Just another film with martial arts

Welcome to another tale of hidden treasures beneath an everyday location.

Rudy Cafmeyer (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is the son of well known archaeologist, Oscar Cafmeyer (Vernon Dobtcheff). Unlike his father, he lives in the fast lane as an artifact smuggler. When a secret sect known as “The Order” abducts his father, he travels to Israel to find him. In Israel, he meets Lt. Dalia Barr (Sofia Milos). Dalia is a faithful officer of the Israeli police and has been assigned to ensure Rudy does not leave the country with any artifacts. When a friend of the family is killed, Rudy knows something is seriously wrong. As he pursues his father's kidnappers, he uncovers some very dangerous information regarding “The Order”.

What I enjoyed about this film is that it didn't fit the typical Van Damme motif. Most of his films that I grew up on had a very linear and predictable plot line. Though mostly predictable, this film was a more comical in some aspects. In one scene, Rudy finds himself dressed as a Rabbi in the Muslim district of Israel. Not only is he having to dodge Muslims, but also the people after him. Couple that with some crazy Jewish music, and you have what is normally expected from a Jackie Chan film. In addition to this, Cyrus Jacob (Brian Thompson) was a decent villain. This is not the first time I've seen Thompson play a sadistic cult leader, and it works well for him here.

What I didn't enjoy about the film is the lack of conviction. Though the film had decent actors, none seemed to put much effort into their roles. It seemed as if it was a paycheck and not a portfolio production. In addition to this, Van Damme played the same cocky role that he's accustomed to. Although the film featured some signature Van Damme action, because of the age of his career, it seemed to be nothing new.

I can't say I didn't enjoy this film, but I also can't say it was anything new or unexpected. As a straight to video film, Order makes a decent rental. There are certainly much better films out there. I don't recommend this film. Perhaps if you're a long standing Van Damme fan, it'll have some meaning, but other than that, it's a cliché martial arts flick.