Double Impact (1991)

Director: Sheldon Lettich
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Geoffrey Lewis, Alonna Shaw

Synopsis:
A personal trainer is reunited with his long-lost twin brother in Hong Kong to avenge their parents' death.

Impressions:
For people who aren't too impressed with Jean-Claude Van Damme's acting ability, a double dose of it is probably the last thing you want. However, he does a decent job of making the two brothers distinct. The real highlight for me are the right hands of the main villains, Bolo Yeung and Corinna Everson. In fact, taking care of the main villains feels very anticlimactic after dealing with them. Because the twins are so opposed to each other and the evil twin is such a dick, you never really enjoy the sibling dynamic that much. The action is pretty good, both hand-to-hand and shoot-bangs. More than a few people have noted that this is the best film treatment of Double Dragon out there (and much kudos to Youtuber VanDammeFan2009 for his video series editing this film with Double Dragon sounds and effects). It's a bit of a mixed bag, but if you like action and aren't too picky, you'll probably enjoy it. Just don't get too hung up on the shoddy comping they do to get both Van Dammes in the frame. Take it or leave it.

Rating:
50/50