It has been a while since people have been excited about a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. The last time most people probably saw him on screen was alongside all of his ‘80s and ‘90s action-star peers in The Expendables 2. But Van Damme could once again be top of mind when The Last Mercenary premieres on Netflix on July 30. This could be a situation where we didn’t know how much we missed something until we get a reminder.
Netflix has a great traction with original action films, for example 2020’s Chris Hemsworth-led Extraction, and The Last Mercenary looks just like the kind of film that catches people's eye as they scroll through the Netflix queue.
The Last Mercenary is directed by David Charhon, who wrote the script with Ismaël Sy Savané. Van Damme stars as a legendary former secret service agent who returns to France to help his estranged son clear his name after falsely being accused of arms dealing and drug trafficking.
The trailer right away answers what may be the biggest question of all — can Jean-Claude Van Demme still pull off the splits? The answer is an emphatic yes. Then we simply get to enjoy Van Damme beating the crap out of people while also wearing some ridiculous wigs and fake mustaches. The film is in French and will feature subtitles, but Van Damme’s butt-kicking skills still look to translate in any language.
Watch the trailer below.
The Last Mercenary will debut on Netflix on July 30 and is part of its strategy to release at least one new movie a week in 2021. Find out what else is new on Netflix here, or see what our What to Watch writers think are the top movies and Netflix shows available on the streaming platform. And the best Netflix originals.
