There is a certain edge that permeates the whole of 6 Bullets, a sense of violence not just in the actions of its characters but in the entire tone and feel that thus far feels set apart from even the most bleak of films that precede it within the career of Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Certainly, the actor has starred in films that were grim and gritty in varying degrees. And raw subject matter such as human trafficking have surfaced before as well. But not even the likes of In Hell or, most closely, Wake of Death have felt as nasty in their presentation and tenor as Van Damme's reunion with his Assassination Games director, Ernie Barbarash.
Van Damme plays Samson Gaul, a military veteran turned mercenary who specializes in tracking down and rescuing children abducted and sold into slavery. His methods are as effective as they are violent … which is to say "highly."
To wit: In the opening sequence, Samson goes incognito (via, no joke, a false beard and glasses) infiltrating a mansion housing untold numbers of underage sex slaves. When it becomes obvious his cover is blown, Samson springs into action first by dousing a henchman with a nice, refreshing glass full of acid to the face. He then goes on a steak-knife stabbing spree, the likes of which would cause even Steven Seagal to take pause. After thoroughly perforating a room full of attackers, Samson then procures the child he's there for and roars off on a motorcycle to safety, leaving the mansion exploding in his wake. What he doesn't realize, however, is that the captors have a practice of hiding children inside the walls of the house when an intruder has been discovered, and several of the captives were trapped and burned alive.
Some time later, it's revealed that Samson has completely given up his mercenary life and is now content to drown his guilt and sorrow in vodka while making a meager living running a butcher shop. (OK so it's a little on the nose, but no one's asking for subtlety here, really.) He seems resigned to this life, until that is an American couple comes begging for his help in finding their kidnapped daughter. Despite initial refusals, Samson eventually relents and engages their request. What are the names of the parents? It's a struggle to even recall since neither really has much to say or do beyond being Very Angry and Very Desperate. Neither has anything approaching an arc despite having nearly the same amount of screentime as Van Damme. All of the character focus, such as it is, remains on Samson.
As for Samson himself, there's a kernel of a good idea at play here with the notion of a man being unable to completely remove himself from a violent life and profession despite the apparent necessity of someone of his skillset. Unfortunately, the script (penned by Chad and Evan Law) never seems interested in exploring that concept even in a superficial manner. So basically we're left a fairly standard trope of "man overcomes his guilt and grief so he can heroically murder dozens (and torture someone) again and save the day."
Despite such tired tropes at play, this does still provide a notable wrinkle to Van Damme's now expected portrayal as a patriarchal protector. Given how consistently he portrays such a role, it's impossible not to view it in some way as some form of personal projection. His role as Samson, though, is of interest in that it is the first time that a character of his has ever failed in any capacity to fulfill that duty. Films such as Replicant and Until Death have certainly engaged with the concept of duality and making sense of a warring peaceful and violent natures. But his role as a protector has never previously been called into question the way 6 Bullets seems to at the start.
Psychoanalysis aside, the film itself is fairly decent for what it is. Barbarash's chops as an action director have improved since Assassination Games, though he's certainly not up to the level of JCVD's better DTV collaborators like Isaac Florentine and John Hyams. The action is serviceable, though sadly we only get two hand-to-hand fights for Van Damme. A disappointment since those are far more engaging than the bog standard gunplay shown off. The opening mansion brawl in particular remains the highlight.
Overall a decent offering but even a minimally introspective approach could have elevated this into something far more interesting and memorable.
Van Dammage Report Statistics for 6 Bullets:
Number of splits: 0
Number of split kicks: 0
Reason for being European: Well it's set in some vague EasteThe viorn European city so …
Best line: N/A
