Here's every Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren Movie, ranked. They never reached the box-office heights of Schwarzenegger or Stallone, but both Van Damme and Lundgren became major action stars, beginning in the late '80s. Both had extensive martial arts experience, which combined with their ripped physiques and charisma saw them corner the action market. As special effects blockbusters started to take over, their brand of action waned, with most of their movies heading direct to video and DVD towards then of the '90s. That said, they've both remained in the business - and consistently popular - for decades.
They've both diversified their skills too. Dolph has written and directed several movies, including Skin Trade and Castle Falls with Scott Adkins. He also received great reviews for his work in Creed 2, where he reprised Ivan Drago. Van Damme has also matured as a performer, winning raves for his soulful turn in the semi-autobiographical thriller JCVD and Amazon comedy Jean-Claude Van Johnson. The two actors have worked together - and fought each other - many times over the years too, so lets rank every Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren movie from worst to best.
5. Black Water (2018)
The pitch for Van Damme movie pairings.
4. The Expendables 2 (2012)
The brief of The Expendables 2 is arguably the best of the saga and opens with its most specular setpiece. The issue is, the film's lame sense of humor, lackluster CGI and over-edited action sequences spoil some of the fun. Van Damme famously ed on the original after complaining that creator Sylvester Stallone didn't offer him an interesting part. Thankfully, he reconsidered for the sequel, where his quirky villain is the highlight.
Van Damme's Vilain is - to date - the only antagonist to successfully kill one of the team too. He and Lundgren don't really share the screen in The Expendables 2, with Dolph being sidelined to make room for bigger names. The main bout of the film pits JCVD against Stallone's Barney Ross, which makes for an enjoyably crunchy battle between two genre heavyweights. The demise of Van Damme's character effectively rules out a series return - though the star's genius idea to introduce Vilain's twin brother could get around that minor issue.
3. Universal Soldier (1992)
Universal Soldier essentially sold itself on the inevitable clash between JCVD and Lundgren's character. The pair play deceased soldiers who are resurrected to serve as brainwashed of an elite unit - until they start to their pasts. Future blockbuster director Roland Emmerich stages the setpieces with explosive aplomb, while the finale brawl between the two stars doesn't disappoint. Lundgren gives one of his hammiest and most purely enjoyable turns, though Emmerich's constant injections of silly humor undercuts any tension or suspense. Maybe Universal Solder's best legacy is the fact it spawned two superior sequels.
2. Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
In much the same way Star Trek movie fans only consider the even-numbered entries of the original series worth watching, the Van Damme/Dolph Universal Soldier movies follow a similar logic. Few held out hope that 2009's Regeneration would be any good, let alone one of the best STV films ever produced. The story is simple, with terrorists seizing an atomic reactor at Chernobyl, necessitating the reactivation of Van Damme's "retired" UniSol Luc. Universal Soldier: Regeneration excels in its action, with both the fights and shootouts being filmed with bone-crunching intensity. If the original suffered from too much humor, director John Hyams' follow-up really has the opposite issue.
Regeneration is deathly serious and drains the world of color and humanity. Instead, it has the tone of an early John Carpenter film, combined with bluntly efficient fights. Former He-Man star Lundgren only makes an extended guest appearance, though Regeneration wisely uses him as a mouthpiece for the existential pain the UniSols go through, in addition to giving him a fantastic death scene. Regeneration is the rare follow-up that succeeds because it more or less ignored its predecessor. The two films have little in common besides Van Damme and Lundgren, and the basic premise, but Universal Soldier: Regeneration was the reinvention the saga needed.
1. Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning (2012)
Given the shock acclaim that greeted Regeneration, its little wonder producers wanted Hyams and the cast back for a sequel. Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning has even less to do with the original, and it could be argued it's not even connected to Regeneration either. The final Universal Soldier involves Scott Adkins' John, who witnesses Van Damme's Luc murdering his wife and child during a home invasion; John sets off to hunt down Luc and his rogue UniSols. Not only does Day Of Reckoning turn the franchise's hero into the main antagonist, but it's also shot like a nightmarish blend of a David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick film.
This isn't to claim Day Of Reckoning doesn't live up to the franchise's action legacy. Since the UniSols are VERY hard to kill, Hyams creates several gory sequences with this principle in mind, resulting in some wince-inducing brawls. A bruising showdown between Adkins and MMA star Andrei Arlovski in a sporting goods store and John facing off against Lundgren's - who would be a great Jack Reacher - resurrected Scott are but two of the highlights. Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning is a bizarre film tonally, and on paper, has no right to work as well as it does. It's a dark, borderline horror movie with some kick-ass fights.
