“He has a certain quality about him that makes him more appealing to a wider audience than just men wanting to watch an action hero shoot things, [and] he was more approachable to female audience members.” Christina Newland

In the pantheon of great Van Damme action flicks from the 1980s and 90s, Hard Target (1993) undoubtedly stands out as one of his best. As hunky Cajun ex-Marine, Chance Boudreaux, the mullet-wearing ‘Muscles from Brussels’ is able to strut his more sensitive side while also exhibiting the sort of superhero antics that would put Schwarzenegger to shame, like firing a pistol while standing on a moving motorbike, and – famously – punching a snake. He has his director to thank for one of his most iconic roles: John Woo, the ‘heroic bloodshed’ maestro fresh from his ballistic Hong Kong masterpiece, Hard Boiled (1992), and determined to make an impact in his American directorial debut. The resulting concoction is pure Woo – a slow-motion bullet ballet of epic proportions which cemented his position as one of cinema’s greatest directors of action.

Joining me and Life of Action author Mike Fury to discuss this milestone in movie mayhem is Christina Newland, lead film critic at the i Paper and a contributing editor to Empire Magazine. As three lifelong Jean-Claude Van Damme fans, we unpick the reasons why we think his appeal is more inclusive than that of his action contemporaries – people like Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris – and the lasting legacy that John Woo has had on action cinema. This episode was recorded live at the Nova Cinema in Woking, UK, in November 2024 as part of the British Film Institute’s Art of Action season. A huge thank you to the crew at the Nova Cinema and the people of Woking who attended the show, and the Independent Cinema Office and Film Hub South East for helping to organise the event.

Follow Christina on Blue Sky and subscribe to her Substack newsletter, Sisters Under the Mink. For more information, visit her website, christinanewland.co.uk. For all the latest Mike Fury news, follow Mike on Instagram and visit his website, mikefury.net.

Ben Johnson, Christina Newland and Mike Fury (and Jean-Claude Van Damme with a shotgun).