That was an excellent one.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take a Van Damme good dark,bloody, brutal, action flick direct to video, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.Wake of Death (2004) like my title say's it is very brutal, revenge, action, violence movie! In a completely different tone from Van Damme! I have never saw him acting and playing a character like that! I am wondering now if Van Damme is in real life like his character Ben Archer is. This is my favorite direct to video Van Damme movie. I like the action in here, but the whole movie was more brutal than ever. I have watched the cut version, I don't know why was this movie cut in the first place? Maybe because they were too violent scenes in it. I don't think is a bad movie, I like it. I know a lot of people like this movie and they love it, like it or love it to death. I like it a lot and I think this movie "Wake of Death" is decent. At least is much better film than Street Fighter, Knock Off, The Quest, Inferno aka Desert Heat and Derailed was, those movies suck ass and I will not see them in a long time soon! I think this movie is good for what it is. It is a Badass violent, action, bloody, brutal movie. I've always said the thing that sets Van Damme apart from everyone else, like are Dolph Lundgren, Seagal, Gary Daniels etc..... Is that Van Damme can Act. I know that Steven Seagal did had a lot of direct to video movies, but after watching this movie, I have enjoy it much more than I would enjoy a Steven Seagal direct to Video awful movies. Not a Seagal fan anymore, but I am the biggest Van Damme fan and I care what is happening to Van Damme. I love the man and his movies and Wake of Death is not a bad action movie but is not my favorite film from Van Damme.Jean-Claude Van Damme's acting is far beyond what he was able to do with previous material and the film has a nice dark edge to it. Plenty of great, well choreographed (and violent) action scenes and you can actually see Van Damme doing most of his own stunt work for once. Visually the film looks very sleek (in a dark way) and considering it's over a decade old, very little about it has aged. The plot is fairly simple (revenge) and the dialogue and script are tight for the most part. The film runs at about 86 minutes (pre-credits) and moves at a brisk pace though it never feels short and sells itself and it's contents very well. It doesn't set the world on fire for originality but what it does, it does very nicely and in my opinion, it adds a little class to Van Dammes filmography. Simon Yam did a terrific joy playing the villain and a triad leader in this movie. I remember him from watching his early movies like were: Bloodfight (1989),John Woo's Bullet in the Head (1990), Naked Killer (1992) and Full Contact (1992) those were the movies that I liked from him. I did not saw how Simon Yam got aged in here, but he still did a good solid performance.The basic plot about this film is After his wife is brutally murdered, an ex-cop wages war against the Chinese triads. A triad leader Sun Quan (Simon Yam) murdered with knife his wife, when she wanted to leave him and taken his daughter away from him. His daughter Kim (Valerie Tian) saw him murdering her mother and she flees away from him. She comes to America with an immigrant's ship, one of Sun Quan's ships. When Sun Quan (Simon Yam) find out that out, he come to America to get her back. Cynthia (Lisa King) is a social worker with the INS, helping to process illegal Chinese immigrants. Then she discovers Kim (Valerie Tian), a young girl on board a ship that is full of immigrants, and decides to bring her home. She convinces a judge that the girl is in grave danger if deported and successfully pleads with him to give her one-week to sort out her case against deportation. Without hesitation Sun Quan (Simon Yam) orders his gang to get the girl back and kill everyone. So they kill everyone but the kids run away, when Ben Archer (Jean-Claude Van Damme) finds out about this he takes the matter in his own hands, the justice he delivers it is his own fury of hell.Philip Tan also played in this movie , I saw him in Tango & Cash (1989), Martial Law (1990) and Bloodsport II (1994), I mostly remember him from that movie. Overall I am giving this movie a 8, I like it,it is my favorite Van Damme movie, it is hell of a better movie than Seagal all shitty direct to video movies and previous shitty movies that Van Damme did before.Wake of Death is a 2004 American/German action film directed by French director, Philippe Martinez 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. The film was released to the cinema in France but direct to video in America in 2004.8/10 Grade: A Studio: Bauer Martinez Studios UKFS Frame Werk Produktion GmbH & Co. KG Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lisa King, Valerie Tian, Simon Yam, Tony Schiena, Philip Tan, Pierre Marais, Tom Wu, Claude Hernandez Director: Philippe Martinez Producers: Alan Latham, Philippe Martinez, Stéphanie Martinez, Stanley Roup Screenplay: Philippe Martinez, Mick Davis, Laurent Fellous, Kristina Hamilton-Grobler Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 31 Mins. Budget: $14.000.000 Box Office: $1,206,134

This is one of the Van Damme's best at action. I wonder why it is rated so low. 5.5 oh... come on, you are kidding me. If this is 5.5 then The Punisher must be 4.5. If you want the word A..C..T..I..O...N then don't miss it. If you are Van Damme fan, go buy the DVD. This is not just Van Damme's best, it is one of the best action movies ever made. Movie really has a story because I still remember it. Even after 2 years I can clearly recollect those terrific action scenes. It contains a few brutal scenes, shows "serious feelings of Van Damme" and of course ...A....C....T...I...O...N. This movie hits hard on face. This movie is going to make a permanent mark in your memory.

At first, I'm a Van Damme Fan. I like him since Bloodsport and shame or not but I hate him since UniSol2. I think everyone knows why... Since 1999 something broke his ego. Maybe, it was his mental problem and the thing with drugs or the world changed but something moved in different way. Sadly all these came back in movies too. Everyone who watched JCVD knows this. He tried and tried to became an actor against martial arts star, but I think he is much more a fighter like an actor. And that was what I always loved in Van Damme. I think this move isn't good. It want to be a drama-action flick but it works not. There are so many weak moments. Please, I think who loves action movies knows what's the different between good and bad. Cheap effects, laughable scenes with overplayed characters kills everything. JC is OK, the problem is the story the cast and directing. Everything is B... Double Impact was B-movie too, but million miles away from this. In 1990 there was mood and an elegant style for these kind of movies. I think after the year 2000, this kind of cinema is only for renting. Somewhere in the past Van Damme was a cinema star, not only a product for DVD... I hope he shows us more JCVD in the future!

As everyone has already said...this was a wow for any JVCD fan. As a standard movie on its own its not anything unique or bringing new light to film making, but it isn't typical direct to video garbage. This movie would have made a fair theater running if it had been given a chance.As a JVCD movie it really is one of his top notch films as of late. After just recently seeing In Hell, which was a rather refreshing bit of Van Damme acting, this just blows it over. All the actors do a terrific job, the score fits in perfectly, the action is good, and the storyline is not hokey crap. The two men playing Max and Raymond also do an incredible job, and their big scene almost takes the cake. French mobsters now working as bar/club heavies, scary mother ***ers.This movie is definitely worth a watch if you have EVER been a Van Damme fan. Also if you are looking for an above decent action flick.