Jean Claude Van Dayum

Say what you want about Van Damme. This is pretty impressive.

 

Very cool commercial, though I found it puzzling that the trucks were driving backwards. Not bad for a 53-year-old.

 

I read something where they tried to make it sound less impressive because he was attached to a cable.

It's an awesome commercial by my favorite guilty pleasure actor of all-time.

 

Threw me off at first too, but it's to demonstrate the trucks' precision steering. Much easier to drive in a straight line if you're going forward.

 

Good point.

 

They were going backwards because if he fell he wouldn't get runned over.

 

That "epic split" has been Van Damme's gimmick for years. He does it in virtually all his movies.

I'm amazed it took someone this long to put it in a commercial.

 

He has the classicly bad line in Double Impact (probably my guiltiest pleasure of his movies) "Because of my big legs, and karate... I can do the splits no problem..."

We used to watch it in college and just howl with laughter.

 

I prefer Bloodsport... there's the Korean bad guy with the masive pecs; the wanna-be sumo that JCVD hit in the nuts (which HAD to inspire the Johnny Cago move in Mortal Kombat, no?); the dude who fights like a monkey; a young Forest Whitaker... and the added pleasure of JCVD accentuating each blow with a "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" that lasted an average of 30 seconds.

Disappointed I can't find that movie on TBS anymore.

 

Don't forget Donald "Ogre, You Asshole" Gibb as Van Damme's sidekick ...

 

"There's TWO of them!!"

 

FYI, this is merely the latest in series of ridiculously outrageous stunts Volvo has put together to promote its new trucks.

Among the others:

A hamster steering a truck up a steep mountain road:

A truck running with the bulls through the narrow streets of a Spanish town:

The company president standing atop a truck suspended 20 meters over Gotenborg Harbor (in 22 mph wind, BTW):

A truck running over a technician's head to demonstrate its ground clearance:

And my personal favorite, a woman walking a tightrope mounted between two trucks speeding toward a tunnel:

No one does over-the-top crazy publicity stunts like Volvo.