we die young movie review

We Die Young

If you watch “We Die Young”—the new coming-of-age/gangster drama hybrid—it’ll probably be because Jean-Claude Van Damme is the film’s headlining star. Sadly, Van Damme, the rare ’80s action star who has (in recent years) given some thought to how he can age gracefully on-screen, is not in “We Die Young” a lot. Granted, a bigger role might not have improved Van Damme’s enjoyably twitchy performance as the mute, Oxycontin-addicted ex-marine Daniel. But Daniel is the most compelling part of “We Die Young,” a familiar story about reluctant teenage gang member Lucas (Elijah Rodriguez) and his seemingly impossible quest to break away from Mara Salvatrucha (aka: MS-13), a gang of Central American criminals who, in real life, have been associated with drug-running and child prostitution. Lucas’ story is also sometimes believable thanks to a strong performance by David Castañeda , who plays the brutal MS-13 gang leader Rincon. But Castañeda and Van Damme’s scene-stealing performances don’t significantly improve writer/director Lior Geller’s frequent reliance on racial stereotypes and gangster movie cliches.

You can tell that Geller doesn’t really care about his characters beyond a point just by watching his movie’s sensationalistic opening scene: Lucas (14 years old) gives viewers an unsettling tour of his corner of Washington D.C., one that concludes with Rincon quoting Shakespeare’s Shylock—a very selective reading of his famous “If you prick us, do we not bleed” speech—right before he encourages his minions to beat a random debtor to a bloody pulp. Lucas casually mentions (through voiceover narration) that his neighborhood is just a 20-minute bike ride away from the White House, an otherwise unrelated factoid that gives “We Die Young” a superficial kind of political relevance.

After this introductory scene, “We Die Young” is a mostly by-the-numbers crime melodrama in the vein of “ A Bronx Tale ” or “ American Me .” Lucas juggles several responsibilities, all of which inevitably come to a head at the wedding of Gabriela (Robyn Cara), Rincon’s handicapped sister. First: Lucas delivers pain-killers to Daniel, who broods silently in his auto body shop whenever he’s not flirting with under-developed love interest Anna ( Joana Metrass ) or flashing back to his traumatizing tour of Afghanistan. Then: Lucas tries to stop his impressionable 10 year-old brother from joining MS-13. Finally: Lucas goes on a special/dangerous mission for Rincon, who wants to make a deal with an (apparently)  more  dangerous El Salvadorian drug cartel—even though Rincon’s chapter of MS-13 is under FBI surveillance. 

This leaves Van Damme in the unusual position of playing a tragic supporting role. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since Van Damme has often tried, with mixed results, to prove that he’s more than just an admirably limber set of gams (Most mugging: “ Enemies Closer “; Best body language: “The Bouncer”). As Daniel, Van Damme initially stumbles around like he’s doing a weird riff on Boris Karloff’s version of Frankenstein’s monster, complete with exaggerated grimaces and scowls. But in a couple of scenes, Van Damme simply reacts to his fellow cast members, like when Daniel, overseen by Lucas, patches up Miguel after a grisly confrontation with some characteristically bloodthirsty gang members. In this moment, Van Damme doesn’t do much: really, he’s just listening and frowning. But that’s more than enough to be suggestive, a consummate quality that Van Damme has often tried to cultivate, but has rarely been able to sustain. 

Unfortunately, Geller doesn’t encourage Van Damme or any of his fellow cast members to be suggestive for long. Geller over-emphasizes the stereotypically violent nature of macho MS-13 members like Rincon’s hothead second-in-command Jester ( Charlie MacGechan ) using blurry and/or shaky hand-held camerawork. MacGechan’s face is consequently filmed with jerky camera movements that draw attention to the gun in his hand or his body’s restless motion. Even close-ups of Castañeda’s face (which is covered in tattoos) seem to emphasize his character’s most garish qualities. Which is a real shame, since Castañeda shows great promise. Many of his tic-y mannerisms bring to mind tough guy kings like Al Pacino and Edward James Olmos , especially the way Castañeda tents his fingers, pauses dramatically, or leers without blinking. But Castañeda is good enough that I believed Rincon—and not the actor—had subconsciously internalized a couple decades-worth of his favorite gangster poses. 

I sometimes wondered what “We Die Young” might have been like if Geller focused on his latent juxtaposition of Rincon and Daniel. Both characters want to simultaneously protect and escape their communities, but neither Rincon nor Daniel knows how to do right by their loved ones, especially Lucas. Rodriguez delivers a fine enough performance, but Geller never seems sure what to do with his main character. So for the most part, “We Die Young” follows a poorly defined audience surrogate, one who does what he’s told without ever  really  standing apart from his guardians. Van Damme may be famous enough that he can afford to continue noodling around with different roles and performance styles. But his fellow cast members deserve a lot better than “We Die Young.”

Simon Abrams

Simon Abrams is a native New Yorker and freelance film critic whose work has been featured in  The New York Times ,  Vanity Fair ,  The Village Voice,  and elsewhere.

• Kerry Bennett as Brenda
• Joseph Long as Luis
• Uriel Emil Pollack as Spider
• Elias Garza as Lucas
• David Castañeda as Rincon
• Jean-Claude Van Damme as Daniel

Writer (story)

• Andrew Friedman
• Lior Geller
• Erez Koskas

Cinematographer

• Ivan Vatsov

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We Die Young Reviews

A new nadir, even for the star of too many awful “Kickboxer” sequels to count. It’s a reckless, ridiculous and borderline racist thriller

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jun 3, 2022

Brutal Van Damme film is heavy on violence, drugs, language.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 7, 2020

It aims to add social context to an otherwise hackneyed gangster film. The attempt is sincere, but given its reliance on random snapshots of extravagant suffering, that objective also goes belly up.

Full Review | Oct 2, 2019

"Young" provides Van Damme with a needed acting challenge, putting his natural screen presence to good use in a more socially-minded bruiser that's timed to tap into current national fears.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Mar 6, 2019

Van Damme may be famous enough that he can afford to continue noodling around with different roles and performance styles. But his fellow cast members deserve a lot better than We Die Young.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 1, 2019

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We die young.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 1 Review
• Kids Say 1 Review

Common Sense Media Review

Brutal Van Damme film is heavy on violence, drugs, language.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that We Die Young is a violent action movie about gangs and drugs, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Most of the violence is brutal and graphic with characters stabbed, shot, and beaten to death. As part of his initiation into gang life, ten-year-old Miguel (Nicholas Sean Johnny) is punched…

Why Age 16+?

Violence throughout, including beatings, stabbings, and shootings. Characters ar

Uses of "motherf----r," "f---ing," "s--t," "bulls--t," "bastard," "ass," and "bi

Drugs are regularly sold and consumed. Characters are referred to as "junkies."

Brief flirting.

A character who is unable to talk, uses a voice app on an Apple iPhone to commun

Any Positive Content?

All of the characters -- including kids -- are involved in the drug trade: be th

Daniel -- a war veteran -- self-medicates to cope with his PTSD. He suffers from

Violence & Scariness

Violence throughout, including beatings, stabbings, and shootings. Characters are regularly killed, often brutally and with much bloodshed. In one scene, someone is dragged through the streets half-naked by a motorbike. They are then slashed and stabbed repeatedly before being dragged away. As part of an initiation process, a ten-year-old child is repeatedly punched and kicked by a group of adults. A character is raped. A car slams two passengers on a motorbike against a wall, killing them both. A series of flashbacks depict scenes from a war -- characters are shot in the head and back, and a young child is seen lying dead on the floor. A dog is shot dead.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Uses of "motherf----r," "f---ing," "s--t," "bulls--t," "bastard," "ass," and "bitches." "Goddamn" is also used an exclamation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Drugs are regularly sold and consumed. Characters are referred to as "junkies." A minor character is seen dead on the street, suggesting they died of an overdose. There is some drinking at a wedding. Characters smoke and one is urged to give up.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

A character who is unable to talk, uses a voice app on an Apple iPhone to communicate with people.

Positive Messages

All of the characters -- including kids -- are involved in the drug trade: be that as dealers, traffickers, or users. Characters regularly use violence and murder to get their own way. The importance of family is a theme that runs throughout the movie.

Positive Role Models

Daniel -- a war veteran -- self-medicates to cope with his PTSD. He suffers from violent flashbacks, but also shows a caring side. Lucas is heavily involved in gang life. He wants to prevent his young brother, Miguel, from choosing the same life. All of the gang members are from El Salvador or are of Salvadoran descent. Female characters are largely sidelined.

Parents need to know that We Die Young is a violent action movie about gangs and drugs, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme . Most of the violence is brutal and graphic with characters stabbed, shot, and beaten to death. As part of his initiation into gang life, ten-year-old Miguel ( Nicholas Sean Johnny ) is punched and kicked by a group of men. In another scene, a character is dragged by a motorbike before being slashed and stabbed to death. During a wedding, a guest is attacked and raped, but is saved when Rincon ( David Castaneda ) walks in and beats the rapist to death. Daniel (Van Damme) is a war veteran suffering from PTSD who, due to an injury, can now only communicate via a voice app on his phone. He has regular flashbacks to the war -- in one we see a young boy shot dead on the floor. Daniel is one of many characters who buys drugs from 14-year-old Lucas ( Elijah Rodriguez ). The female cast is largely neglected and the gang members -- all from Salvadoran descent -- are stereotypes seen umpteen times before. There is strong profanity throughout, including regular use of "motherf----r," "s--t," "ass," and "bitches." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (1)
• Kids say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

WE DIE YOUNG tells the story of 14-year-old Lucas ( Elijah Rodriguez ) who has been drawn into gang life in Washington, D.C. When his younger brother, Miguel ( Nicholas Sean Johnny ) is recruited by the gang, Lucas decides it's time for them to both leave. But after losing a large amount of the gang's money, the pair may no longer have a choice. Luckily for the brothers, a local war veteran called Daniel ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ) -- who Lucas sells drugs to -- is on hand to help.

Is It Any Good?

This movie starts off at such a fast pace, the initial reaction is to strap in and enjoy, but unfortunately it soon runs out of gas. Fans of Van Damme will be pleased to see "The Muscles from Brussels" on the big screen. But while we don't expect to see the now veteran action star doing his trademark high-kicks, here we get little more than a shuffling, hand-gesturing performance. It's a shame, as the character of Daniel -- a PTSD-suffering, drug-addicted war veteran, whose only means of communication is via a voice app -- is an interesting premise. But one that perhaps would have been better suited for a more accomplished actor.

By We Die Young 's finale -- a mass shoot 'em up -- any sense of empathy towards any of the characters has long since disappeared. Which is a relief, as the camera work is so jittery and the action so chaotic, it's difficult to tell who dies and who survives. Lingering shots of the Capitol Building and Washington Monument suggest a deeper sociopolitical commentary that is never actually explored. Instead, what's left is a shell of a movie whose strongest components have been seen countless times before -- only done better.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the violence in We Die Young . Which parts were gruesome and which were exciting? Were there any consequence? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

Discuss the gang culture in the movie. What encourages young people to join gangs? What can be done to help prevent people joining gangs?

Daniel suffers from PTSD. What do you understand of this condition? What causes it?

What role did women play in the movie? Why might that be problematic?

Discuss the strong language in We Die Young . Does it seem necessary or excessive? What does it contribute to the movie?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : March 1, 2019
• Cast : Jean-Claude Van Damme , David Castañeda , Elijah Rodriguez
• Director : Lior Geller
• Inclusion Information : Latino actors
• Studio : Lionsgate Home Entertainment
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 92 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : violence, language and some drug material
• Last updated : November 20, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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‘We Die Young’ Film Review

A weird blend of coming-of-age, gangster and Van Damme clichés, We Die Young is an odd and frequently misguided though relatively inoffensive little film.

A part of me misses the days when you could see Jean-Claude Van Damme on a VHS cover and know exactly what kind of film you were getting. I mean, look at the cover of 1990’s Death Warrant ! It has everything. Pants too high, shirt too tight – he’s even in the classic “there’s a spinning kick coming” pose. You look at the cover of We Die Young , by comparison, and it’s all just faintly embarrassing. You can’t fault Jean-Claude for being old, but he has long-since reached that odd stage in his career where he’s turning up in straight-to-VOD fluff and experimenting with off-kilter styles and the dreaded “serious” supporting roles. Here he plays Daniel, an addict ex-marine who isn’t in the film much to begin with and doesn’t have much to do beyond elaborately crease his face at other characters when he is.

Co-writer and director Lior Gellar’s new film isn’t bad, I suppose; it’s superficially relevant, politically-speaking, and competently churns through expected beats in both the coming-of-age and gangster genres, leaning so heavily against clichés and stereotypes that you half expect the whole thing to topple over. But Van Damme is understated and very watchable here, and the cartoonish gangland villain Rincon (David Castañeda) steals every scene he’s in – I suppose that’s fitting for a facially-tattooed boss figure in the Central American gang MS-13.

There’s your facile topicality, I suppose. We Die Young isn’t quite as egregious as something like Peppermint , which had its villains operate out of a piñata factory entirely without irony, but instead of that paranoid right-wing vibe it instead runs the risk of sensationalizing the whole ordeal, especially since the film opens with its teenage “hero”, Lucas (Elijah Rodriguez), giving the audience a narrated tour of his Washington D.C. neighbourhood that resembles something out of Mad Max . And this is only a 20-minute bike ride from the White House, we’re casually told. See? Political!

Only not really. Gellar takes such a laidback approach to everything that We Die Young can’t really summon the energy to be about anything at all, except perhaps one cliché after another. Daniel has flashbacks to Afghanistan; Lucas has a younger brother whom he’s trying to protect from the gangster lifestyle; Rincon quotes Shakespeare; and there are beatings filmed in slow motion and set to maudlin music. You can tell the film takes great pleasure in all this; not in a “look how cool all this is!” way, but definitely in an “I expected this to be a lot more serious than it actually is” one.

I admired what We Die Young was trying to do, even though it rarely if ever accomplished it, and I admired the actors’ commitment to the film, even if I wasn’t entirely thrilled with its overabundance of shaky camerawork and fast cuts to and fro, which are deployed liberally and to varied intended effect, although the only effect that is ever really achieved is general annoyance. But the whole thing is brisk and sincere enough that if you surrender to it you can at least enjoy a few moments of Jean-Claude Old Manne still managing to pay his bills.

Article by Jonathon Wilson

Jonathon is one of the co-founders of Ready Steady Cut and has been an instrumental part of the team since its inception in 2017. Jonathon has remained involved in all aspects of the site’s operation, mainly dedicated to its content output, remaining one of its primary Entertainment writers while also functioning as our dedicated Commissioning Editor, publishing over 6,500 articles.

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We Die Young (2019)

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We die young.

Directed by Lior Geller , Valeri Milev

Every Life Is Worth Saving.

Lucas, a 14-year-old boy inducted into the gang life in Washington D.C., is determined that his 10-year-old brother won't follow the same path. When an Afghanistan war veteran comes into the neighborhood, an opportunity arises.

Jean-Claude Van Damme David Castañeda Joana Metrass Elijah Rodriguez Nicholas Sean Johnny Charlie MacGechan Dean John-Wilson Jim Caesar Kerry Bennett Uriel Emil Pollack Pablo Scola Robyn Cara Jacob Scipio Joseph Long Tony Wreden Karlos Klaumannsmoller Gary Beadle Danny Sotto Petar Petrov Andy Raychev Evelin Kostova Niccolò Besio Owen Davis Sofia Weldon Laura Giosh Atanas Srebrev Alfonso Matos

Directors Directors

Lior Geller Valeri Milev

Producers Producers

François Beghin Neli Nikolova Lyubomir Neikov Miroslav Iliev Gabriel Georgiev Evtim Miloshev Ivan Spassov Sagiv Diamant Christopher Milburn

Writer Writer

Lior Geller

Story Story

Andrew Friedman Lior Geller

Casting Casting

Clare Harlow Kate Dowd Raylin Sabo Mary Vernieu

Editors Editors

Tal Keller Lior Geller

Cinematography Cinematography

Ivan Vatsov

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

David Rogers Yair Ilan Jean-Claude Van Damme Peter Touche Jason Garrett James Portolese Anthony Samadani Simon Williams

Lighting Lighting

Alexandre Trenev

Camera Operators Camera Operators

Geo Ivanov Slavyan Stoichev

Additional Photography Add. Photography

Orlin Ruevski

Production Design Production Design

Set decoration set decoration.

Rumyan Dimitrov Atanas Apostolov Asen Dimitrov

Stunts Stunts

Borislav Iliev Tsvetolyub Iliev Kaloian Vodenicharov Marina Yordanova Joana Nwamerue Angela Angelova

Composer Composer

Erez Koskas

Sound Sound

Peter Bawiec J. Murphy Ryan Joey Eckley Vicki O'Reilly Vandegrift

Costume Design Costume Design

Ina Damianova

Makeup Makeup

Adriana Yurukova Fani Mihaylova Anita Hvarleva Yana Dodova Valentin Valov Ralitsa Roth

Dream Team Films Premiere Picture Signature Pictures Dog with a Bone Productions Zone Vision

Bulgaria USA

Releases by Date

07 feb 2019, 09 may 2019, 01 mar 2019, 31 may 2019, 11 jul 2019, 25 nov 2019, 06 jun 2020, releases by country.

• Digital R18+
• Theatrical M/18
• Digital 16+
• Premiere Mammoth Film Festival

93 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by {Todd} ★★ 3

"Joining a gang is like sky diving without a parachute. Oh, at first it’s all fun, as you take on gravity in a thrilling and exhilarating free fall towards earth. The truth is, anything that is risky and dangerous always starts out as fun. But the odds are always stacked in gravity’s favor." - Drexel Deal (nif),

- Jean-Claude Van Damme Rankings: boxd.it/1ufiY - 2019 Ranked: boxd.it/2lsbC

Was this Trump's secret plan to take down MS-13? To send in Jean-Claude Van Damme? Because if so we finally agree on something.

This is my 53rd Jean Claude Van Damme film and I've never gotten around to seeing Godfather Part II. I'm not proud of that but it is who I am.…

Review by Benjamin Green ★★

If you prick us, do we not bleed

First time watch: July 2021 Source: Amazon Prime

We Die Young is the 2019 drama directed by Lior Geller. The film stars David Castañeda, Elijah Rodriguez, Joana Metrass and Jean-Claude Van Damme in a story of 14 year old boy inducted into gang life and determined to prevent his younger brother following the same path.

Another example of JCVD lending his name to the movie poster but otherwise pushed into a small supporting role, the overall quality of We Die Young is mixed with too many problems overshadowing a few good elements. Van Damme isn't given much to do with this one, no dialogue, little to no action but sadly convincing as…

Review by David Gifford ★★★½

We Die Young isn't necessarily the film that you think you might be getting here. This movie is almost completely a drama, but one that actually works really well. Its an interesting tale, one that is interesting to see. It certainly isn't anything that we haven't seen before, and the sun does rise in the morning, but there are a lot of moments in the movie that make this pretty good.

Van Damme puts on one of his best performances in his career here, and it really does show why he has rose above almost everyone else around him at the time. Certainly his peers have good films, and still make some decent ones every once and a while, but…

Review by Waldo ★★★½ 4

MS 13 rules the streets of Washington DC. A couple of brothers are on the run from the gang after a fucked up initiation and deal goes bad. A PTSD soldier helps them out. The streets are gonna be popping. The film is a good one! Done with care and smartly written. I went in expecting one thing and got pleasantly surprised. Best of all is David Castañeda as the heartless gang leader Rincon. He gives a very good performance as the guy that wants a perfect day on his sister's wedding but that's the day that all hell breaks loose in the barrio. Jean Claude is good too, well he doesn't talk but he's good.

Review by Cauls_Apartment ★★½

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Weird title for a movie about an old guy asskicker and a couple of plot-armored kids, but cool.

Van Damme plays a mute veteran addicted to painkillers because of his war injuries (presumably American? .....Guile?). He lives in DC in a neighborhood just eaten up by MS13 gang stuff, but he tries to stay out of it until two kids on the run jump into his car. They've accidentally walked away with a huge chunk of the gang's money, and if Van Damme doesn't help them, they're done. Feels like it's going to break out into action scenes from there, but Van Damme was always the most human of the 80s hardbody dudes, so his character's got skills, but he…

Review by 👹 Lee, or El Duderino, if, you're not into the whole brevity thing ★½

Rather tame and almost a bit too sympathetic to the plight and crime life of the notorious MS13 gang. We Die Young is set in the Washington D.C. area, yet never fully establishes that or even cares to have some b-roll footage of any notable landmark till some shoddy CGI skyline at the end. Once again, not really a JCVD vehicle, delivering an extremely subdued non-fighter mute military veteran suffering from PTSD and substance abuse. I thought that of the entire film, David Castañeda delivered the best performance, as the gang leader with a familial heart. Direction is all over the place, similar with its inability to really lock down on its single tonal message that not every gangster joins…

Review by Dustin Baker ★★★½

It's been nice seeing Van Damme go for more interesting roles (for the most part) in the last decade or so. The decisions he makes almost always goes against the image we have of him from the 80s/90s heyday, from the mindfuckery of the Universal Soldier sequels to this, where he plays an old man trying to do good as the "silent savior" type but he, and the film as a whole, never fall into the sort of old beats you'd expect. There's plenty of films that have this same setup, and many moments echo these, such as the love interest pleading with him not to go save the day, etc. But whenever you expect it to zig, it zags…

Review by Nachtwaechter ★★★ 4

Da hat Van Damme die Sprache verloren und verlässt sich auf sein derzeit schwerstes Pfund: sein von einem ausschweifenden und Schicksalsschlägen gebeutelten Gesicht, in der jede Furche ein eigener kleiner Schauspieler zu sein scheint. Blass, ausgemergelt, fast schon schmächtig spielt er den ehemaligen Klischeesoldaten mit PTA, irgendwo in den Ghettos von Washington .D.C. (schon mal Miniapplaus für die noch nicht so ausgelutschte Örtlichkeit), der in einen Konflikt innerhalb der größten lokalen Gangs hineingerät. Und auch wenn man eigentlich in erster Linie nur über die starke, respektable Präsens von Van Damme reden möchte, galt meine Aufmerksamkeit dann doch eher David Castaneda als GangLeader, der trotz seiner Tonnen von Tatoos und typischen Manierismen auch mehr zu tun bekommt, als die übliche BadBoy-Nummer.…

Review by comrade_yui ★★★ 1

van damme is making the same type of street level movies he did in the late 80s and 90s, but now he's actually a pretty damn good actor. now he just needs to show up in mainstream stuff again like dolph has. where's our timecop 2? harder target? street fighter 2? make it happen folks

Review by Troy Gauthier ★★★

In this movie we meet, Lucas played by Elijah Rodriguez, a 14-year-old boy who is inducted into gang life in Washington D. C. , who is determined that his 10-year-old brother won't follow the same path. When an Afghanistan war veteran Daniel played by Jean Claude Van Damme, comes into the neighborhood, an opportunity arises.

Alright went into this blindly and was pleasantly surprised.

It's a simple plot and character motivation as Lucas is like a drug mule for the gang. He crosses path with Daniel and they essentially have to band together in order to survive. I see why this could be one of Jean Claude Van Damme's best performances because he basically doesn't say anything throughout the whole movie all reaction and interaction.

The performances are good along with the directing. I do reccomend that you watch it!!

Review by LaresPares ★★½

Straßengang-Flick mit einem überraschend guten van Damme als dahin vegetierendem Kriegsveteran in einem US-amerikanischen Ghetto.

Action- und Gewaltspitzen sind überraschend rar gesät. Während die Action leider komplettes Cut-Massaker ist, kann die Härte durchaus fesseln.

Insgesamt annehmbare Direct to DVD-Qualität.

Review by Schizopolis23 🦅🏋🏽‍♂️ ★★★½ 2

Very well-directed. Lior Geller has major potential. There's nothing particularly special about the story, which is about a mute war veteran helping two young brothers escape the brutal MS-13 gangster life in D.C. The direction, the world-building and the performances are what made this film.

Like with The Bouncer, JCVD picked another top notch indie crime drama. Is this a Van Damme-aissance? If it is, I'm totally down.

Also, stars two actors from Sicario: Soldado in basically the same exact roles.

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We Die Young Movie

Who's Involved:

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Elijah Rodriguez, David Casteneda, Joana Metrass, Lior Gellar

Release Date:

Friday, March 1, 2019 Limited

Plot: What's the story about?

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.

3.00 / 5 stars ( 4 users)

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Who stars in We Die Young: Cast List

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Production: what we know about we die young, filming timeline.

• 2019 - January : The film was set to Completed  status.

We Die Young Release Date: When was the film released?

We Die Young was a Limited release in 2019 on Friday, March 1, 2019 . There were 18 other movies released on the same date, including Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral , The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind and Cliffs of Freedom . As a Limited release, We Die Young will only be shown in select movie theaters across major markets. Please check Fandango and Atom Tickets to see if the film is playing in your area.

We Die Young VOD & Digital: When was the film released digitally?

We Die Young was released across all major streaming and cable platforms on Friday, March 1 , 2019 . Digital rental or purchase allows you to instantly stream and download to watch anywhere and anytime on your favorite devices. Available from various digital retailers including Amazon Video, iTunes, Google Play, Apple, Vudu and others.

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• Fri., Feb. 22, 2019
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Is We Die Young Based on a True Story?

With Lior Geller at the helm, ‘We Die Young’ is a refreshing action crime drama movie that focuses on how the children grapple with a volatile atmosphere in a poverty-stricken neighborhood. Lucas, a kid of age 14, is working with a gang despite his best reluctance toward such a life. At this juncture, he vows that he will never allow his 10-year-old brother to be a part of the gang.

When Daniel, a war veteran, comes to town looking for some drugs to escape his trauma, the siblings find a golden ticket to get out of the hellhole. The situation spirals out of control when the gang leaders get into the equation. Now, you must be wondering if there is any grain of truth in ‘We Die Young.’ In that case, allow us to spill more beans.

Is We Die Young a True Story?

No, ‘We Die Young’ is not based on a true story. But with Jean Claude Van Damme in an emotionally challenging role, the film steers away from hackneyed action-thriller movies by concealing a message for the populace about endangered children in the criminal underground. At the same time, the movie lends an empathetic look at a war veteran’s life. Therefore, although marketed as a commercial action movie, the film deviates from the norm quite a bit, all the while managing to keep the viewers hooked.

Jean Claude Van Damme expressed that the movie was more about the aftermath of the violence than its spectacles. Lior Geller, the director, wrote the screenplay from a story by himself and Andrew Friedman. While working on the screenplay, Geller undertook a lot of research about the impact of war on a veteran’s psyche. The director took the cast members to meet FBI agents and gangs to make the film more realistic. As all the stars were invested in the project, it oozes an unmistakable realism.

With about a million dollars worth of budget, the director had to film much of the movie on constructed sets. Thus, the engagement of the cast ensemble was crucial, and consequentially, everyone delivered their absolute best. However, the job was more difficult for legendary actor Jean Claude Van Damme since he could not speak for most parts of the movie. Van Damme’s character Daniel has a tracheostomy tube down his throat from an injury on the battlefield.

Without speech, the veteran actor had to make do with his expressions. And J. C. V. D., as his vast fan base knows him, adequately handled the daunting task. The seasoned actor has conveyed a broad range of expressions only using his eyes. Moreover, to highlight the movie’s message, Lior Geller arranged for a screening of the film with the past and present members of the army. By doing so, the director wanted to spread awareness about how to keep the children in the community safe.

Furthermore, the crime rate in Washington DC was rising at an alarming rate even after the movie came out. In 2021 alone, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department reported 226 homicides, the highest annual murder count in around two decades. Another worrying statistic indicated a spike in the juvenile crime segment. Multiple children aged between 13 and 15 were brought into custody in the year. The charges were varied, from unarmed to armed carjacking to armed robberies. Hence, after looking at all the aspects, we can safely contend that ‘We Die Young’ is based on realistic grounds, even if not a true story.

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(February 3, 2019) Original

Release Date:

March 1, 2019

From IMDb: “Lucas, a 14-year-old boy inducted into the gang life in Washington, D.C., is determined that his 10-year-old brother won’t follow the same path. When an Afghanistan war veteran comes into the neighborhood, an opportunity arises.”

Poster Rating: C

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW Review: We have the menacing tattooed Hispanic guy seemingly going after our salvational white character. If there was a design that was anymore reactionary, I’d be hard-pressed to find it. The colors aren’t great and the overall look is a bit lackluster.

Trailer Rating: C-

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW Review: The latest scare-tactic movie out of Hollywood presents the white savior attempting to save the young Hispanic kids from the dangers of gangs in the suburbs of New York City. This painfully unappealing film lays it all on thick with its grizzled veteran saving kids while taking on the stereotypical Spanish-speaking bad guy.

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We Die Young

Lucas narrates at the beginning as he rides around on his bike, dropping off large quantities of drugs like it’s his paper route. He explains that he works for “the most feared badass in DC,” Rincon (David Castaneda, also in DAY OF THE SOLDADO), who’s introduced threatening some dude who his guys dragged to him in his underwear, tied behind a motorcycle. Rincon manages to be kind of handsome and charismatic despite the crap tattooed all over his face. (I guess he’s allowed to have hair and the M and S aren’t gigantic like Li’l Mago’s in SIN NOMBRE.)

Van Damme plays Daniel, one of Lucas’s customers. Daniel works at an auto body shop, he can’t talk because of a throat injury, he’s addicted to oxycodone, and he distributes drugs to other people he knows. He and Lucas seem to like each other, enough that Lucas carries a copy of A Tale of Two Cities he promised him he’d read. I know it’s a cliche now for these characters to loan out classic literature with some thematic connection to the larger story they’re in, but if it’s good enough for Ghost Dog it’s good enough for me.

I like the way the movie separately introduces various characters around the neighborhood before showing them intersect. Eventually when some shit goes down we know three different factions of people who happen to be standing around in the background. It’s a tinge more DO THE RIGHT THING than you expect in a Van Damme picture. We meet Lucas’s wannabe gangster neighbor kid (he kinda reminds me of that asshole in FRESH who’s always talking about The Punisher) before we see him with a group of adults harassing Daniel, taunting him about being a junkie.

Lucas’s little brother Miguel (Nicholas Sean Johnny, Barry ) also wants to be a gangster, which terrifies Lucas. I think some of this is too corny and heavy-handed, like when he drags the kid into his classroom as he squeaks “Fuck school! I want to be a gangster!” He has all the little boy and none of the menace of SIN NOMBRE’s Smiley. But it’s very effective when Lucas lectures him, “It’s too late for me, but you’re smart!” because it’s so sad a kid already believe his life path is set in stone. I tried to look up his age and supposedly he’s 26, but I took him for about ten years younger than that. Either way, it’s sad.

I thought this might be kind of like Olivier Gruner’s L.A. gang movie ANGEL TOWN , but it’s definitely aiming more for SIN NOMBRE – a serious look at this gang, the ability for people who do horrendous things to also be loving family members, how kids are seduced by the power of their lifestyle and/or pressured into it, how it’s hard even for nice people to escape it. It’s a movie with compassion for humanity, including the junkie characters like Van Damme’s. There’s another guy who’s just the nice grey-haired man who runs the grocery store, and he’s in debt to Lucas. There’s nothing shifty about him. He’s one of the nice people of the neighborhood, he just has problems with drugs and money.

There’s a scene where Daniel listens to the rambling thoughts of a twitchy friend, then gives him a little money, and the guy says “Semper Fi.” Ah ha. That’s our first confirmation of Daniel’s military past, before we start seeing the PTSD flashes. Normally that background would be there to establish that he can fight. And maybe it explains why Daniel seems to know a thing or two about first aid, and aggressive driving, and is comfortable carrying a machete. But the action is generally the lesser part of the movie. After so many scenes with confident steadicam long takes the action bits tend to get shaky and chaotically edited. But they’re short anyway, and it doesn’t matter too much. That’s not what this one is about. Opening with the car chase especially kind of seems like a concession to JCVD fandom (including myself) that we could’ve survived without. Honestly, Daniel’s ex-military status is more thematic than a promise of violence.

Lucas resorts to the gang to support his brother because he doesn’t think he can get out of the neighborhood. We see other kids tempted by military recruiters, and learn that Lucas had an older brother who tried that route to get out, but died fighting in Afghanistan. Daniel’s time in the military seems to be what put him in the neighborhood. When he’s decided to go after the gang for something they’ve done, his cool girlfriend (Joana Metrass, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. ) is disgusted at the stupidity of it. “Soldiers. Maras,” she says. “Stupid-ass boys doing stupid-ass things.”

The movie humanizes Rincon because through most of the running time he’s at a house with his normal non-tattoo-faced family, throwing a wedding for his nice sister (Kerry Bennett). I even kind of sympathized with him when his shitty drug connect Spider (Uriel Emil, 6 BULLETS) showed up at the wedding (not even dressed up) and made himself at home. Meanwhile his shitty cousin/underling Jester (Charlie MacGechan) is the one clashing with Lucas, who tries to run off with Miguel and a couple of Rincon’s bricks after they jump Miguel into the gang.

It’s disturbing to see a bunch of adults stomp on this little boy, but the scene feels gentle and tame compared to the one in SIN NOMBRE. He still doesn’t take it as well as the kid in SIN NOMBRE, and doesn’t stay as loyal to the gang. I think they lose his heart and mind when they threaten to shoot his yappy little dog.

As in DAY OF THE SOLDADO, Rodriguez is very good at non-verbally conveying a sense of a young guy in over his head, trying to tough it out, puff his chest out and at least fake the “heart like stone” that Rincon wants him to have. Also it was probly a good idea for the actor to spend this time training with Van Damme to be ready in case they make SICARIO 3.

Exaggerated gangs are a staple of the action genre, with notable examples including THE WARRIORS , DEATH WISH 3 and DEATH SENTENCE . Compared to those, or really to almost any movie where a martial artist faces off against gangs, this feels like a documentary. But it’s touchier when you’re portraying a real gang whose existence has been brazenly and garishly exploited by fear-mongering anti-immigration hardliners and con artists. So I thought it was worth researching whether there are really neighborhoods in DC “run” by MS-13. From what I read they are a problem in the area, and this 2017 article claims there are more than 5,000 members in Northern Virginia, which seems like even more than in the movie. It also says they were involved in 3 murders that year in Virginia.

That’s terrible, obviously, but compared to what we see in WE DIE YOUNG, not too bad! I think they kill more people than that in this one day in this one neighborhood in this movie. So I know there are a couple people out there who hate it when I do this, but I feel it is my duty as a person who believes in both action movies and the dignity of humankind to note, just as I did with DAY OF THE SOLDADO and PEPPERMINT , that it’s a bummer to see so many movies help the asshole in chief fill our heads with the exact paranoid scenarios he wants us to go to bed sweating about every night to help him get away with his get-rich-quick schemes on the backs of the poor and the not-white. I wonder if there will be as many of these as there were anti-commie action movies in the ’80s? And will they seem as comical in retrospect?

That said, this one is obviously sympathetic toward the real people involved (I think the hero is supposed to be a so-called “illegal,” right?) and not just using them as easy villains. It also points out that the gang problem has been exacerbated by what we know outside of the movie is Trump policy: Lucas says people in the neighborhood hate the gang but won’t talk to the cops about them because they’re “scared shitless of getting deported.”

The director and writer (sharing story credit with Andrew Friedman) is Lior Geller. This is his first narrative feature, but he’s done a few TV shows and the Emmy-nominated 2008 documentary THE HEART OF JENIN. This is a pretty well made gang drama, but not the best or most original. I just reviewed SIN NOMBRE yesterday, and obviously that’s the better young-people-trying-to-escape-MS-13 movie. Also I’m not convinced that this is better than if they had just sold out and made it into more of the action movie that the name and face on the cover implies. But if you, like me, are a fan of Van Damme’s acting even when he’s (unfortunately) not kicking, WE DIE YOUNG is an important one.

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4 Responses to “We Die Young”

April 11th, 2019 at 3:46 pm

Yeah but when the credits roll does the Alice in Chains song play? That’s what I’m here to find out.

April 11th, 2019 at 5:34 pm

Why can’t we just get a movie that promises what the title says instead of some introspective movie about gang life?

April 11th, 2019 at 6:41 pm

Stern- Bwah-haha-hahahaha!

But seriously, this does seem a little too meditative and ponderous for my tastes. Prolly not for me. And that’s ok!

September 7th, 2019 at 9:14 am

This one is on Hulu and Amazon Prime now, and I’ll go ahead and say it – I liked this alot better than Sicario 2. (i.e. there’s an actual ending that finishes what it sets up).

Disclaimer: I haven’t seen Sin Nombre or most gang movies, and the first few paragraphs of Vern’s review prepared me to not expect an Only the Strong-style martial arts actioner. I actually think the car chase and final shootout are great- they’re chaotic and confusing as hell, but it feels intentional and really works to convey a “Holy Shit we could take a stray bullet in the head any moment” feeling. But all that aside, this is a solid, melancholy drama with a really memorable villain and another great turn from JCVD. His wordless performance sounds like a joke or a gimmick, but he uses it as a masterclass in expressive facial movement and noverbal acting. He’ll never be listed as one of our “greatest” actors but anyone who sits down to watch his movies has to admit he’s become one of our most watchable and compelling.

Can I take this moment to take another shot at Steven Seagal? It just kinda bothers me that to 95% of the population him and JCVD are inextricably linked as jokes/relics (my wife unfortunately chuckled when I told her I was watching a new JCVD movie). Van Damme’s been challenging himself for over 10 years in a variety of ways while Seagal’s been making unwatchable dreck for just as long when he hasn’t been hanging out with Putin, backing Trump, or writing books about the Deep State with Sheriff Joe (which I still want to read but can’t bring myself to pay $3 for). Part of me really misses the Vern reviews of DTV Seagal movies, since they were always fun to read, but then part of me is happy that Vern doesn’t have to waste hours of his life watching garbage and put money in Seagal’s pocket.

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