The Bouncer (film)

Last updated

The Bouncer
The Bouncer (2018) Film Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Julien Leclercq
Written byJérémie Guez
Produced byJulien Madon
Aimée Buidine
Julien Leclercq
Jérémie Guez
Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
Sveva Alviti
Sami Bouajila
Cinematography Robrecht Heyvaert
Edited byBenjamin Courtines
Distributed by Blue Fox Entertainment
Release dates
  • August 22, 2018 (2018-08-22)(France [1] )
  • January 11, 2019 (2019-01-11)(USA)
Running time
94 minutes
CountriesFrance
Belgium
LanguagesFrench, English

The Bouncer (Original title: Lukas) is a 2018 French-Belgian action thriller film directed by Julien Leclercq, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sveva Alviti and Sami Bouajila. [2]

Contents

Background

A film noir, cheerless and violent. The protagonist is an antihero, struggling through life to nurture his eight-year-old daughter, and working in nightclubs as a bouncer to provide his income. When he gets involved in a fight, he ends up about to face jail, and losing his daughter to the social services. He is then asked by the police to spy on a criminal organization. In return, he would erase his problems with justice.

Plot

Lukas was forced to flee South Africa after the death of his wife. He now lives with his daughter in his home country, Belgium, and works as a bouncer at a nightclub. One night, Lukas is forced to restrain a patron, who subsequently badly injures himself attempting to attack Lukas. Lukas is fired from his job as a result.

Due to the injured nightclub patron's status as the son of a member of the European Parliament, Lukas is investigated by the authorities, led by the mysterious Maxim, regarding the fight. He is pressed into going undercover at a strip club to spy on its owner, Jan, an organized crime figure, or else face imprisonment for the incident at the nightclub.

His first assignment is driving an Italian woman, Lisa, back to her hotel. He discovers that she was indicted for forgery some years ago. His bosses force him to drive to an associate, where he listens in on a conversation detailing Jan's attempt at moving counterfeit banknotes.

Lukas is asked to pick up Lisa from her hotel and drives her to a meeting with Jan and Geert. Lukas' daughter is driven away, and Lukas is forced to participate in a new assignment, the kidnapping of a crack cocaine cook. Lukas successfully infiltrates the cook's hideout and apprehends the target, escaping with Geert. Lukas has had enough of the undercover work, but Maxim informs him that he knows about Lukas' past life in South Africa, and if Lukas refuses to cooperate, he will be sent back there to face punishment for an unknown crime. Lukas agrees to remain undercover, and meets with Jan at the strip club, asking for more work.

Jan intends to trade the cook to the Dutch gangsters in return for watermarked paper for counterfeit banknotes, and tasks Lukas, Geert, and Lisa to the task. At the trade, the Dutch gangsters betray and attack Lukas, Geert, and Lisa. Lukas manages to incapacitate the Dutch gangsters in a car chase, but Geert is shot and killed. Jan, however, is satisfied that Lukas and Lisa escaped with the watermarked paper, and burns the getaway car with Geert's body inside to destroy the evidence.

Lukas sends his daughter into hiding with his bouncer friend Omar while he finishes his assignment for Jan and the authorities. Meeting with Lisa at her hotel room, she recounts to him her past life as a money forger, and he reveals to her that his wife was killed in a botched carjacking. The South African police were unable to find his wife's killers, but he did, which is why he fled South African and now lives in Belgium under a new identity. Lukas drops Lisa off at a warehouse, and informs Maxim of this. Lisa is arrested and Maxim investigates the warehouse, but discovers nothing. Lukas tells Maxim that they can still get Jan, because Jan still needs to print the counterfeit money for his buyers.

Lukas also asks Maxim to let him talk to Lisa, and Lukas convinces her to cooperate with the authorities so she does not end up dead like Geert. She agrees to print the counterfeit money for Jan so the authorities have cause to arrest and prosecute him. Jan believes that a different associate ratted him out to the police and murders him in front of Lukas.

Lukas, Jan, and Lisa proceed with forging the counterfeit banknotes at a farm. In the morning, the authorities led by Maxim raid the farm and Lukas reveals his deception to Jan, who shoots him in the chest in front of the police. Maxim then murders Jan and Lisa, and he and his unit steal the counterfeit money. After Maxim realizes Lukas is still alive, he moves in to finish him but Lukas disarms Maxim and beats him to death. Lukas then kills the other members of Maxim's unit. Badly wounded, Lukas calls his daughter.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Claude Van Damme</span> Belgian actor and martial artist (born 1960)

Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg, known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist, actor, and conservationist. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in martial arts classes at the age of ten, which led Van Damme to compete in several karate and kickboxing competitions. With the desire of becoming an actor, he moved to the United States in 1982, where he did odd jobs and worked on several films, until he got his break as the lead in the martial arts film Bloodsport (1988).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banknote</span> Form of physical currency made of paper, cotton or polymer

A banknote—also called a bill, paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commercial banks, which were legally required to redeem the notes for legal tender when presented to the chief cashier of the originating bank. These commercial banknotes only traded at face value in the market served by the issuing bank. Commercial banknotes have primarily been replaced by national banknotes issued by central banks or monetary authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bouncer</span> Type of security guard

A bouncer is a type of security guard, employed at licensed or sanctioned venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, balls or movie theaters. A bouncer's duties are to provide security, to check legal age and drinking age, to refuse entry for intoxicated persons, and to deal with aggressive, violent or verbal behavior or disobedience with statutory or establishment rules. They are also charged with maintaining order, and ensuring all laws and regulations are being followed by all patrons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Zito</span> American actor

Charles Alfred Zito Jr. is an American actor and boxer who is the former president of the New York chapter of the Hells Angels, and later became an actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counterfeit money</span> Imitation currency produced without the legal sanction of a state or government

Counterfeit money is currency produced outside of the legal sanction of a state or government, usually in a deliberate attempt to imitate that currency and so as to deceive its recipient. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud or forgery, and is illegal in all jurisdictions of the world. The business of counterfeiting money is nearly as old as money itself: plated copies have been found of Lydian coins, which are thought to be among the first Western coins. Before the introduction of paper money, the most prevalent method of counterfeiting involved mixing base metals with pure gold or silver. Another form of counterfeiting is the production of documents by legitimate printers in response to fraudulent instructions. During World War II, the Nazis forged British pounds and American dollars. Today, some of the finest counterfeit banknotes are called Superdollars because of their high quality and imitation of the real US dollar. There has been significant counterfeiting of Euro banknotes and coins since the launch of the currency in 2002, but considerably less than that of the US dollar.

<i>Wake of Death</i> 2004 film directed by Philippe Martinez

Wake of Death is a 2004 American action film directed by Philippe Martínez and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Ringo Lam was the original director, but he left the project after a few weeks of filming in Canada. After that, Lam was replaced by Cess Silvera who was fired after two weeks of filming in Cape Town, South Africa. The film was released to some countries' cinemas but direct to DVD in most places.

<i>New York Undercover</i> Television series

New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's Fourth Precinct who were assigned to investigate various crimes and gang-related cases. The cast also included Patti D'Arbanville-Quinn as their superior, Lt. Virginia Cooper, and Lauren Vélez, who joined the cast in the second season as Nina Moreno, fellow detective and love interest to Torres. New York Undercover was co-created and produced by Dick Wolf, and its storyline takes place in the same fictional universe as Wolf's NBC series Law & Order, its spin-offs, the Chicago and FBI series, and Homicide: Life on the Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Mitchell (EastEnders)</span> Character in EastEnders

Kate Morton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jill Halfpenny.

<i>Undercover Blues</i> 1993 American film

Undercover Blues is a 1993 action comedy film about a family of secret agents written by Ian Abrams and directed by Herbert Ross and starring Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid.

<i>3 Dev Adam</i> 1973 Turkish film

3 Dev Adam is a 1973 Turkish cult superhero film, directed by T. Fikret Uçak and written by Doğan Tamer, based on characters created by Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Joe Simon and Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, featuring Aytekin Akkaya as Captain America and Yavuz Selekman as Santo called to Istanbul on a special mission to stop the villainous Spider-Man and his criminal gang.

<i>Knock Off</i> (film) 1998 action film

Knock Off is a 1998 action film directed by Tsui Hark and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Rob Schneider. The film was released in the United States on September 4, 1998. The title is a double entendre, as the term colloquially refers to both counterfeit goods as well as targeted killing. The film is one of the last in the world to feature Kai Tak Airport still in use; the airport closed in 1998.

<i>Until Death</i> 2007 film by Simon Fellows

Until Death is a 2007 American vigilante action film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and directed by Simon Fellows. It was released direct-to-DVD on April 24, 2007. Van Damme plays Anthony Stowe, a corrupt police detective addicted to heroin whom everybody hates. After being shot in a gunfight, he falls into a coma. Months later, he recovers and decides to use his second chance at life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Journey</span>

Canadian Journey is the sixth series of banknotes of the Canadian dollar designed and circulated by the Bank of Canada. It succeeded the 1986 Birds of Canada banknote series. The first banknote of the Canadian Journey series issued into circulation was the $10 bill on 17 January 2001, and the last to be issued was the $50 bill on 17 November 2004. The series was succeeded by the 2011 Frontier Series, the banknotes of which were first issued into circulation from 2011 to 2013.

<i>The File of the Golden Goose</i> 1969 film by Sam Wanamaker

The File of the Golden Goose is a 1969 British neo noir thriller film directed by Sam Wanamaker and starring Yul Brynner, Charles Gray and Edward Woodward. Its plot involves an American detective being sent to Britain to track down a major international criminal.

<i>The Band of Honest Men</i> 1956 Italian film

The Band of Honest Men is a 1956 black and white Italian comedy film. The film is known as Die Bande der Ehrlichen in West Germany, and Totó e as Notas Falsas in Portugal. It was filmed in Rome.

<i>Calm Yourself</i> 1935 film by George B. Seitz

Calm Yourself is a 1935 American comedy film directed by George B. Seitz and written by Arthur Kober. The film stars Robert Young, Madge Evans, Betty Furness, Ralph Morgan, Nat Pendleton and Hardie Albright. The film was released on June 28, 1935, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Dalida</i> (2016 film) 2016 French film

Dalida is a 2016 French biographical drama film about the life of singer and actress Dalida. It is written, directed and co-produced by Lisa Azuelos, and stars Sveva Alviti as Dalida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franc affair</span> Plot by Hungarian nationalists to forge French bank notes

The Franc affair was a plot by Hungarian nationalists to forge French bank notes. In the aftermath of World War I, Hungary lost a large part of its territory and population in a series of treaties its people considered unjust. This led many Hungarians to turn towards nationalism and revanchism. In 1922, Prince Lajos Windischgraetz was approached by Gyula Mészáros who presented him with a plan to counterfeit the French franc. Windischgraetz sought to damage the French economy while simultaneously raising funds for an internal coup in Hungary and irredentist activities. The plan came to halt when the notes produced by Mészáros were judged to be too primitive. In the summer of 1923, Windischgraetz met with German nationalist and retired Prussian Army General Erich Ludendorff who prompted him to utilize the forging equipment left from a similar unrealized German conspiracy.

<i>Babli Bouncer</i> 2022 Indian film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar

Babli Bouncer is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar starring Tamannaah Bhatia. The film follows the journey of Babli, a street-smart woman who becomes a bouncer at a nightclub. With its mix of thrilling action and comedic moments, the movie explores themes of empowerment and resilience. While receiving mixed reviews, "Babli Bouncer" showcases Tamannaah Bhatia's talent and offers an engaging and entertaining experience for viewers. It premiered on 23 September 2022 on Disney+ Hotstar.

<i>AKA</i> (2023 film) 2022 French action crime film

AKA is a 2023 French action crime film directed by Morgan S. Dalibert, written by Morgan S. Dalibert and Alban Lenoir and starring Lenoir, Eric Cantona and Thibault de Montalembert. It is about an undercover agent tasked with infiltrating a crime gang that is connected to a Sudanese terrorist bombing suspect.

References

  1. "The Bouncer (2018) – uniFrance Films" . Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  2. Keslassy, Elsa (2 November 2017). "Jean-Claude van Damme to topline other angle-repped 'The Bouncer' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Retrieved 18 June 2018.