Jean-Claude Van Damme might be one of the last classic action movie stars, a performer who still clearly loves the genre, and who has always relished big, brash, and physically demanding spectacle. But he also, even at this late stage of his game, seems keen to want to try for more nuanced performances and roles. We Die Young, a Van Damme title from 2019, is a good example of the latter.
As far as the story, in this film a gang recruits the younger brother of a teenage drug dealer. In desperation, that dealer wants to escape the life of the streets and turns to a hardened war veteran (Van Damme) for help. Van Damme’s character here is a mute, twitchy ex-Marine. And it’s a role indicative of the characterization of Van Damme in a recent RogerEbert.com review, which praises him as “the rare ’80s action star who has (in recent years) given some thought to how he can age gracefully on-screen.”
He’s not a young man anymore, in other words, and his roles reflect that. Moreover, We Die Young — which is available to stream on Netflix — has earned a distinction for itself on the streamer.
We Die Young – Top 10 on Netflix
As of Thursday, June 2, Van Damme’s We Die Young is currently one of the most-streamed movies on Netflix in the US. It’s currently #9 on the streamer’s Top 10 movies among US subscribers.
In addition to We Die Young, the other titles on the list include:
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- Disappearance at Clifton Hill
- Anchorman
- Senior Year
- A Perfect Pairing
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- RRR
- Jackass 4.5
- We Die Young
- Home
Along these same lines, check out our latest coverage right here of the biggest Netflix movies in the world right now. The numbered list above comes from the Top 10 row of content inside the Netflix app itself. The global Top 10 list, meanwhile, is something that Netflix publishes here once a week, every Tuesday.
Another Jean-Claude Van Damme Netflix thriller
Meanwhile, if you want another Van Damme title to check out on the streamer? Try The Last Mercenary, a Netflix original starring the actor that debuted last year.
In this 1-hour, 52-minute thriller, Van Damme plays a “legendary secret agent”-turned mercenary. One who has to come out of hiding to save the son he didn’t know he had. According to the official Netflix synopsis, Van Damme’s character Richard Brumère is also known as La Brume (which is French for “The Mist”). He’s an ex-superspy who needs to save his son’s life after he’s threatened by a mob operation.
Richard reaches out to old contacts. He also teams up with “a bunch of reckless youngsters” as well as “an offbeat bureaucrat” to come to his son’s rescue.
In the final analysis, the action star might not make jaw-droppingly great moves that will stand the test of time. But Van Damme still clearly has fun doing what he loves, and there’s something to be said for that.
More Netflix coverage: For more Netflix news, check out the latest new Netflix movies and series to watch.
