Netflix 'The Last Mercenary': Release date, spoilers and all about action-comedy film
For Jean-Claude Van Damme, Richard Brumère of 'The Last Mercenary' is a character who moved him. "I play a man who is constantly active, always looking to the next thing but who, at the same time, has a real problem relating to others, a difficulty in expressing what he feels, and I see myself in him. Relationships with family, friends, or lovers can sometimes be a difficult burden to bear over the years," he said ahead of the premiere of the Netflix movie.
A Van Damme movie is thrilling, but there are few other titles of the same genre that will get you equally excited: 'In the Shadow of the Moon', 'Oxygen', 'The Room' and 'The Woman in the Window'.
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Release date
'The Last Mercenary' premieres on July 30, Friday.
Spoilers
The official synopsis reads: "Richard Brumère, aka "La Brume" (Van Damme), a former French secret service special agent turned mercenary, is back in the saddle as the immunity he was granted 25 years earlier for his son Archibald is lifted. A mob operation threatens Archibald’s life. To save him, Richard will have to reach out to his old contacts, join forces with a bunch of reckless youngsters from the projects and an offbeat bureaucrat - but mostly find the courage to let Archibald know he’s his father."
Cast
Van Damme, in a chat with the press ahead of the premiere, said 'The Last Mercenary' was "difficult" to make. "It was a long shoot of about 50 days with a good script and a nice budget. You know, I sometimes make films in 25 days! I was also lucky enough to work with great actors and actresses of all ages," he explained.
"I also have to say that I was impressed by the quality of the Ukrainian and French technical teams, the care taken with the cinematography, and the setting up of the stunts and the chases. I felt supported and protected, and that I was part of a sort of family where relationships between people were important," the action hero added.
The film also stars Alban Ivanov, Samir Decazza, Assa Sylla, Éric Judor, and Miou-Miou in key roles.
Creators
Director David Charhon is a child of the '80s, which pushed him to like the light-hearted side of filmmaking. "That’s why I promised myself I’d come back to it some day and take it even further, if possible, by combining action and emotion, together with strong characters," he said and further elaborated: "I thought about films like 'Rambo', 'Jason Bourne', and 'The Professional' and asked myself what would happen to these men, (who are seemingly all-powerful agents, almost machine-like) if they come back at the age of 60 and have to deal with a more human problem: their son! The idea of a mission that’s both personal and complicated seemed to me a great place to start."
Serving as producers are Jean-Charles Levy, Nicolas Manuel (Forecast Pictures), Olivier Albou, Laurence Schonberg (Other Angle Pictures), David Charhon, Jakéma Charhon, Eponine Maillet (Mony Films), Olias Barco, and Vlad Riashyn (Apple Tree Production).
Trailer
The trailer of 'The Last Mercenary' was released as part of Netflix's Geeked Week, a five-day virtual fan event. Damme is seen playing an agent who returns to France to save his son who has been framed in drug trafficking and arms dealing by an international terrorist organization.
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