Much of what’s been replaced feels like HK-Flavored Heroic Bloodshed tropes, with much of the film’s drama centering around corruption, honor amongst thieves, and families. Though some of the drama is outright hilarious. See the manufactured plot machinations they use to get a Van Damme vs Van Damme fight.
Even the action plays out like John Woo’s balletic gunplay with slow-motion-infused gun battles. Though anyone expecting the God-level action set pieces of Woo should adjust expectations accordingly, as one will be sadly disappointed. Double Impact is good, but cannot compare to The Killer, Hardboiled, or even the Van Damme starrer Hard Target. To Lettich’s credit, the film is truly a love letter to the HK-Action new wave and not a simple carbon copy. So much so, they cast not only Bolo Yeung as one of the villains, but the film does a deep dive and casts Woo-Regular and Police Captain extraordinaire Phillip Chan.
This isn’t classic literature or classic action, though it comes close. What Double Impact is, is a hell of a good time and a damn solid B-Movie cult action film. The phrase “double the pleasure” applies fully, as the trailer for the film advertised, “Double the Van Damage”. Double Impact signs, seals, and delivers on that promise.
The Transfers
The all-new 2025 4K Scan & Restoration (16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative) presented in 1.85: 1 Aspect Ratio in HDR, approved by Director Sheldon Lettich, is another excellent presentation from MVD Entertainment’s Laser Vision Collection. The image is crisp, sharp, and without defects. The 35mm shot action film gets a huge uptick in vibrancy and detail because of the HDR encoding, even when compared to MVD’s excellent Blu-ray from 2019. MVD’s Rewind Collection continues to produce truly wonderful transfers for cult films like Double Impact.
The Extras
They include the following;
The Making of Double Impact: Part 1 & Part 2 (52:47/58:45) – is a 2-hour 2-part feature-length retrospective documentary featuring interviews with star and co-writer Jean-Claude Van Damme, director and co-writer Sheldon Lettich, producer Ashok Amritraj, co-star Cory Everson-Donia, co-star and fight coordinator Peter Malota, and ”Chad” and ”Alex” photo doubles Jeff Rector & Jerry Rector. Beginning with its origins of being a sly adaptation of The Corsican Brothers, this making of literally leaves no stone unturned. The documentary gives a detailed account beginning with Golan & Globus (of Cannon Film fame) having a two-picture deal with JCVD, and after a test screening of Bloodsport wanted nothing to do with the actor which lead to Moshe Diamant wanted to be in the JCVD business moving onto Sheldon Lettich coming on to help to script the film. There is a wealth of knowledge and anecdotes from the production and even larger. Some of the highlights are watching a Tia Carrere was almost cast (they include her audition tape), and how JCVD was almost cast in Oliver Stone’s Alexander. To discuss more would ruin what’s a great making-of and one of the best special features of the year.
Deleted / Extended Scenes (53:57) –The featurette consists of 23 individual deleted or extended scenes. A lot of it is bits trimmed to secure an R-Rating from the MPAA. Some of it is character work. But the good stuff is the extended fight sequences. They include just about every fight that JCVD has, including an extended version of most of the fights, including Chad vs. Alex. It’s all fascinating to see what was exactly cut from the film. They have even included an alternate extended ending. The footage is all taken from an edit bay or a VHS copy of the footage. It varies from Black and White to Color. One does wish they had the resources to do a restored unrated cut because Leitich does some great slow-motion gun balletics ala John Woo.
Anatomy of a Scene (7:59) – is a breakdown of the mid-film chase scene. It’s a combination of B-Roll footage, The Scene itself, and photos that are all used as a “master class” deep dive into the scene itself, which is essentially a mini-commentary.
Behind the Scenes (6:58) – is an EPK-style archival featurette. The overheated voiceover only adds to the entertainment value of this promotional video.
B-Roll Selections (8:03) – is the raw behind-the-scenes footage without any commentary or interviews interspersed that looks to be pulled from the EPK package given to local news stations. The primary focus of the footage is the mid-film foot chase.
Film Clips (4:51) – is what it sounds like. Five different 90s broadcast quality (e.g., SD) clips from the film. Some fight scenes. Some small dialog moments. They appear to be from the same EPK package given to local news stations, from which the B-Roll Selections originated.
Cast & Crew Interview Clips (6:21) – an interview clip package that features Van Damme, Layton, and Diamant. These also appear to be from the same EPK package given to local news stations, that the B-Roll Selections and Film Clips originated.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Double Impact (1:39), Black Eagle (2:13), Lionheart (2:08), Double Dragon (1:51), Nemesis (2:25), Showdown (2:21), Walking Tall (1:16); Angel Town (2:06);
The Final Thought
MVD Entertainment does it again, bringing another Van Damme classic to 4K UHD life. Highest Possible Recommendations!!
Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD Edition of Double Impact is out February 17th
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