We Die Young is a 2019 action thriller about a 14-year-old boy inducted into the gang life in Washington, D.C., who is determined that his 10-year-old brother won’t follow the same path.
It would be a little hard at this point to not start with the star of writer/director Lior Geller‘s latest street drama We Die Young. Jean-Claude Van Damme is an icon in the genre has made a few attempts at redefining himself of late, mostly to modest degrees, but is such a beloved figure in cinema, he often outlasts the projects he’s part of. Such is the case here in another rough and tumble gang film that has far reaching ambitions that ends up diluted in the long shadows of many that came before it.
In the near corners of Washington D.C. lives young Lucas (Elijah Rodriguez), a fourteen-year-old kid living hard as a drug runner for a local leader named Rincon (David Castañeda). Rincon rules the streets with an iron fist and while many fear him, he’s also the safest and most profitable employer around. It’s why Lucas’ ten-year-old brother wants to follow in Lucas’ tracks, though big brother isn’t having any of it, repeatedly pushing him to stay in school. Meanwhile, out in all of this is Daniel (Van Damme), a war vet with some serious PSTD and an oxycontin addiction, his throat damaged, leaving him only able to communicate with the voice application on his smartphone.
Van Damme is undoubtedly the best thing going in We Die Young, delivering a robust performance that hinges entirely on his actions, more than his words, something one might say is a staple of any of his roles. Here though, it’s less about the punches and kicks and more about his character, one physically and mentally scarred by his run in the military and the consequences of it. Unfortunately, he’s not in the movie all that much, the film really more about the plight of Lucas, a kid who is witness to some of the worst violence Rincon can dole out. It’s the reason why he wants better for his kid brother.
Thing is, we’ve seen it all before, with Rincon a heavily-tattooed monster who is surely accurate in description but sort of played out like a cartoon, quoting Shakespeare as he inflicts the gruesomest of pain and death. Little Lucas rides about the neighborhood collecting money, his presence feared but like Rocky in his first movie, a little too sympathetic in doing so. It’s an old story and We Die Young doesn’t play around with the formula, but colors most of the cast in far too simple strokes with it all filled with usual tropes and clichés, never once truly giving anything significant to hold on to, even if it as its good moments.
Rodriguez is well cast and punches up his take in all this with plenty of zip, making much of his screen time feel authentic. While that can’t be said for many he runs afoul of, including most of the gang members who simply stand around trying to look menacing and cause the expected mayhem, at least his interactions with Van Damme resonate. It’s a tough call, because Geller is able to pull in some profound images together in giving some greater context to the people he points his camera at. It’s just too bad it can’t find a sure footing in making it matter.