POUND OF FLESH Weighs In With A New Release Date!

One of the more promising titles of late this year will be one for hardcore fans of action star Jean-Claude Van Damme's latest action thriller, Pound Of Flesh. Taking on China's seedy underworld in search of his missing kidney, Van Damme plays Deacon, a former military operative who wages a one-man war against an entire criminal organization with his niece's life at stake.

The trailers so far bode with sheer, gruesome displays of brutality at the very center of this grisly tale of redemption, continuing an upworthy trend of memorable performances by Van Damme whose films are only hitting harder in many aspects. I'm pretty sure the fans are loving it, and by May 20, 2015 when the film arrives courtesy of eOne, I'm sure they'll love it even more.

SYNOPSIS:

In China to donate his kidney to his dying niece, Deacon (VAN DAMME), a former black-ops agent, awakes the day before the operation to find he is the latest victim of organ theft. Stitched up and pissed-off, Deacon descends from his opulent hotel in search of his stolen kidney and carves a blood-soaked path through the darkest corners of the city – brothels, fight clubs, back-alley black markets, and elite billionaire estates. The clock is ticking for his niece and with each step he loses blood; Deacon with the help of his former underworld connections and his civilian brother will journey through society’s seedy underbelly, proving to anyone who crosses their path, nothing means more to a man than his flesh and blood.

Produced by Henry Luk with action sequences designed by John Salvitti, Falcon Rising helmer Ernie Barbarash directs from a script by Joshua James with actors John Ralston, Aki Aleong and late actor and martial arts action legend Darren Shahlavi rounding out the cast. Watch the most recent trailer below!

H/T: @JCVDonline

The Official Trailer For POUND OF FLESH Has Arrived!

Well, I think we're finally getting somewhere what with all the early trailer leaks and take downs of content. An official first trailer has gone viral for director Ernie Barbarash's new movie, Pound Of Flesh and needless to say, as pristine as this new footage is, it is also equally welcoming for fans of lead action star Jean-Claude Van Damme in general. 

SYNOPSIS:

In China to donate his kidney to his dying niece, Deacon (VAN DAMME), an former black-ops agent, awakes the day before the operation to find he is the latest victim of organ theft. Stitched up and pissed-off, Deacon descends from his opulent hotel in search of his stolen kidney and carves a blood-soaked path through the darkest corners of the city - brothels, fight clubs, back-alley black markets, and elite billionaire estates. The clock is ticking for his niece and with each step he loses blood; Deacon with the help of his former underworld connections and his civilian brother will journey through society's seedy underbelly, proving to anyone who crosses their path, nothing means more to a man than his flesh and blood.

Van Damme is joined by John Ralston, Aki Aleong and late actor and martial arts star Darren Shahlavi with action sequences by John Salvitti. Watch the new trailer courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog, and stick around for some release date news soon! 

JCVD Starrer POUND OF FLESH Gets An Extended Promo (NSFW)

Keeping up with the promotional campaign for director Ernie Barbarash's new action thriller, Pound Of Flesh, has been a bit more of a cat-and-mouse game while its owners at ACE Entertainment LLC. kept ordering take downs of its initally-leaked unofficial trailer last month. Thankfully, the trailer has managed to stay in one place or a couple after a while as the footage has already earned the appeal of fans awaiting to see lead action star Jean-Claude Van Damme back in the fray with a release date pending, and thus, the campaign continues!

A new promotional reel was released over the weekend with a much more extended look at the film which pits Van Damme in the role of Deacon, an ex black-ops agent in China to donate his kidney to his dying niece until a tryst with a mysterious woman ensues with the theft of his kidney, forcing him into action. Admittedly while it is nice to see some footage officially allowed out and about, its a lot more than expected and does give away a few things, although hopefully the film will reveal some more surprises to keep us on our heels when it releases. Presumably that date will arrive around May according to the film's IMDb listing (as of this write-up) and that could always change, so keep your eyes peeled.

In the meantime, the promo reel is out and about with plenty of imagery to illustrate a few of the characters a bit more, as well as the level of sheer brutality included in the action sequences by John Salvitti. John Ralston and Aki Aleong also star with late actor and martial arts legend Darren Shahlavi.

EFM 2015: 'Swelter' Duo Van Damme, Parmer Board Paris Actioner, THE PENROSE AFFAIR

Apparently the internet is just taking notice of a slew of cleverly edited videos featuring action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, all entries by filmmakers for a contest last year in which Van Damme contributed a solo green screen performance for creators to manipulate, resulting in some pretty funny gems now making the rounds. It's a treat watch as the seasoned action star has been flexing the better end of his acting muscles in recent years and turning in some amazing performances on top of his action star caliber.

Alas, if comedy isn't really your thing, then don't fret. Amidst a slew of deals underway in Berlin this month at EFM 2015, one other update confirmed Van Damme's pending reunion with director Keith Parmer for the new action thriller, The Penrose Affair. Reuniting the two since the production of last year's release of crime pic, Swelter, the film doesn't have much info aside from the current gist of the plot which focuses on a French detective in Paris, lending cinematic nods to director Alfred Hitchcock and director Pierre Morel's 2009 thriller, Taken.

Variety reports that the company behind Swelter, Film Invaders, are backing the new film as well. However, considering recent events regarding the restricted filming of any action movies in France due to recent terror events, we shouldn't be surprised if a new location is used as the film's backdrop. Things could change though, and at any rate, a Hitchcockian crime pic made in the vein of a recent Liam Neeson hit sounds like a film that's right up Van Damme's alley given his impressive reign on screen as of late, and should please fans all around.

The Penrose Affair adds to the continuing list of films featuring the actor well on their way to audiences or the set, including The Tower and the long-awaited release of Full Love, as well as Kickboxer: Vengeance and Ernie Barbarash's newest, Pound Of Flesh. As for where and when the new film will commense...well, let's just hope they don't end up having to green screen Paris for this one.

Watch for more info.

H/T: City On Fire

JCVD Pounds Away In The New Unofficial Teaser For POUND OF FLESH

Well, if there's one thing we can all look forward to in 2015, it's another awesome action movie, and for fans of leading man Jean-Claude Van Damme, that very day will come upon the release of his third stint with 6 Bullets and Assassination Games helmer, director Ernie Barbarash in the new thriller, Pound Of Flesh. This time, Van Damme is taking no prisoners as an ex-military man, waking up one morning in a bloody ice bath with a missing kidney devoted to his dying niece, infiltrating China's seedy underbelly to retrive it before it is sold to the highest bidder.

Regular Donnie Yen cohort, fight coordinator and choreographer John Salvitti lends his own system of Salvitti Super Scraps methodology to the screenfighting foray with Bruce Law Stunts Unlimited designing the vehicular action, and we finally have some unofficial teaser footage that samples all this, with the biggest pay-off at the very end clearly showing our lead action star in his element. Of course, the film also lends a bittersweet farewell to late actor and martial arts star Darren Shahlavi who sadly passed away on January 14 this year at the age of 42, making Pound Of Flesh one of several final on-screen performances to come this year in addition to Van Damme's appearance in Kickboxer: Vengeance later this year.

Kirk Shaw and Henry Luk produced the film with Jason Tobin, Andrew Ng, and veteran actor Aki Aleong rounding out the main cast. Check it all out below!