Nowhere to Run (1993) Review

“Nowhere to Run” American Theatrical Poster

Director: Robert Harmon
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rosanna Arquette, Kieran Culkin, Tiffany Taubman, Ted Levine, Edward Blatchford, Anthony Starke, Joss Ackland, Tony Brubaker
Running Time: 94 min.

By HKFanatic

Jean Claude Van Damme released two films in 1993: “Nowhere to Run” in January and “Hard Target” in August. Although Van Damme got to show off his muscles in both movies, the two couldn’t be more different from each other. Say what you want about Van Damme but he knew to work with talented directors: “Hard Target’s” John Woo may be more famous but director Robert Harmon was no slouch either. He’s since been relegated to making TV movies with Tom Selleck for the past ten years, but in his prime Harmon had a real eye for lensing genre movies. In 1986, he helmed “The Hitcher,” a movie that combined the horror genre with the action thriller and featured one of venerable actor Rutger Hauer’s best performances. You get the sense that Harmon could have been the next James Cameron if he really wanted to, but instead he delved into the world of television.

Back in ’93, Harmon brought his flair for kinetic action to “Nowhere to Run.” The film features fantastic wide angle shots, impressive camera movement, and is beautifully photographed by cinematographer David Gribble, who would later work with Van Damme on “The Quest.” The score by Mark Isham (also a veteran of “The Hitcher”) compliments the film perfectly. Overall, “Nowhere to Run” is a classy production; no one involved treated the film like it was a b-movie or “just another Van Damme flick.” These guys were serious.

As an actor, Van Damme seemed to want to be taken seriously too. He responds to the film’s opportunity to give a quieter, more subdued performance. It’s only 1993 and we’re already a long way from the splits-and-spandex era of “Double Impact.” Here Van Damme stretches himself, perhaps trying his best to avoid the cycle that Seagal fell into of just playing the same character movie after movie. You get the impression that Van Damme wants the audience to know that, yes, he’s technically an “action star” but he wants to be viewed as an actor too. And, okay, he’s not likely to let you forget that he’s man-pretty either.

So we’ve got genuine talent behind the camera and Van Damme firing on all cylinders – what could go wrong? The script, which was partially penned by Joe Eszterhas. Back in the 90’s, Eszterhas made headlines for being one of the most overpaid screenwriters in Tinsel Town and churning out sleazy potboilers like “Basic Instinct” and “Jade” until he effectively ruined his career with the box office bomb that was “Showgirls.” This guy wrote some of the trashiest mainstream Hollywood movies of all time and actually had the balls to criticize Tarantino for a perceived lack of talent. Granted, there’s guilty pleasure to be had from some of Eszterhas’ films but the screenplay for “Nowhere to Run” is just plain schizophrenic and I have a feeling it’s a result of his involvement.

For one thing, Van Damme starts the film has a ruthless escaped convict. He pretends to be injured after a prison bus crash (a scene that was more or less lifted for 2011’s “Fast Five”). “My leg!” he yells. “My arm!” A guard hobbles over. “Which one is it, son? Is your arm or your leg broken?” Van Damme yells “Your face!” and then delivers a brutal punch to the guy’s nose. From there, JCVD escapes and goes on the run. When he stops at a drug store and the clerk behind the counter catches on that Van Damme might be a prisoner on the lam, Jean Claude more or less threatens to kill the guy.

After that and from the rest of the movie on, Van Damme suddenly becomes a sweet-natured and misunderstood guy with a heart of gold. Huh? Did I miss something? Maybe the producers thought Van Damme had to be shown as “aggressive” during the opening of the movie so audiences wouldn’t think he was a wuss when he mellows out and starts hanging out with kids later on – but that’s a terrible line of thinking, and it’s a real weakpoint in the screenplay. Character consistency is a crucial components to keep your audience immersed in the story and “Nowhere to Run” doesn’t really have it.

That’s not even the worst part about Eszterhas’ script, though. Once Van Damme escapes from police custody, he gets to know a small town widow, played by Rosanna Arquette, who’s raising her two children on her own. Her land is highly coveted by some greedy developers but she refuses to sell her property. Van Damme protects the family from the developers’ increasingly violent attempts to frighten her into giving up her home. It’s a perfectly fine set-up for the action movie but the way the children are written is just plain wrong.

There’s an awkward dinner conversation where the little girl brings up the size of Van Damme’s, well, you know. Instead of her mom telling her to watch her language, Rosanna Arquette actually keeps the conversation going. Come on, JCVD! I’m sure you wanted to spread rumors about the size of your manhood back in your heyday but even you should have been embarrassed filming this scene. I know the 90’s was more forgiving of “little kids talking about sex,” and it was even considered ‘funny’ or ‘cute’ by some back then, but these days it’s just creepy. Especially since Van Damme had been prowling about their property earlier in the film and watched Rosanna Arquette take a shower through the window. And these children keep getting excited about the possibility of Van Damme sharing a bed with their mom. The whole thing will just make you go: what the hell?! It’s a blemish on an otherwise solidly structured story.

As I mentioned in my review of “Hard Target“, Van Damme’s always struggled with delivering one-liners – blame it on his accent, I guess – and yet screenwriters kept giving them to him. In “Nowhere to Hide,” he’s saddled with the unbelievably awful: “I’m da parking attendant – and you’re boddering my custo-murrs.” Later on he smashes a guy’s head with a wooden board and an overdubbed voice that doesn’t even sound like Van Damme says, “Three strikes and you’re out.” Yikes. The lame puns are really out of step with the rest of the film, which at its heart is a small town thriller, and do a disservice to Van Damme, who was trying his best to take the role seriously. I kept wanting to embrace “Nowhere to Run” but the script desperately needed another rewrite.

Fortunately, the film is well cast from top to bottom. Rosanna Arquette has a mousey look that makes her believable as a lonely but good-hearted single mother. Joss Ackland, who played one of the South African bad guys in “Lethal Weapon 2” and had a role in “The Hunt For Red October,” stars as the evil land developer; it’s the kind of character he could probably play in his sleep but his raspy voice just lends itself to playing the menacing bad guy. His right hand man is played by Ted Levine, one of my favorite character actors in the world. Levine has starred in “Heat” and “The Hills Have Eyes” remake, but will probably always be most remembered for his turn as the serial killer Buffalo Bill in “Silence of the Lambs.” Levine has an intense face and that deep, warble-ly voice that just screams “evil.” To my endless delight, he has at least two scenes where he gets to play off Van Damme. Seeing these two unlikely actors cross paths is a film geek’s delight, especially the way they try to man up one another. Ted Levine even makes fun of Van Damme’s characteristic accent! It’s priceless.

Despite my qualms about the film’s laissez-faire attitude towards kids and sexual dialogue, I have to recommend “Nowhere to Run” as one of Van Damme’s stronger pictures of late 80’s to early 90’s. He’s made better films but for my money this blows the hell out of run-of-the-mill action movies like “Kickboxer,” “Lionheart,” and “Death Warrant.” Van Damme delivers a more subtle performance that befits his expressive and often melancholy-looking face. I don’t think he throws a single one of his signature spin-kicks the entire film. He must have known it would have been out of place. As mentioned, Robert Harmon was a genuinely talented filmmaker. The opening bus crash features some bravado camera angles that harken back to a similar scene in “The Hitcher”; and watch for the sequence where the camera actually pans down from a shot overlooking a blast site and ends up inside a module where a conversation is taking place. The film’s extended motorcycle chase, while a bit cheesy, is well-shot and edited with some great wide angles.

Jean Claude Van Damme released two films in 1993, which is almost unheard of for an action star these days. As others have mentioned, “Nowhere to Run” is interesting because its story most resembles a Steven Seagal film and yet it is delivered purely in the Van Damme style. In truth, this film is rather similar to the 1997 Seagal picture “Fire Down Below.” But whereas Seagal tends to play the Renaissance man (he plays guitar, he speaks multiple languages, he cares about the environment!) who can never be touched, Van Damme is vulnerable. He might take a hit, he might show a look of fear or concern for others on his face. It makes him more well-rounded and empathetic as a man of action. Typically the only thing holding Van Damme back from giving a good performance was his vanity. In “Nowhere to Run,” he seemed to have genuine chemistry with Rosanna Arquette, which strengthens the film. I wish the screenwriters had shown a bit more discerning taste but ff you’re a fan of the Muscles From Brussels, be sure to catch this flick as it’s probably the first time he got to show his acting chops more than his trademark kicks. That means “Nowhere to Run” is still one of his best.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 6.5/10