10 Things You Didn’t Know About Enemies Closer
Enemies Closer is probably my favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme film of the past 5 years.
At first I think it was the novelty of a villainous Van Damme that caused me to enjoy the movie so much, but Enemies Closer has quickly become one of those movies if I happen upon it on television, I’m hooked. Rewatchability is a big factor for me and it is one of the main reasons I believe Enemies Closer is a great movie.
Enemies Closer reunited Van Damme with Director Peter Hyams. The two worked together previously in one of my all-time favorite JCVD movies, Timecop. And in Enemies Closer they actually both got to work with their sons. Van Damme’s son, Kris Van Damme played a member of Xander’s crew. And Hyams’ son John was the editor of the film.
Peter Hyams provided commentary on the Blu-ray release of Enemies Closer. I recently sat down and watched the aforementioned Blu-ray and now I will share some of the knowledge that was dropped on me with you, the loyal readers of Bulletproof Action…
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Enemies Closer
- Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally set to play the role of the park ranger but one of the conditions of Peter Hyams helming the film was that Jean-Claude play the villain, Xander.
- Xander’s look and his flamboyant, yet dangerous demeanor all came from the imagination of Hyams. Van Damme described the character as bi-polar.
- The writers, Eric and James Bromberg, added the vegan/environmentalist aspect to the character of Xander after the role went to Jean-Claude Van Damme.
- With Van Damme out as the park ranger, Peter Hyams chose Tom Everett Scott, whom he wanted to work with since enjoying his performance in the Tom Hanks film, That Thing You Do!
- Orlando Jones, who plays Clay in Enemies Closer, worked with Peter Hyams previously in 2009’s Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.
- It was a movie of first for actress Linzey Cocker, who played Kayla. Enemies Closer was the first time in her life that Linzey was in a canoe and the first time she ever shot a gun.
- The film was shot entirely in Bulgaria, which presented casting challenges, as they had to find actors who could speak French to pass as Xander’s French Canadian crew.
- Bulgaria was also a challenge for the props department as it took several tries to get the underwater flares necessary to shoot the diving sequence with Tom Everett Scott’s character.
- The frogs that inhabited the lake where the film was shot often delayed shooting as their chirping would be too loud.
- The tree sequence/fight between Xander and Henry (and their respective stunt doubles) was shot in a single night.
I hope you have enjoyed this edition of 10 Things You Didn’t Know. If you are still craving more Enemies Closer, be sure to check out our review of the film. Or maybe you want to own a copy of the movie? Well, you can do that by clicking the link below.
