Who would Win…Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme?
When it comes to movie stars in the martial arts, one has to wonder who is better, Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme. They each have their own talents, and they each have areas where they are, let’s admit it, lacking. Let’s take a few areas and let them go head to head and and see who’s better.
As to who the better martial artist is, Jean Claude can do the splits, has muscles, and likes to kick heads. On the other hand, Steven Seagal was trained to 6th degree in Aikido. Judging by the technique thy display on film, even though they studied different arts, I would have to give the edge to Seagal.
I think that Van Damme is better when it comes to acting. Van Damme trys to be act in his roles, and he always plays a variety of characters. Seagal just bills himself as bad, and wades in and bullies his way to victory.
As to which actor ages best on the screen, I would have to say Van Damme. Seagal, let’s face it, has a bit of the chub. He tries to cover it with bad coats, he is famous for his bad coats, but it doesn’t work.
Van Damme ages better in real life, too. His martial arts actually seem to get a little better with age. He actually looks like he is trying to do more than just the splits and punch. and he is gaining in technique.
Now we come down to who makes the better movies. Van Damme has put out a couple of classic movies, but Seagal, at least when he was first starting out, had better production values. I think I might, in spite of his later disasters, give the edge to Seagal, though if you argued with me I’d give up pretty quick.
Seagal, when it comes to screen presence, has more wattage. Though his last movies have spiraled down into the dumpster, he had charisma in the beginning, and he still has a certain amount of screen presence. If he’d stop directing, producing, playing the music for, writing the script, singing in, being the gaffer and the cameraman and the boom operator and everything else, and get off his self image, he might shine again.
So, hate to weasel on you, but it’s a tie game. Truth, though it seems like I am having a bit of fun with them, they both have offered cinema unique and fun perspectives on the martial arts. Forgive them their mistakes and pass the popcorn, that’s my motto.
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Van Damme for sure, last time Steven ran off down the street!