The Muscles from Brussels has had a long and impressive career, which almost kicked off as the Predator in the first Predator film. Most fans know Jean-Claude Van Damme best as the international superstar of dozens of films starting in the 1980s through the 2020s.
As one of the most recognizable martial arts action movie actors in the world, there are a lot of things that seem to happen in Van Damme's movies that typify them.
Competitions
Unlike many of his contemporary action stars, a large number of JCVD's films, particularly the early ones, take place as part of fighting tournaments, such as the infamous Bloodsport. This fits with his background in competitive full-contact karate.
While other comparable actors have also participated in tournaments in the past, few of them have depicted competitions in their films. Not with the prominence of JCVD, at least.
Training Montage
No one does a training montage like Jean-Claude Van Damme. There's a montage in virtually every one of his films, with a notable example being Double Team, although this generally holds true for any of his movies that feature some sort of martial arts competition.
Given JCVD's incredible skills, they're usually pretty damn impressive. The hero has to get ready to face the bad guys somehow and nothing speeds the process up like a montage. South Park taught everyone that years ago.
Takes A Beating
While Van Damme is in unbelievable shape and is a well trained martial artist, that doesn't stop his characters from losing a fight or two. Unlike contemporaries such as Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme gets beat up a surprising amount in his movies. For example, he really doesn't fair well in a couple of those Lionheart fights.
Ultimately, these beatdowns just make the comeback that much more satisfying when he finally takes on and defeats the bad guys. It's a big part of the build-up to the finale.
Avenging Angel
One key point that comes up in several films starring JCVD is revenge. He's constantly looking to avenge the death of someone, be it his parents in Double Impact, his brother in Kickboxer, or his wife in Wake of Death.
Sometimes, Van Damme is looking to avenge past mistakes but he always seems to have some sort of guilt weighing on his mind. Even the greatest movie heroes need some kind of motivation. In his case, it is being an avenging angel.
Van Damme Loves To Make Love
A big reason Van Damme was initially brought in to the movie business was how handsome the guy was, and still is. JCVD was a great fighter but the movie industry already had that. Producers were looking for an unbelievably handsome guy to kick ass in the movies.
Part of a great Van Damme movie is the inevitable ubiquitous love scene that makes little or no sense to the plot. Sometimes, the moment comes right out of the blue, to the point that you could actually edit the scene right out of the movie and the story would still work. Nowhere to Run is a great example of one of the worst.
Leaping 360 Degree Kick
One of Jean-Claude Van Damme's signature moves is the always impressive 360-degree spin kick. Seeing him leap off the ground and perform that full turn while kicking an opponent in the face never seems to get old. It happens a lot but there are some choice kicks in Bloodsport and Kickboxer.
Whether the move would be successful in actual competition or in a real fight is irrelevant; it looks amazing on the big screen, and in the end, that's what matters. If filmmakers were worried about reality, the entire industry would fall apart.
Groin Shots
JCVD's other signature move is a lot less honorable but no less memorable. The man is infamous for performing his epic splits, then punching his opponent straight in the groin. The Mortal Kombat character Johnny Cage was very much based on Van Damme, which is why he has such a similar move in his repertoire.
Nothing like watching a fighter crotch shot is way out of a bad fight, the best of the best being in Bloodsport which he uses to wipe out a sumo wrestler. Ric Flair has been doing it successfully for decades, and he can get you from any angle.
Intense Fight Scenes
Anyone who has watched a Van Damme film knows that things can get pretty rough. Movies like Bloodsport more than proved that. His fight scenes can be surprisingly intense, so much so that JCVD reputedly does not like shooting those scenes in the United States.
It's been said that Van Damme is concerned about liability issues and potential lawsuits. True or not, it does paint a picture of how intense he gets when shooting his fights.
Showing Off His Physique
In a Van Damme film, it is guaranteed that, without question, viewers are going to get a good look at the man's body. Someone doesn't compete in full contact karate as long as JCVD without developing an impressive physique, which he has in spades.
Kickboxer and Cyborg are just two examples of this. For anyone who wants a nice look at Van Damme's rear end, check out Universal Soldier. Jean-Claude Van Damme is more than likely going to disrobe, either in a fight, a training montage, or in a love scene, possibly all three in one movie.
The Splits
If there is one thing that's iconically associated with Jean-Claude Van Damme, it's the splits. They pop up frequently in his films, so much so that it feels weird if he doesn't do the splits at least once. It happens so often that articles exist devoted to his splits, but the best of the best was one of his earliest and happened in Bloodsport.
In 2013, Volvo released a commercial featuring Van Damme doing the most epic of splits between two moving trucks. It was impressive, to say the least, but also indicative of how tied to the move his entire public persona is.