The Last Mercenary is a 2021 French action comedy film directed by David Charhon with a screenplay by Charhon and Ismael Sy Savane. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme in the lead role, along with a supporting cast that includes Alban Ivanov, Assa Sylla and Samir Decazza. It was released on Netflix on July 30, 2021.[3]
| The Last Mercenary | |
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 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | David Charhon[1] |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Plot edit
Richard Brumere is a secret agent who worked for the government. During an operation, Richard had impregnated the ex-wife of his friend Jouard. The two have a son named Archibald al Mahmoud. His wife asks that her son be given two things: money given by the government and someone to take care of him. An agent by the name of Fernand was assigned to take care of him and did so for the past couple of years. Archibald never knew his father, so he always assumed Fernand was his dad. Meanwhile, at a bank, Ministre Sivardiere had discovered a fake employee providing Archibald al Mahmoud with money for the past couple of years. Also, Archibald al Mahmoud was considered a terrorist wanted for arms and drug trafficking. Sivardiere had shut down the money, which also erased the immunity, leading government agents to pursue him. Agents show up at his home, and with the use of a device only known as the Big Mac, Fernand has a heart attack after his pacemaker fails due to the Big Mac frying the electrical signal. Archibald tries to get away but is arrested. He is interrogated about his alleged activities but is passed out. Richard finds out about his son and how he's being held by the government and stages a rescue. After a lengthy brawl with agents, Richard saves his son but does not disclose he is the father by using the alias, George. While getting away and kidnapping a willing Sivardiere, Richard is exposed, and Archibald feels betrayed. Richard reminisces about his wife twirling the pendant around her finger. Archibald comes out and realizes he was the man who comforted him at the funeral, realizing he was never truly abandoned. After recovering the Big Mac, Jouard realizes that Richard still had to be taken in for the events of the prior operation Cup-and-Ball. Richard triggers the Big Mac killing the power in the building and escaping but still promises to be there for his son.
Cast edit
- Jean-Claude Van Damme as Agent Richard Brumère / The Mist[4]
- Eric Judor as Paul Lesueur
- Miou-Miou as Marguerite
- Patrick Timsit as Commandant Jouard
- Alban Ivanov as Alexandre
- Assa Sylla as Dalila
- Samir Decazza as Archibald[4]
- Valérie Kaprisky as Ministre Sivardière
- Michel Crémadès as Fernand
- Nassim Lyes as Simyon Novak
- Oleksiy Gorbunov
Reception edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 58% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.[5] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[6]
References edit
- ^ Feser, Molly (August 4, 2020). "Jean-Claude Van Damme Starts Filming Action-Comedy Last Mercenary For Netflix". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (July 31, 2020). "Jean-Claude Van Damme Shoots Netflix Action-Comedy 'The Last Mercenary'". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 12, 2021). "Netflix Unveils A 2021 Film Slate With Bigger Volume & Star Wattage; Scott Stuber On The Escalating Film Ambition". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Bui, Hoai-Tran (June 8, 2021). "'The Last Mercenary' Trailer: Jean-Claude Van Damme is Back in Fighting Form in Netflix Action Comedy". Film. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ "The Last Mercenary". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ^ "The Last Mercenary Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
External links edit
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