The Shepherd

Year of Release: 2008
Genre: Action / Kung Fu
Rating: R for Violence, Language and brief nudity
Director: Issac Florentine
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Stephen Lord, Gary McDonald, Natalie J. Robb

Date Of Review: April 2008

This straight to DVD Van Damme flick is at least better than the majority of the recent straight to DVD Steven Seagal films but that’s not saying much. Van Damme appears to be in good physical shape for someone his age but his performance looks tired and he pretty much sleepwalks through the proceedings in this rather lackluster action thriller. In general, the meandering plot and weak performances are all nothing short of basic. The film’s story simply struggles to connect with its audience. It comes complete with a standard revenge element which is revealed in a series of annoying flashbacks. Van Damme’s motivation to get the bad guys is because his daughter died of a drug overdose and you guessed it…. the bad guys were the suppliers. Sadly, it’s just a plot element that we have seen too many times before and we just don’t care for it as it is poorly executed this time round. When it comes to the crunch, “The Shepherd” is fairly standard B-grade action and comes complete with torture scene, car chase, jail fight and a one-on-one finale that sadly contains a little too much slow-motion.

One thing that made me chuckle is that the DVD case cover was titled “The Shepherd: Border Patrol” but when the actual film begins the title simply states “The Shepherd”. For some reason or other, “Border Patrol”, is missing from the film’s title. I don’t know exactly why but maybe they felt the subtitle would help with the film’s sales and marketing or maybe it was just an after-thought on behalf of the filmmakers. Whatever the case, the whole title thing seems rather pointless and un-decisive, much like most of the film. On a positive note, Jean-Claude is given one moment to shine in the early part of the film and it comes in the form of a stock-standard bar-room confrontation. In this well-choreographed action sequence we get a brief glimpse of the Van Damme of yesteryear but sadly there are no more action scenes on offer of this caliber to keep the film afloat.

All in all, you would be much better off watching any of the films in Van Damme’s back catalogue than this dull, poorly plotted action flick that offers no new surprises and very few thrills. It’s been 10 years since the “Damage” has been in cinemas and I am sure that Jean-Claude has one last great film left in him but sadly this isn’t it. A simpler plot, some old-fashioned fight scenes, a script with a few decent one-liners, a well-known co-star as his buddy and a good looking female lead should do the trick. Maybe the “Damage” could even consider giving directing another shot, to be honest, I didn’t think “The Quest” was as bad as some people made out, heck it was certainly superior to most of the straight to DVD films that he has appeared in over the last few years.  Anyway, get back to basics Van Damme and I am sure you will be rewarded with a theatrical release somewhere down the line. Even a supporting role in an A-list film would be better than a starring role in an inferior project.  Whatever the case, Van Damme still has an interesting screen persona and his films will always be a curiosity piece for action fans.  

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