ivo-cobra8 Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take a Van Damme good underrated action movie with plot holes and flaws in the story, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008) in my opinion it is a good action film with flaws and plot holes in the movie. I think Van Damme did a solid acting performance in this action thriller about a cop fighting against drug cartels. But this movie is flawless and it has plot holes, I will write later what I mean by that and what issues I have with the film. I wanna say that I really have enjoy the fights, I did enjoy the action and I have enjoyed Van Damme's character Jack Robideaux A former New Orleans cop. I think Van Damme in this movie acted believable and I did not saw anything bad in him. I like this movie a lot, it is also not my favorite Van Damme movie, but I think it is a solid action movie that went direct to video. I love the final fights between Van Damme and Atkins I really enjoy the fight scenes and I thought it was very realistic. It is really sad to say that's really the best fight with Van Damme VS Atkins because the other 2 films they did after this film those fights was pretty shitty. I enjoy the film. The director did a great job. He should get a chance to make budgeted movie.Plot: A former New Orleans cop, now a border patrol agent battles an ex-navy seals who are trying to traffic drugs from Mexico into the USA.Well this is the movie that I very like and I enjoy and I think It is a good action movie from Van Damme. The Shepherd does have the added bonus of JCVD vs. Scott Adkins at the end which remains an excellent fight scene and easily the highlight of the movie. This movie gets a lot of hate (even from Scott Adkins) but I actually kinda dig it a lot. I liked the story and thought they tried something really different. Jean-Claude Van Damme gave a good performance but admittedly he does seem a little bored in places though. Scott Adkins as Karp ex navy seal does a good solid performance as the ruthless Mayers henchman and a good villain. The Shepherd: Border Patrol isn't anywhere near as bad as everyone says and fans of JCVD and Adkins will really enjoy the cracking final fight scene. We get to see Scott Adkins show his karate moves! Van Damme shows them too but nonetheless it's a good movie to watch, love the soundtrack and Van Damme's six pack abs at age 48 looked in good shape, yes there is a shirtless scene showing Van Damme half naked which I don't mind.The problems and the flawless plot holes in this movie, that are issues are: This movie is set in Columbus, New Mexico, but after watching this movie there is near close the area this film is filmed in New Mexico, this is Bulgaria not New Mexico, that really hurt the movie and did upset a lot of people. An ex-navy seals who turned now a drug pushers and a mercenaries, does not look like a navy seals at all, they look like a US marines who fought in Gulf War in Iraq. Van Damme's character is a only cop battling a Navy Seals, that is unrealistic and pure fiction. A normal or local cop can not defeat a navy seals without any training, he would need a military background to defeat an army vet. Van Damme's character in real life wouldn't survive. What happened to Billy's Pawnell's wife? She was only shown in the beginning of the movie and than she disappeared without any explanation what happened to her. Why was Billy Pawnell (Gary McDonald) a dirty agent at all. Who are drug kings who hired Benjamin Meyers (Stephen Lord) and his crew of his Ex Soldiers to import and export drugs from Mexico in to Texas border? Who freeze Myers accounts and freeze all of his money? That was never explained. Who was behind of all of this? That is why I am saying this movie has a plot holes that are not explained and I have issues with it! Other than that I like this movie, Isaac Florentine did a great job, like some of his movies he directed like are: Bridge of Dragons (1999) with Dolph Lundgren, Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, Undisputed III: Redemption, Ninja (2009) and Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear. Those are all movies I like from him. This movie get's 7 by me, I have enjoyed Second in Command much more than this movie, but still I like The Shepherd: Border Patrol much more like I like Van Damme's other direct to video movies. The Shepherd: Border Patrol is a 2008 American action film directed by Isaac Florentine, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Stephen Lord, Natalie J. Robb, Gary McDonald, Scott Adkins and Jean-Claude Van Damme's real life daughter Bianca Van Varenberg. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on March 4, 2008.7/10 Grade: B Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Stage 6 Films Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Stephen Lord, Natalie J. Robb, Gary McDonald, Scott Adkins, Bianca Van Varenberg Director: Isaac Florentine Producers: Moshe Diamont, Gilbert Dumontet Screenplay: Cade Courtley Joe Gayton Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 35 Mins. Budget: $13.000.000 Box Office: $8,900,000

Paul Andrews The Shepherd: Border Patrol is set in the small New Mexico town of Colombus where New Orleans homicide cop Jack Robideaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has been transfered to border patrol, he is partnered up with Billy Pawnell (Gary McDonald) & the two set about catching drug lords & drug smugglers. A highly trained gang of drug smugglers made up of ex marines & special ops work for Benjamin Meyers (Stephen Lord) who likes to make money of heroin. Things are going fine for Meyers until Robideaux arrives on the scene, an honest cop unable to be brought Robideaux sets out to finish Meyers drug smuggling operation & take him down in the process but seemingly as the only straight cop in town Robideaux has his work cut out & has to go it alone...Directed by Isaac Florentine this is a fairly standard straight to video action thriller starring JCVD that I thought was alright but nothing special. The script is fairly routine, a one man army played by JCVD faces up against some bad guy & his henchmen & JCVD eventually comes out on top after having beaten everyone up & then killed them. There's nothing particularly terrible about The Shepherd: Border Patrol but at the same time there's nothing particularly great about it, you stick with it during it's 90 odd minute running time but once it finishes & the credits roll it won't last long in the memory. The character's are alright, there's a fairly predictable plot twist towards the end & while there little bits of exposition & plot development nothing really comes of them like we never find out who was controlling Meyers & the reasons why JCVD is on his personal mission are revealed & then forgotten about almost straight away. This isn't as bad as some of JCVD's recent straight to video efforts but neither is it as good as some, a very middle of the road average sort of film.The action scenes are a mixed bag here, while I really appreciated that the camera was locked down & you could actually see what was going on & there was none of that horrible ultra fast quick editing where you can't make out what's going on the action scenes themselves just aren't that good. The fights are alright with one or two fairly cool uses of slow motion but little else, there's the expected shoot-outs where the bad guy's can't shoot straight & just like stand there waiting for JCVD to shoot them & a reasonable car chase. All in all the action scenes could have been worse but like the film in general they could also have been better.With a supposed budget of about £12,000,000 The Shepherd: Border Patrol is set in New Mexico but was filmed in Bulgaria. The looks nice enough with decent production values. The acting is alright, JCVD is his usual self who at least tries & is still in good shape.The Shepherd: Border Patrol is average JCVD to be honest, it's not terrible but it's not brilliant either. I didn't mind watching it but I doubt I would ever want to see it again & I really wouldn't be able to recommend it.

Evo Lander I enjoyed it. There you go, I said it again. I even bought this movie on DVD and enjoyed it a couple of more times. Call me old fashioned but I prefer movies like this to garbage like Die Hard 4 which hold up the box office and get critical acclaim just because you have some old guy saving America. Van Damme moves well for a guy of his age(47 I think), delivering kicks that reminds one of Kickboxer. If you like old school action and and explosions, this is the movie to watch. This is one of Van Damme's best works.Van Damme and Steven Seagal movies get released theatrically where I live so I never miss a chance to watch our old school action stars on the big screen.

ColonelFaulkner This one brings my collection of Van Damme films up to 25, some good, some stinkers; and although It may be fair to say I'm a fan, I'm no fanatic, haven't watched any of his films for a while and I certainly couldn't tell you what he eats for breakfast in the morning or which high school he attended. Like Forrest Gump might have said about his movies, a JCVD film is like a box of chocolates, you just don't know what you're going to get (though you most likely have have some inkling) and there are more than a few turkey flavoured ones in his box).With perhaps the lamest title of all his films and a dubious 'Steven Seagal' like premise, not to mention some cringe inducing dialogue, fair share of implausability and plot holes (nice to know they have a full time bomb squad and short notice standby in a little border town of 1800), this could be called something of a coin toss or even something to avoid for the more discerning film fan who can't stand the guy or who feels the urge for more intellectual stimulation.For those with enough of that in their other pursuits and who just want to kick back and be entertained, you may be pleasantly surprised. On a night I was expecting to fall asleep in front of anything I watched, It kept me interested and awake, something 'The Godfather' didn't do last week.As an out and out action vehicle, I found this pretty entertaining. It keeps moving along, with several spectacular and hard hitting ass whipping scenes, sufficient gunplay thrown in and a score reminiscent of 'Once Upon a Time in the West'.As far as his recent films go, I would compare this to 'Wake of Death' in terms of quality and while it didn't quite nail it (like most of his films) for the reasons mentioned previously, it wasn't without some quality moments.5/10 as a 'movie' & 7/10 for the bits you watch this sort of film for = 6/10 overall, a good pass mark. I recommend it and don't think it would disappoint any action fan who isn't expecting a Van Damme flick to send them into orbit.