Directed by David Charhon, The Gardener follows Serge Shuster (Michaël Youn), a high-ranking government official who discovers that he’s the final name on a top-secret assassination list created by the Prime Minister. Known as the “Executive List,” it’s delivered to a covert strike team—Phoebus (Jérôme Le Banner), Quasimodo (Kaaris), and Esmeralda (Matthias Quiviger)—tasked with eliminating political enemies under the guise of accidents. At first, Serge mistakes the list for a promotion shortlist, because that’s how dumb he is.
Serge retreats to his summer home, where his wife Mia (Nawell Madani), teenage daughter Alice (Carla Poquin), infant daughter, and housekeeper Jeanne (Danielle Renault) are staying. Also living on the property is Leo (Jean-Claude Van Damme), the family’s eccentric gardener, whose peculiar behavior hides a lethal past in special forces. The hit squad quickly mobilizes and launches an attack on the home, planning to subdue the family, set the house on fire, and stage the whole thing as a tragic accident.
The team manages to tranquilize most of the family, but Serge and the baby are rescued by Leo, who’s more enraged by the damage done to his beloved garden than anything else. Using his combat skills, Leo neutralizes several members of the strike team and retreats into a network of hidden World War II-era tunnels beneath the property. Just when it seems they’ve gained a moment of safety, the elite assassins Phoebus, Quasimodo, and Esmeralda arrive on-site. The Gardener knows exactly the hell that’s about to rain down on him.
Michaël Youn as Serge, Nawell Madani as Mia, and Carla Poquin as Alice hide with the baby during a violent raid in The Gardener.
“…a high-ranking government official who discovers that he’s the final name on a top-secret assassination list…”
The Gardener is a bad movie, but it’s got a so-bad-it’s-good vibe to it. Most of it is due to its horrible dub track. It reminds me of the old Jackie Chan Hong Kong dubs, where it’s impossible to believe that the voice coming out of the actor doesn’t match his face. As Serge, Michaël Youn’s voice actor lends him a ridiculous, harmless quality, making the hapless politician seem endearing, even as he is forced to “man up” to save his family. The dub brings me back to a time when all my foreign films just sounded off, and I loved it.
Two things are happening in The Gardener. There are the action scenes and the silliness. The action is fine. Dan Damme is growing older, but he still has moves. They’re nowhere near as spectacular as they were in his heyday. Most of it is hand-to-hand martial arts, knife and gun work, and explosions.
Michaël Youn is the highlight of the film’s silliness. He’s a politician who wants to be the hero, but never even comes close to being an action star. His absurd belief in himself lends a charming quality to the story, complemented by his determination to save his baby throughout the second half of the movie. There’s an earnestness about Serge that wouldn’t exist if the character had been taken seriously. Add the silly voiceover, and you end up with a character—and a film—that shouldn’t work, but oddly does.
In the end, The Gardener is a ridiculous blend of political thriller and action comedy that somehow manages to entertain despite its many flaws. The mismatched dubbing, over-the-top villains, and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s stoic intensity contrast hilariously with Michaël Youn’s bumbling, would-be hero. It’s not a good movie by any traditional measure. Still, if you’re in the mood for a throwback to clunky dubs, absurd action, and a wildly implausible plot held together by sheer commitment, this might just hit the spot.
"…shouldn’t work, but oddly does..."
