Picked by Cameron Worden, Projection

In the White Martial Artist Movie Star canon, the high brow fav is almost certainly Jean-Claude Van Damme. Forget the recent meta-turns that never really make use of his greatest talents (his self-deprecating doofus charm, his knack for physical comedy), instead look to his two reviled late-90s collaborations with legendary Hong Kong maniac Tsui Hark. Double Team seems to have developed some minor cult in recent years but Knock Off is the real masterpiece. Any cinephile impressed by Certified Copy's heady ruminations on authenticity and performance and the instability of identity should take heed. Everybody here is a double operative or an undercover cop or a body double. Everything revolves around an industry feasting on the aura of brand legitimacy. Jeans have bombs implanted in them. As a movie shot in Hong Kong, by a Hong Kong director, working with a Hong Kong crew, it begs the question: what really makes something an authentic "Hollywood" production anyways? Kiarostami's film has a 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Knock Off has a 10%, despite featuring a killer score by Sparks, about a thousand close-ups of Jean-Claude's ass, and a scene where Rob Schneider uses an eel for a wip to win a rickshaw race. Further proof that not all great art is appreciated in its moment.