6 Bullets (2012) User Reviews

Good - Probably would watch it again sometime.

[shroyertour · 7/10 · 15 September 2012]

This is a Jean-Claude Van Damme action flick.

I've seen a number of his similar films over the years and feel that they have all been better than average. Meaning that if you like action movies, Van Damme delivers with ones that you will probably watch again sometime.

Like Assassination Games (2011), this one features his son and daughter (his daughter also produces). No, his kids won't win any acting awards either, but they turn in credible performances for their characters. For his part, Van Damme acts better than I have ever seen him act before as a troubled ex-mercenary who has built a reputation finding and returning kidnapped children. He also seems to have built one for leaving a lot of bodies behind, including innocents. Unlike most of his other movies where he does no wrong, this one has him a lot more fallible and even negligent. His realizations have him showing lingering regret that really spices up this plot.

While this film is vaguely similar to Taken (2009), there are more differences than similarities. It also shows what amoral lengths the family of a kidnapped child might be willing to go to to get their kid back.

This is a good action flick with some thought provoking moments about consequences and choices. I recommend it.

Standard but Good DTV

[Renegay · 6/10 · 19 May 2012]

To be honest, I didn't expect a lot when I was invited for the screening at Cannes. Another Van Damme movie shot in a East European country with the same director of Assassination Games (AG), a good and standard action movie with a cheap look and some solid but basic action.

And that is exactly what you get with Six Bullets but even more. This movie starts of interesting with a big actionscene with JCVD on a motorcycle..and the movie is filled with good directed fights. Joe Flanigan, who is basically the next big name in this movie, is great as Van Damme's co-star. The only thing that is annoying that the rest of the cast is filled with unknowns and Van Damme "talented" son Kristopher Varenberg. He plays, how surprising, the son of JCVD in the movie. Also some of the locations in the movie were recycled from AG. The openingsscene is shot at the same manor from AG ( the one were Scott Adkins kept his wife) It all feels very save (not mindblowing, but very watchable) and it is great to Van Damme doing some action again. Ernie Barbarash is developing as a solid director and seems to get the some good movies out off Van Damme, who seems to step of his basic moves and shows some new stuff. This movie was shot prior to The Expendables 2 and it shows. Van Damme seems to be very motivated. Not like he was in AG. Although his character has a dark secret and is kinda depressed.

Six Bullets is a fun movie. Overall people didn't like it that much. Lots of complaints about the cheapfactor in this one and comparing it to Van Damme's Cannes classic "JCVD". But Six Bullets is nothing like this movie.. It is your standard but good DTV.. Nothing more nothing less 6/10

A great Van Damme movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 17 November 2012]

This is without a doubt one of the better Van Damme movies in the entire course of his career. Why? Well because it is not the average generic movie that he usually makes, where he is sort of a lone underdog hero who is fighting an uphill battle against overwhelming odds, and with some miraculous force he manages to singlehandedly emerge victorious at the end, even after having received a beating that would normally drop dead a prize-winning bull.

"6 Bullets" is a great story-driven movie, in which Van Damme plays Samson Gaul, a mercenary who is working in Eastern Europe to infiltrate human trafficking rings and rescue underage boys and girls, and bring them home to be reunited with their families after these horrible ordeals. However, during one such a mission, something goes horribly awry and two innocent young girls end up dead. Haunted by the apparitions of these dead girls, Gaul ends up seeking solitude and salvation at the mercy of alcohol while trying to make a living as a butcher. A young American girl is kidnapped from her hotel and the parents seek out Gaul for help. But can Gaul redeem himself of the past and step up to the task at hand? The storyline in "6 Bullets" was really interesting and captivating, as human trafficking is, sadly, every day events in parts of the world. So with that in mind, then this story really takes on a personal approach and becomes more than just mindless martial arts entertainment.

Plus, the storyline is really helped along by some powerful performances, not only by Van Damme, who really stepped into character and showed a great acting side, but also by Joe Flanigan (playing Andrew Fayden).

The movie was nicely shot, the dialogue was good and it moved at a great pace. There was a fair amount of drama in the movie, spiced up with martial arts, of course, and also gun fights. This is really one of the better Van Damme movies that I have seen in a long, long time, and it is good to see that he is back in the game.

There were just a couple of things in the movie that I didn't really understand. In the opening sequence, how did Gaul manage to plant all that explosive in the cars parked outside the building when there was all that much security personnel around? And also when he wanted a phone number traced, it started with 555, which is a number associated with Hollywood movies, so we must assume that it is an alleged American fake-movie phone number, so why was it showing up on an Eastern Europe phone? And finally, why would most people in Eastern Europe opt to speak English first whenever addressing strangers? Wouldn't it make more sense to speak in their native language? Anyway, these touches are just small flaws that don't really have much impact on the movie. I just happened to notice this and wonder about it.

"6 Bullets" is a great addition to movie collection for fans of Van Damme. And it is also good entertainment, even if you are not particular a fan of him.

Van Damme delivers 6 Bullets

[rgblakey · 6/10 · 16 September 2012]

Hot off the heels of his great villainous turn in the Expendables 2, Jean Claude Van Damme delivers another straight to video action film 6 Bullets. Over the years some of his films seem to have gotten a bit better in both acting and quality. He still has a lot that get international theatrical release, but still end up on the video shelf here. Will 6 Bullets keep his streak alive after E2 has brought him back to theatrical prominence?

6 Bullets follows an ex-mercenary known for finding missing children is hired by a mixed martial arts fighter whose daughter has been kidnapped, but is still struggling with a failed assignment. For the most part this isn't one of his better films, but is a decent addition to his filmography. There is plenty of action that's pretty simple and only averagely executed, but mostly loses some of its effectiveness due to bad editing. Where this film lacks on some of the expected action, Van Damme delivers another character with a wide range of emotions. While still nowhere near the performance of JCVD, he really carries the film well giving the character more depth than his normal bad ass persona. The supporting cast including Stargate: Atlantis star Joe Flanigan and both Van Damme's son and daughter all do a decent job with what they are working with. The story is simple, but does add some clever twists here and there to give it a bit of an edge you may not expect. The foreign setting really helps this movie both visually and size to give it a bigger feel than it may have had being shot here in the US.

While this wasn't a great movie, it still delivers enough of a kick to entertain the hard core Van Damme fans out there. Over time Van Damme, much like the other action stars of E2 has seemed to really embrace his age and seems to have enhanced his performances a bit more. Worse case, this film will serve as good filler while fans eagerly wait for his next film Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey

Should have been called 'The Butcher'....

[FlashCallahan · 7/10 · 14 October 2012]

Just lately, Van Dammes movies have been getting a lot better than they should be. This could be partly thankful to JCVD, or he has started to listen to his fans and choosing better roles.

I was surprised how well this movie was made, and how good he was in it.

He plays a specialist who finds kidnapped children who are being sold for pleasure. When a job causes the death of two children, he starts having doubts about his career choice.

Went he daughter of an MMA fighter is kidnapped, he reluctantly helps, and then Van Damme is back in action.

The only thing i found silly in this film, was the visions he was having about the two dead girls. This really didn't need to be in this and detracted away from the feeling of the movie. We knew he was suffering, so we didn't need to see this.

Fighting is minimal, apart from the opening act, but it's quite good to see a sadistic Van damme in this. He tortures, maims, and kills without remorse and it gives the film a real gritty feel to it.

So all in all, if you are a Van Damme film, you will be happy as this proves that his career is in full swing.

Van Damme is in top form

[mikesblast · 6/10 · 29 August 2012]

To my surprise, this is playing on Google Play for only 3.99 so I rushed to watch it...twice for that matter. I rather enjoyed it. I'd rank it pretty much on the same level as AG. Both movies were on the cusp of making the leap from being "good" to being "damn good". The script in AG is a bit stronger but JC does a much better job in 6B. He is in fantastic shape and doesn't sleepwalk at all through his performance. He looks and performs the best he has in years. The action is pretty well done and there is a good amount of it. Like AG, Ernie gives us a really cool opening intro to the movie! For the most part, 6B is shot really well, considering the budget. Acting wise, I thought everyone was above average for a DTV...with the exception of Bianca(JC's real daughter). Even though she isn't in it that much, I thought her line delivery was just awful. Kris(JC's real son), however, is better than usual. He still has a lot to learn but he didn't stink up the place like usual. Flannigan was good and I liked seeing him in something other than Stargate. Neal Acree turned out another good music score, although, a lot of it may be a little too piano heavy which kind of kills the tone in a few scenes. It sometimes added a "made for TV" vibe. Overall though, this is another good step for Ernie and definitely one of JC's best DTV's. I'll probably watch it one more time before it expires. 3.25/5

A surprisingly strong DTV effort from Van Damme

[brchthethird · 7/10 · 14 November 2014]

Jean-Claude Van Damme stars in another above-par DTV outing, and proves that he's still relevant (at least more relevant than Steven Seagal). There's nothing too special about the story, seeing as it's been done before in various forms (e.g., TAKEN). Even the cinematography isn't too unique, and has a washed-out palette that is all-too-common in these types of movies. But unlike TAKEN, this movie actually takes the time to develop its characters and give you reason to care about them. In other words, it's not all ass-kicking and one-liners (and in fact, there really isn't any humor). The run time is a little overlong (by about 15-20 minutes), but it's spent with characters you can identify with and a story that has some dramatic impact. Definitely for JCVD fans, but also for anyone looking to branch out beyond the middling action fare that Hollywood churns out nowadays.

Definitely a B movie...but in terms of actors who used to be famous but still make movies Van Dammes are watchable. I say B-.

[cosmo_tiger · 5/10 · 11 September 2012]

"I know you mean well but your not a cop, your a soldier and this is not Africa or Afganistan." Samson Gaul (Van Damme) is the best at what he does. He is an ex-mercenary who finds missing children where ever they may be. When one mission goes wrong and he finds the girl he was looking for but other children get killed as collateral damage he vows to give up and no longer be in that line of work. When famous MMA fighter Andrew Fayden's (Flanigan) daughter goes missing he offers Samson a job that he can't refuse. Before I start I have to say that this is not as bad as I expected...but I expected a typical Van Damme movie. While it's still a B movie this is actually watchable. I am not saying I am a fan at all but if I had to choose between a new Val Kilmer, Dolph Lundgren, or Steven Segal movie after watching this one I would have to go with Van Damme. This is a movie where you pretty much know what your going to get going in and it doesn't disappoint in that sense. Nothing to run out and watch but in terms of movies starring action heroes who used to be famous this is not bad at all. I give it a B-.

THIS IS WHAT I DO

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 19 August 2018]

This is another teen abduction/ Eastern European sex trade/ rescue movie. Samson Gaul (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is the village butcher who moonlights as a mercenary. His accent varies throughout the film. His son (Kristopher Van Varenberg) who works at the US embassy, sends him clients.

When Andrew Fayden(Joe Flanigan), an American cage fighter's daughter Becky (Charlotte Beaumont) is kidnapped, he calls on Samson who is reluctant to take the case. On his last case he generated a significant amount of collateral damage that wasn't as funny as when MacGruber does it.

The movie has a slight twist which really wasn't much of a twist. Monica Fayden (Anna-Louise Plowman) mouthing statistics in the middle of the film made me think this was a 93 minute public service announcement. In addition to beating up people, Samson uses elaborate high tech stuff. He is capable of setting up complex traps in a matter of moments. The movie "Taken" has set the bar for this genre and unfortunately this one doesn't measure up. Will work as a rental.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, no sex, no real nudity. Women in strip clubs scantily dressed. One woman with large pasties...nothing we haven't seen at Superbowl half time.

Everyone reviewing this film must be 12 years old. This is a terrible film, and I'm a JCVD fan!

[abbottsam · 1/10 · 10 January 2013]

I rate, I don't usually review unless it's really good, or really bad. This is the latter. As a JCVD fan I've been encouraged by his some of his later work in the film 'JCVD', 'Universal Soldier: Regeneration' and 'The Expendables 2'.

He's old, sure, but he's kept in shape and his acting has improved a lot over the years, he's actually quite good! But this film is one of the cheapest pieces of crap I've seen and well beneath the actor JCVD has become in his twilight years.

It's poorly written, poorly shot, poorly edited and poorly acted by everyone else in the thing!

It feels like it was directed by a teen on HD camcorder. I couldn't sit through the whole thing. That's some dead honesty, as I've sat through a lot of crap and a lot of JCVD over the years (sometimes one and the same).

Don't waste your time. If you are trying to chose between this and something else right now, choose that something else.

I was TAKEN by surprise!!!

[bitea2002 · 8/10 · 19 September 2012]

Let me be as direct as possible: this movie rocks!!! I know most people are expecting a cheap movie with flat dialogues and average acting but this film will certainly surprise many.

OK, you won't have Academy Awards performances but the actors did a good job. The action is well executed and the plot line captivating enough.

I believe that Joe Flanigan made his character believable and convincing enough. Plowman was also decent as the mum looking for her kidnapped daughter.

Overall I give "6 Bullets" a solid eight. It is good fun. Van Damme is BACK!!!

Not bad for a direct to video film, not great either - Minor spoilers

[KingOfThrones · 6/10 · 30 May 2012]

Six Bullets is directed by Ernie Barbarash. Who recently directed Assassination Games also starring Jean Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins. Six Bullets was recently screened at Cannes 2012 and here is my Review (contains spoilers):

Van Damme plays a depressed, ex military (or something along those lines. It's never really discussed) by the name of Samson Gaul who is hired to rescue the daughter of an MMA fighter, Andrew, played by Joe Flannigan. Joe portrays the equivalent of Floyd Mayweather in the MMA world.

Surprisingly, you get the feeling that Van Damme is not the lead in this film and from the off set it's apparent that Joe Flannigan is the main attraction here. Joe is an 'MMA fighter' whose daughter has been kidnapped due to his spiraling debts, you later learn that Joe is due to throw a fight and bets against himself for a large sum which he owes to "Vlad". Things don't exactly go accordingly and Vlad deploys a number of his team to kidnap Joe's daughter, Monica. Andrew then realizes that he is in over his head and calls on an old ally who is renowned for his recover of small children. Fans of Jean Claude will be pleased with what he has to offer and looks in tremendous shape when he is boxing a hanging piece of meat a la Rocky style with Joe Flannigan (There are a few references to Sylvester Stallone, Jean Claude saves the best for last which I won't spoil). Samson and his son set out to rescue Monica and reunite her with her father.

Kristopher Van Varenberg is surprisingly entertaining in his role as Samson's son and his shoot-out albeit with the rather unimaginative villains is similar to the Van Damme movies we all grew fond of as a teenager and he certainly has the ability and is worthy enough of carrying the Van Damme name if he so chooses. The main shoot out takes place outside an old mansion and the slow motion 'shoot and kill' moment is very similar to that of the slow motion capture used in his father's earlier films such as the Hard Target. Kris also adds an element of comedy the way he dismembers one of the henchman in the knife scene that takes part in mansion's kitchen. Van Damme's daughter, Bianca Bree/Van Varenberg/Van Damme, I am not sure what she names herself, makes a brief appearance although it really feels like she happened to be on set and they threw a small cameo at her to keep her father happy.

Overall, there are a few action scenes that we have become accustomed with in a Van Damme film – He certainly displays better punching prowess compared his more recent DTV efforts, he takes out three guys Transporter style in the end mansion finale in a small hallway. Although there is more gun action than fight scenes, there isn't really a need for Van Damme to demonstrate his kicking ability as there isn't the opportunity to do so. In fact, I would have expected more from Joe Flannigan's character given his supposed background as an MMA fighter. Joe doesn't participate in too many action scenes and it's transparent he doesn't have any interest in becoming an action star. He should have been a more lovable rogue than an MMA fighter

You kind of hope that Van Damme has more dialogue in the movie. Throughout the film, you feel slightly frustrated that he is not presented with more dialogue and most of his lines are no more than one or two in length.

For those that have seen Assassination Games will instantly feel the Barbarash vibe to this movie, the tone, well used locations and pace of the movie more than give this away.

The story is all too familiar in the direct to video market and isn't going to win any awards and fans of low budget, action, direct to video movies will enjoy this – I give this 6/10.

Comically horrible

[dtkim80 · 2/10 · 17 June 2013]

This movie is not boring, as it is just horribly executed and edited. The acting is unconvincing. The opening sequence was filled with action and some pretty good knife play, but it's clearly fantasy when people drop dead immediately from a cut to the neck without as much as a drop of blood, and of course no stains on JCVD's pristine white shirt. It's the little things like that which pull me out of the story. It's the reminder that I'm just watching a bad movie. I laughed out loud at many of the scenes because of the blunders. They don't even bother covering the fact that they're using blanks...one scene toward the end, some dude loads a bolt action sniper rifle with what is clearly a crimped blank round. Then they show some surveillance feed that shows the rear of the surveillance camera in the feed...what???? Comically horrible. The issue of human trafficking deserves a better movie.

Awesome !

[crazywildcat1000 · 7/10 · 6 February 2013]

This is the best Van Damme movie I've ever seen. It took him his whole career to refine his acting skills, the whole movie just ROCKS! It brings much perspective to the modern day slavery that needs so much attention by law enforcement in today's age. Human trafficking is so horrific in today's modern world and this movie will help you understand that it is real today, every where in the world. Every time I watch some sort of human trafficking movie my heart just goes out to these girls who are kidnapped and God only knows when they will ever escape, if ever. It is really a shame that men/woman can do such things to another human being and have no conscience of the lifetime scars they leave on peoples hearts & minds. Way to go Jean Claude Van Damme; who was one of the Executive Producers of this awesome movie. This is the only MOVIE I've EVER given 9 STARS!

Not bad but could have been better

[fenny007 · 6/10 · 8 October 2012]

First I will start with the positives, Van Damme gives a solid acting performance and shows he is still a master of fight scenes, he also looks in the best shape he has been in for a while. The film starts off with good pace and the supporting roles are adequately acted, yes it is very much a low budget Taken film but holds it's own for the first half. For me that is when it it loses it's way, in the last third the drama and action seems to go missing and I found myself losing interest (maybe I was tired!), usually the action at the end makes up for this but unfortunately I was disappointed. With the same director as Assassination Games it certainly feels similar to it, but as with AG I just felt it could have been better. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad film and has some good action sequences but just seems to lose momentum towards the end.

Action Drama

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 30 September 2012]

Do not watch this expecting hand to hand combat (well not too much of that anyway). There are a few of those, but there is more gun action, than fist fights going on here. You also have van Dammes son here (under his fathers real last name) and his daughter (who changed her name, though I'm not sure, if it's because she's married or just a name change to sound good), both not the greatest actors in the world, but get the job done.

Van Damme too delivers and plays his character really good. It's a stellar performance, a stellar script with some supernatural touches and an engaging story overall. This still won't change the mind of some people concerning van Damme of course. But maybe due to his recent revival (Expandables 2), he will be able to do movies he always wanted to do (next up is a comedy in 2013 and that's something he's been dying to make!)

Pretty decent action thriller

[Luv2Spooge · 7/10 · 4 June 2022]

Not much I can really add to what others have said. The story is pretty formulaic, but the action sequences are smart as well as the fight choreography.

There's not really any dull moments per say, but perhaps it could've been edited and shorted to 1 and a half hours. The only other thing is I think the opening scene was the best and probably not a good idea to lead with it. It sets the expectation for the actions in the rest of the film, which did not really measure up. Don't get me wrong, they're still good, but just not on par with the opening scene.

The climax scene is decent, some good smart moves, but when we watch a Van Damme film, we really want to watch him kick butt in hand to hand combat, not shooting a bazooka.

7/10 - decent one time watch.

An Extremely Boring Van Damme DTV Release...That Barely Has Him In It...

[MackMonMay87 · 3/10 · 4 January 2013]

Jean Claude Van Damme has still got it. At his age, he's kept in fantastic shape and has only gotten better at acting. For a guy who's improved so much, it would be nice if he was given better projects than 6 Bullets, a dreadfully slow, poorly edited and acted straight to DVD release who's 115 minutes feels more like 3 hours.

6 Bullets actually begins with promise, with Van Damme in a fantastically choreographed fight scene which proves to be one of the last you'll see from him in the film. There's another decent scene about 2 thirds in, but the opening with Van Damme sporting disguise facial hair is easily the best part. It's all downhill from there.

I'm not incredibly demanding of the plots of stuff like this, so a kidnap/rescue type thing is in no way bad, it can be pulled off really well, as seen in Taken with Liam Neeson. But everything about the execution and the way the kidnapping happens, coupled with how we don't see the villains or any motivating factor for the villains til much later really hurts the movie.

Speaking of hurt, one of the worst aspects of the movie is the insanely plain Joe Flanigan. Everything about this guy is bland, and he is beyond unconvincing for his role as an MMA fighter. Not only is he not in shape for the part at all, but he has these distractingly awful douchebag tattoos that are supposed to sell him as the fighter he's supposed to be, but so clearly isn't. It wouldn't be too bad if Flanigan was in the movie briefly to allow Van Damme to come in and kick some ass, but that isn't it. Oh no. Flanigan and his character's wife practically take over the movie, making you forget at parts that Van Damme is even in it, with each segment including Flanigan being gut-wrenchingly grueling.

Everything 6 Bullets really has to offer is in it's opening scene. Had the entire movie been made that way, it would've been a fun, one-off action thriller. As it stands, it's a lesson in the value of pacing in filmmaking.

Van Damme is not timeworn... And more catchy than many young "actionists"

[BeneCumb · 7/10 · 9 January 2013]

In recent years, Van Damme has shown his interest in Central Europe: Assassination Games 2011 was shot in Romania, this movie in Moldova; they are both relatively poor countries having problems with corruption and human trafficking, on which basis it is credible to create high-minded thrillers. The tensions are up high, events are more or less credible, and the very end is witty. Well done!

In 6 bullets, there are 3 Van Dammes performing: Jean-Claude Van Damme himself, his son Kristopher Van Varenberg (also decently, in fact) and his daughter Bianca Bree. The other leading role is performed by Joe Flanigan, but his character had too many clichés and peculiarities; for example, he became a gifted shooter within half a day or so. Nevertheless, the movie is a must for Van Damme admirers and others, who may have ambiguous attitudes towards him, could see it with open eyes and mind - Van Damme is really performing, he is no numb kicker or so.

Would have been a great film, if they had left out the bits between the action scenes

[bendaboots · 2/10 · 27 January 2013]

It's got the feel of an 80's B Movie. Also, the way it is shot makes it look more like a TV production than a feature film, but that could play towards its retro charm. So much so good, but unfortunately the script progressively deteriorates towards the second part of the film, until the plot takes turns that are so hair-raisingly stupid that it made me cringe. All of this is compounded by a cast that for the most part fails to even remotely convince in their roles. At least in my humble opinion, not even JCVD's decent performance can't quite salvage the film. The action scenes are good, although the majority of the good martial-arts stuff is in the first part of the film. So, beware, this film is only for JCVD die-hard fans.

JCVD has another hit on his hands

[movieman_kev · 8/10 · 13 September 2012]

Jean-Claude Van Damme shines as Samson Gual, an ex-mercenary haunted by tragic accidents of his past job who seeks to redeem himself when he's approached by a MMA fighter who seeks Gual's help in getting his fourteen year old daughter back after she's abducted by sex traffickers.

While a bit hokey in places and some of the acting by the bit players leaving much to be desired, all the major characters do a very adequate job and the action scenes are very good. I found myself enjoying this "Taken"-esque film quite a bit. JCVD indeed has another winner on his hands.

One of the best of its genre

[dmavroudis78 · 7/10 · 17 December 2020]

A very nice Van Damme movie in which he shows that he 's still got it. He is in perfect shape too and there is an actual storyline. Way to go!

Was actually not that bad.

[candersonb · 5/10 · 12 September 2012]

I had little hopes honestly thinking Im going to fall asleep on it. Actually when it starts it starts out pretty decent. A few people get there *** kicked by him. The one thing I like most about the movie is it has that action feel to it but it also has its sad parts that make you go aw. This is my first review All i'm saying s this movie is way better than assassination games. I think van Damme starting to come back up there with the big guys SLOWLY tho. I think This was a good choice for Van Damme to go. it does have some nudity just the regular pole dancers etc. I also think another movie worth checking out would be Steven Seagals new movie called Maximum Conviction starring Stone Cold Steve Austin Seagal is coming back to the top as well for being 60. check both these movies out.

Samson Gaul to the Rescue!!!

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 14 November 2016]

"Assassination Games" director Ernie Barbarash and scenarists Chad and Evan Law have concocted an above-average suspense thriller "6 Bullets" for martial arts action Jean Claude Van Damme that is a notch above his usual formulaic fodder. Actually, there are consequences for our protagonist in all the super-charged, high-octane antics in this swiftly-paced abduction opus set in Eastern Europe's Moldova. Jean-Claude is cast as a butcher who rescues kidnapped children when he isn't carving up meat. "6 Bullets" opens with a slam-bang sequence where our hero saves a youngster from a gang of ruthless dastards who have nothing but evil in store for the young lad. Jean-Claude decimates the opposition, slashing and shooting his way through numerous adversaries as he scrambles out of their huge house with the child in tow. He has set everything up for his escape and triggers a series of explosions that took out the villains and distract those that remain as he makes his escape. Later, a grim-faced Police Inspector Kvitko (Steve Nicolson of "Johnny English") informs him that during his explosive exodus, ex-French Foreign Legionnaire Samson Gaul (Jean-Claude Van Dame of "Maximum Risk") was responsible for some unfortunate collateral damage. The explosions that blew up the house also killed two young girls who had been kidnapped, too. Now, our remorseful protagonist finds himself haunted at every turn by the specters of those two semi-incinerated girls. He decides to get out the Good Samaritan business of finding missing people because of the collateral damage.

Naturally, no sooner than Gaul has retired, husband Andrew Fayden (Joe Flanigan of "The Other Sister") and wife Monica (Anna-Louise Plowman of "The Foreigner") visiting Moldova with their daughter find themselves up to their collective necks in trouble when the daughter Becky Fayden (Charlotte Beaumont of "Jupiter Ascending") disappears. When the Faydens contact Samson, he refuses to help them because he is still recovering from the previous incident involving the incinerated girls. Eventually, Samson decides to help them, and he creates a lot of violence and confusion for the slimy villains. Unfortunately, Samson pits the bad guys against themselves, and they kill the two individuals holding her and fake Becky's death. A police doctor confirms the remains found in the house where a man and woman were shot to death match Becky's DNA. Inspector Kvitko convinces the Faydens that their daughter died needlessly because of Samson's reckless bravado, and the Faydens turn on him. Our hero returns to his butcher shop upset with not only himself but also his son, Selwyn Gaul (Kristopher Van Varenberg of "Universal Soldier: Regeneration"), for getting back into this bloodthirsty business. Samson begins drinking again and he hallucinates and sees the two girls. About that time, the villains enter his butcher shop and torture him. At this point, feeling as bad as he does about what he has done to Becky, Samson is prepared to die to assuage his guilt. He realizes during the beating that he takes at the hands of the villains that Becky may not be dead. In the photographs of Becky, she has a bracelet on one wrist instead of another. Samson abducts the police surgeon Dr. Sui (Ioan Ionescu of "Born to Raise Hell") and Monica threatens to rips his genitals off if he doesn't tell them the truth about her daughter. Sui confesses to them that he lied about Becky.

No great shakes in the greater scheme of things, the "Taken" like "6 Bullets" still qualifies as an entertaining and exciting JCVD actioneer. Some of the thespings (not JCVD) leaves something to be desired, but tight direction, no-nonsense action add up to a stronger than usual straight-to-video release. The ending is particularly cool.

Yes, this movie indeed is unexpectedly better than thought

[Bad-Good-Great · 6/10 · 21 February 2021]

Unlike the pathetic Steven Seagal, JCVD's recently movies all turned out to be quite good, and this 6 Bullets is no exception. I have no problem to give this movie a 6/10 rating, could even give it a higher one, if these flaws were not so obviously serious:

1) Usually, a guy so well-experienced like JCVD played, the first thing when he infiltrated the enemy compound was to neutralize the CCTV system. But the guy simply overlooked it to accommodate the scenario. 2) The 14-year girl's finger was cut off, but she didn't seem to pay too much attention to her finger wound. Usually, when we carelessly cut our finger, even it's a tiny hairline cut, the wound would drive us crazy, the throbbing pain would be non-stop even the bleeding stopped. We'd keep raise our arm and keep our wounded hand or finger upward and high enough to reduce the throbbing pain. But this director and the young actress just overlooked this important detail, making the movie suddenly became quite fake. 3) There seemed to have no refrigeration in the butcher shop, front and back. If the weather temperature was not sub zero, then what the hack?

But none of the above-mentioned flaws would devalue this movie's watchable value. It's actually pretty good, as most of the reviewers said.