(Photo by Universal Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection)

Jean-Claude Van Damme Movies Ranked

We’re ranking the films of action star Jean-Claude Van Damme! We start with his Certified Fresh projects, including voicing Master Croc in Kung Fu Panda 2, and the meta JCVD, which flexed his acting muscles. His Fresh films include John Woo’s American debut Hard Target, villainous turns in Minions: The Rise of Gru and The Expendables 2. And among the fan favorites: prime slabs of ’80s action in Bloodsport and Kickboxer.

#2

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
82%

#2

Critics Consensus: The storyline arc may seem a tad familiar to fans of the original, but Kung Fu Panda 2 offers enough action, comedy, and visual sparkle to compensate.

Synopsis: Now known as the Dragon Warrior, Po protects the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, [More]

Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman

Directed By: Jennifer Yuh Nelson

#3

Kickboxer: Retaliation (2018)
93%

#3

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: One year after avenging his brother's murder, MMA champion Kurt Sloane finds himself imprisoned by a powerful gangster in Thailand. [More]

Starring: Alain Moussi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Christopher Lambert, Mike Tyson

Directed By: Dimitri Logothetis

#6

Enemies Closer (2013)
79%

#6

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A former Navy SEAL (Tom Everett Scott) becomes trapped in the wilderness with drug runners and an old enemy (Orlando [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Tom Everett Scott, Orlando Jones, Linzey Cocker

Directed By: Peter Hyams

#7

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
69%

#7

Critics Consensus: The Minions' antic shenanigans are beginning to grate despite this sequel's injection of retro chic, although this loony marathon of gags will still delight young children.

Synopsis: In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carell) [More]

Starring: Steve Carell, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA

Directed By: Kyle Balda

#8

The Expendables 2 (2012)
68%

#8

Critics Consensus: Taut, violent, and suitably self-deprecating, The Expendables 2 gives classic action fans everything they can reasonably expect from a star-studded shoot-'em-up -- for better and for worse.

Synopsis: Mercenary leader Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the Expendables team reunite when Mr. [More]

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren

Directed By: Simon West

#9

Hard Target (1993)
62%

#9

Critics Consensus: Hard Target gets a boost from John Woo's stylish direction, but at heart, it's still another silly, explosion-dependent action thriller in the Jean-Claude Van Damme oeuvre.

Synopsis: Chance Boudreaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a sailor skilled in martial arts, is employed to guard Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) as [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, Arnold Vosloo, Yancy Butler

Directed By: John Woo

#11

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012)
57%

#11

Critics Consensus: The mooted final installment in the long-running series is a hyper-violent, often grim throwback to action movies of yore -- which will appeal to some audiences just as emphatically as it deters others.

Synopsis: Archenemies Luc Devereaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) contend with a terrifying army of reanimated supersoldiers. [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins, Kristopher Van Varenberg

Directed By: John Hyams

#12

Sudden Death (1995)
53%

#12

Critics Consensus: Sudden Death may not be a classic, but exciting set pieces and strong work from Jean-Claude Van Damme help this action thriller pay off part of its Die Hard debt.

Synopsis: Ex-fireman Darren McCord (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has a new job working security at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Hoping to impress [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Powers Boothe, Raymond J. Barry, Whittni Wright

Directed By: Peter Hyams

#13

Bloodsport (1988)
50%

#13

Critics Consensus: This is where it all began for the Muscles from Brussels, but beyond Van Damme's athleticism, Bloodsport is a cliched, virtually plotless exercise in action movie recycling.

Synopsis: U.S. soldier Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has come to Hong Kong to be accepted into the Kumite, a highly [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton

Directed By: Newt Arnold

#14

Timecop (1994)
43%

#14

Critics Consensus: It's no Terminator, but for those willing to suspend disbelief and rational thought, Timecop provides limited sci-fi action rewards.

Synopsis: When mankind perfects time travel, the government establishes the Time Enforcement Commission to thwart criminal attempts to alter the timeline. [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill

Directed By: Peter Hyams

#15

Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016)
41%

#15

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Kurt Sloane (Alain Moussi) has always been there for his brother, Eric (Darren Shahlavi), who's known in the martial arts [More]

Starring: Dave Bautista, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Gina Carano, Alain Moussi

Directed By: John Stockwell

#17

Double Impact (1991)
32%

#17

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Nearly 25 years after seeing his father killed by Hong Kong crime boss Raymond Zhang (Philip Chan Yan Kin), Chad [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Geoffrey Lewis, Alan Scarfe, Alonna Shaw

Directed By: Sheldon Lettich

#23

Replicant (2001)
27%

#23

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Detective Jake Riley (Michael Rooker) is on the trail of serial killer Edward "The Torch" Garrotte (Jean-Claude Van Damme), who [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Rooker, Catherine Dent, Ian Robison

Directed By: Ringo Lam

#24

Cyborg (1989)
22%

#24

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In a future beset by chaos and violence, mercenary Gibson Rickenbacker (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is charged with a mission that [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Deborah Richter, Vincent Klyn, Alex Daniels

Directed By: Albert Pyun

#26

We Die Young (2019)
- -

#26

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A war veteran tries to help a boy and his younger brother when they get mixed up with a vicious [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, David Castañeda, Elijah Rodriguez, Nicholas Sean Johnny

Directed By: Lior Geller

#27

The Quest (1996)
14%

#27

Critics Consensus: Jean-Claude Van Damme makes a forgettable directorial debut with The Quest, a bland retread of better heroes' journeys.

Synopsis: In the slums of New York City during the 1920s, petty thief Chris Dubois (Jean-Claude Van Damme) finds himself on [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Roger Moore, James Remar, Janet Gunn

Directed By: Jean-Claude Van Damme

#28

Pound of Flesh (2015)
15%

#28

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A former black-ops agent (Jean-Claude Van Damme) begins a blood-soaked quest to find the organ thieves who stole his kidney [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Darren Shahlavi, Terese Cilluffo, John Ralston

Directed By: Ernie Barbarash

#30

Street Fighter (1994)
11%

#30

Critics Consensus: Though it offers mild entertainment through campy one-liners and the overacting of the late Raul Julia, Street Fighter's nonstop action sequences are not enough to make up for a predictable, uneven storyline.

Synopsis: Gen. Bison (Raul Julia), the evil dictator of Shadaloo, captures a busload of relief workers and holds them for ransom. [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Ming-Na Wen, Damian Chapa

Directed By: Steven E. de Souza

#31

Double Team (1997)
11%

#31

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: An international spy (Jean-Claude Van Damme) teams with a flamboyant weapons dealer (Dennis Rodman) to escape from a penal colony [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, Mickey Rourke, Paul Freeman

Directed By: Hark Tsui

#33

Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
5%

#33

Critics Consensus: Universal Soldier - The Return fails on almost every level, from its generic story to its second rate action and subpar performances.

Synopsis: After being brought back from the dead as a genetically enhanced warrior, Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is now fully [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Jai White, Heidi Schanz, Xander Berkeley

Directed By: Mic Rodgers

#34

Black Water (2018)
0%

#34

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A deep cover operative awakens to find himself imprisoned on a submarine. With the help of a fellow prisoner and [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Patrick Kilpatrick, Kristopher Van Varenberg

Directed By: Pasha Patriki

#35

Desert Heat (1999)
0%

#35

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Veteran Eddie (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is on the verge of a breakdown. Depressed and grappling with a difficult loss, he [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Pat Morita, Danny Trejo, Gabrielle Fitzpatrick

Directed By: John G. Avildsen

#36

Derailed (2002)
0%

#36

Critics Consensus: Derailed is one of those familiar and pulpy cautionary tales that depend largely on implausible coincidences and preposterous twists.

Synopsis: Secret agent Kristoff (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is assigned to escort Galina Konstantin (Laura Elena Harring), a thief in possession of [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Tomas Arana, Laura Harring, Susan Gibney

Directed By: Bob Misiorowski

#37

Death Warrant (1990)
0%

#37

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: An undercover officer (Jean-Claude Van Damme) investigates murder and mayhem in a prison where kickboxing comes in handy. [More]

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Robert Guillaume, Cynthia Gibb, George Dickerson

Directed By: Deran Sarafian