PLOT: Serge holds a state secret. He, his family, and gardener Leo appear on a government death list. They attempt to devise a plan to stay alive.
REVIEW: The natural progression for any aging action star is to try out comedy to try and lighten the load. The body just can’t take those stunts the same way. And over the years, we’ve seen Jean-Claude Van Damme dip his toes in comedy, and have some success with projects like Jean-Claude Van Johnson. Now we’re seeing him in a film that desperately wants to be a comedy, but can never escape the “Geezer Teaser” mold of being a generic action film. The Gardener is rough viewing, especially for lifelong fans of the actor.
The Gardener follows Serge, an eccentric politician who finds out he’s on a hit list. Thankfully for him, his gardener has a shady background and makes it his mission to stop the would-be assassins. They’re going with the very tired “I just want to live peacefully but you’re forcing me to kill” trope. Your enjoyment with the film is going to start and stop with Michaël Youn‘s Serge. Either you can sanction his buffoonery, or it will annoy you to no end. I was in the latter camp and was constantly hoping he’d just shut up. Serge is such a buffoon throughout the film that the emotional beats really don’t work as he’s already proven to be a clown in other people’s dramatic moments.
Van Damme feels like he’s in an entirely different movie from Youn. There’s one scene in particular where he’s baring his soul, and Serge is just wisecracking in response. Which is too bad because Van Damme actually feels like he’s doing something somewhat interesting. But you’re hiring the man for his action acumen, and he’s, understandably, lost a step. Any chance that they get to use a stunt double, they do. JCVD is doing the close-ups and some of the less impactful stuff, but it’s very obvious when it switches to the double. Don’t get me wrong, what Van Damme is able to do at 65 is insanely impressive, there’s just a very distinct difference in movement that you just can’t fake.
The best part of the film comes with Matthias Quiviger‘s Esmerelda. He’s an absolute madman and is quipping nearly every moment he’s on screen. He’s got such manic energy and is so unpredictable that he provides the film a much-needed boost. Otherwise, the henchmen are faceless bores, lacking in any human qualities. On a technical side, the action is well done. You can really feel the impact of the punches and kicks within the sound design. They even do what looks like “day for night” shooting that, outside of the sky replacement, actually looks pretty decent. But those moments happen rarely, and it’s more often than not a load of green screen backdrops and poor composites.
While trying to be farce, The Gardener never leans far enough into its comedic sensibilities. Every so often, Van Damme comes in to beat up a bad guy and breathe life into the film, but it’s too little, too late. The comedy doesn’t work, and it never settles on a consistent tone. Is it an action film? Is it making fun of them? I’m not even sure the filmmakers know.
THE GARDENER IS IN THEATERS AND VOD ON JUNE 6TH, 2025.
