‘Double Impact’ By Desson Howe Washington Post Staff Writer August 09, 1991

Director: Sheldon Lettich Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme; Geoffrey Lewis; Alan Scarfe Under 17 restricted Compare prices for this movie Find local video stores More movie shopping Save money with NextCard Visa

In "Double Impact" the Belgian martial-artist plays twins Alex and Chad, separated at an early age after a family tragedy. But when their businessman father and his wife are gunned down in Hong Kong, the tragedy isn't that the parents died. It's that the tots survived.

Maybe you haven't heard of the Claudester, roundhouse-kicking star of "Bloodsport," "Kickboxer" and other actioners. We're talking a short, power-built Belgian, whose Flemish-accented acting is one reason not to have a free-market economy. His thespian moves start when the grown-up twins (brought together by family employee Geoffrey Lewis) team up to avenge their parents' murder. Chad's an effete, Californian karate instructor. Alex is a tough, cigar-chomping smuggler raised in Hong Kong. It's time for bustin' heads.

Or is it? There's one thing worse than a movie with two Jean-Claudes: A movie with two Jean-Claudes and bad fighting. The filmmakers save the fighting for the end. Then, despite split-screen techniques, fancy body doubling, and the best bad Asian around (Bolo Yeung), the action is nonexistent. They should have called this "Negative Impact."

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