Sony Pictures UK DVD Synopsis: Action superstar, Jean Claude Van Damme (Universal Soldier, Street Fighter), is back and at his hard-hitting best as Ben Archer, an ex-mob enforcer seeking revenge against a ruthless Chinese kingpin responsible for his wife's brutal murder. When Archer joins forces with his old underworld friends, an all-out war is waged against the Chinese Triad in this pulse-pounding action thriller.

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Views: The irrepressible JCVD stars as a mob enforcer Ben Archer, who is on the verge of retirement. Although he has been loyal to his employers for many years, his boss doesn't like the idea of an ex-staff member on the loose with so many secrets that could bring the gangsters down. To make matters worse, his INS social worker wife has brought home a young Chinese girl (Kim) whom she saved during a bust on a human trafficking case – a decision that comes with its own set of problems, as she is the daughter of brutal Triad leader Sun Quan. After killing the girls mother in Hong Kong, Quan arrives in LA to find the daughter he has never met with the help of a dirty cop who has been running drugs with him. While at a restaurant with Kim and her family, Ben's wife soon finds herself face-to-face with the Triad boss who quickly runs a knife across her throat and shoots her parents dead. As the kids make their escape, Ben arrives on the scene to find the body of his wife and in-laws. Now, he must find Sun Quan and take his revenge for their murders while protecting his son and Kim, along with a little help from his old friends in the mob!

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Originally set to be directed by the late, great Ringo Lam – in what would have been the 4th collaboration with Van Damme after Maximum Risk (1996), Replicant (2001), and In Hell (2003) (all of which are worth the watch), Wake Of Death saw its second director come and go in the shape of indie filmmaker Cess Silvera, who was then fired after 2 weeks into production. It then became 3rd time lucky for the production when French producer Philippe Martinez stepped up to the plate, in what would only be his second feature at the helm after his directorial debut, Citizen Verdict, from 2003. I can't say I've ever seen any more of his work, but with Wake Of Death he delivers a neat enough film that entertains to some degree – but I'd really loved to have seen where Ringo Lam would have took it, to be honest. Regardless, Martinez brings a stylish flair to the project with some quick editing that helps keep the action scenes exciting, and plenty of slow motion and cross-fades for the more dramatic moments. In fact, I'd say that the director took more than a few tips from Lam' style of filmmaking as well as putting his own twist on things, bringing some great brutality to the show that saw lots of cuts in many countries as well as having an 18 rating slapped on it. The script certainly isn't anything spectacular, but it is made a little more palatable thanks to a decent supporting cast. The turn-of-the-century saw Van Damme suddenly lose his status as box-office gold, coming off the tail-end of the 90s with Tsui Hark's highly entertaining Double Team (1997) and Knock Off (1998), the well-received Legionnaire (1998), Universal Soldier: The Return (1999), and Inferno (1999). And while I personally enjoyed what followed with Ringo Lam's Replicant (2001) and In Hell (2003), as well as The Order (2001) from Sheldon Lettich, it looked like the muscles from Brussels was on track for a life of straight-to-video (or DVD) titles, with Wake Of Death proving to be one of the better projects with what followed. I wouldn't say it was a ground-breaking role for Van Damme – I mean he hardly had to flex the acting chops, but it suited him. It's something I would imagine Jason Statham being cast in, if it was to be made today and similar in many ways to films like Safe (2012) or Hummingbird (2013), I suppose.

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Hong Kong superstar Simon Yam stars as Sun Quan, the Triad boss with no compassion. Again, it's not a role that calls for him to do anything he hasn't already done over the course of his wonderful and lengthy career, but it works. With around 250 roles behind him, Yam has always been a treat to watch and had been cast the year before in the box office hit, Laura Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life (2003) alongside Angelina Jolie – so it was a clever move in casting him here. Interestingly enough, Philip Tan, who plays one of hi subordinates in Wake Of Death, had also starred with him in the Tomb Raider sequel and has had a healthy career in Hollywood as both an actor and a stuntman from Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984) to Showdown In Little Tokyo (1991), and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) to the Martial Law (1998) television series with Sammo Hung. It was nice to see the wonderful Burt Kwok appear briefly as Ben's father-in-law, and Marco Polo (2014) star Tom Wu star as one of Yam's henchmen. Wu also shared the screen with Simon and Philip in the aforementioned Tomb Raider sequel, as well as carrying roles in Shanghai Knights (2003), Skyfall (2012), Red 2 (2013), and Kick-Ass 2 (2013) as Genghis Carnage. The rest of the supporting cast is fleshed out with a host of faces I can't say I've ever seen before, but the majority of them did a pretty damn good job – including the kids who managed to avoid being annoying for the most part...

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Although it has its flaws, Wake Of Death is a pretty damn good film and a simple tale of revenge backed up by some great action. While there isn't too much hand-to-hand combat going on, the film does deliver some exciting shoot-outs, cool car chases, and an exciting motorbike chase through a shopping mall. Simon Yam doesn't really get to do too much, even though one scene shows him practise tai chi as if prepping him to be a kick-ass opponent against Ben Archer, but Van Damme definitely gets to partake in a mix of fun fights and action scenes. All in all, it's the kind of movie you really don't have to think too hard about and entertains enough to make me want to see it again!

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Overall: Brutal, moody, stylish, and enjoyable, Wake Of Death is worth the watch and one of Van Damme's better films of the 21st Century!

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DVD Extras: Making of Documentary