Movies - We die young : JCVD is back

By Mulder, 24 january 2019

Action legend Jean-Claude Van Damme (Double Impact, Bloodsport) takes a powerful dramatic turn as a war veteran with PTSD helping two boys get revenge on a violent drug lord in the gritty crime thriller We Die Young, arriving in select theaters and everywhere On Demand on March 1 from Lionsgate. Based on the award winning short film Roads (2008 Student Academy Award for Honorary Foreign Film Award - Foreign Short; 2008 London Film Festival – Short Film), which screened at over 70 international film festivals and held the Guinness World Record for Most Awards Won by a Student Film, We Die Young focuses on the struggles of gang life in Washington, D.C. It was written and directed by Lior Gellar, who was inspired to expand the story to a feature-length film after “a chance ride-along with a Washington, D.C. gang detective through the neighborhoods just outside of Capitol Hill.” This experience solidified for Gellar the idea that “now more than ever is the time to tell a story of undocumented teenagers who dream of one day waking up outside the nightmarish reality of their violent upbringing, and of a man who will do anything to escape his own inner demons.” We Die Young also stars Elijah Rodriguez (The Book of Life, Sicario: Day of the Soldado), Joana Metrass (TV’s “Once Upon a Time”), and David Castañeda (Sicario: Day of the Soldado, End of Watch). It was written and directed by Lior Gellar (Roads) and was produced by Sagiv Diamant (God the Father) and Gabriel Georgiev (The Hurricane Heist).

Jean-Claude Van Damme shines in this gritty action thriller set in a crime-ridden barrio of Washington, D.C. When ruthless drug lord Rincon and his MS-13 gang recruit 10-year-old Miguel to work as a runner, big brother Lucas is desperate to keep Miguel safe. Fleeing for their lives, the boys are rescued by a veteran with PTSD named Daniel (Van Damme), who helps them find their revenge.

Fans will see Jean-Claude Van Damme in a whole new light as he takes on a career-redefining dramatic role in We Die Young. Gellar explains that Van Damme’s character “is based on guys [he] served with…specifically one vet who completely lost his ability to speak due to complications from a battlefield injury.” Van Damme’s incredible talent reveals itself in his ability to “convey volumes of emotion” without saying a word.

We Die Young opens March 1 in select theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and other major markets, as well as On Demand on major digital platforms including iTunes, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and others.

We Die Young
Directed by Lior Geller
Produced by Moshe Diamant, Gabriel Georgiev, Evtim Miloshev, James Portolese
Screenplay by Lior Geller and Andrew Friedman
Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme Uriel Emil Pollack David Castanedan Elijah Rodriguez, Jacob Scipio, Gary Beadle, Joseph Long, Joana Metrass
Cinematography ; Ivan Vatsov
Edited by Lior Geller and Tal Keller

(Source: press release)