After starring in a number of lackluster VOD movies, action legend Jean-Claude Van Damme returns to action comedy—the combination of genres that has rejuvenated his recent phase of acting career—with The Gardener. Taking the role of the titular greenskeeper with a secret past, Van Damme delivers a brutal brand of justice through his fists and deadpan humor. It would have made for more entertaining fare if co-lead Michael Youn’s comedic flair had complemented him well instead of mostly comprising annoying caricatures, which goes as far as impersonating a Nazi officer. While the veteran action star looks to be in great shape for a man reaching his mid-60s, the majority of the action sequences involving him are badly shot, wasted by incorporating too many cuts and shaky cams. Overall, The Gardener is an alright one-time watch if you are a fan of the Bloodsport star, although it’d be wise not to go in with high expectations.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Sergio Shuster Find Himself in the Matignon List?
Sergio Shuster, a member of the advisory body of the President of France, who is too clownish and naive for his own good, is spending the weekend with his family at their luxury beach house—blissfully unaware of the fact that he has made it to the Matignon List. The extremely secretive list contains the names of people whom the president of France considers to be a political hindrance, and on a yearly basis, they get eliminated by agents sent from the special forces who make sure the death looks as natural as possible. This year, Serge has made the list, as ironically enough, he had shared confidential intel about the very list of which he has now become a part. The member of the National Guard who was carrying the said list gets involved in an accident and gets taken to the hospital. The supervising medical personnel, who turns out to be Serge’s friend, gets his hands on the list and informs Serge about it, but he remains clueless as to what it is about.
The two enforcers who are assigned to eliminate the targets within two days, codenamed Quasimodo and Esmeralda, are led by a former army commander named Masson. They kill Serge’s doctor friend and one other target from the list and put Serge at the top of their hit list after knowing that he has been informed about the situation.
What Was Leo’s Secret?
Before moving to Serge’s beach house themselves, the enforcers send two units of special agents—who tranquilize Serge’s wife, Mia, his daughter from his first marriage, Alice, and the elderly maid, Jeanne. The operatives are instructed not to kill anyone aside from the target to ensure complete secrecy. Serge realizes way too late that he is in grave peril and almost gets himself killed at the hands of the invaders until his taciturn, humble gardener, Leo, takes control of the situation by becoming a veritable one-man army and takes down the two units with relative ease.
As it turns out, not only was Sergio was oblivious to his gardener’s true identity, he also didn’t have any idea that his luxurious beach house was built on an interconnected catacomb network built during the Second World War where Resistance fighters used to take refuge. Right at that moment, Esmeralda and Quasimodo arrive at the beach house, along with Masson, and understandably get surprised seeing their operatives massacred. Rescuing Sergio by killing Masson’s operatives, Leo brings him to the underground catacombs, which he has been tending for a long time. It is hinted that Leo’s family lived in the area long ago, and that he has thorough knowledge of the place. Seeing Leo in action and the way he has hoarded an arsenal so huge that it can be used to take on a small-scale army, Sergio becomes puzzled and asks his gardener about his true identity. Leo refuses to share anything regarding his past but assures Sergio that he will do whatever it takes to rescue his family. Leo assists Sergio to secure the confidential intel that got him into trouble in the first place, and the duo rescue Sergio’s newborn daughter Charlotte at this point—whose involvement results in some hilarious scenarios.
From the conversation of Mia and Alice, Masson and co. realize that Leo, the gardener, is behind the bloodbath, and initially they fail to learn anything about his past. However, eventually, with additional units, the enforcers are able to locate the underground catacombs. Seemingly experienced in tactical combat maneuvers in the field Leo had set up traps around all entry points that alert him and Sergio about the arrival of Masson’s agents, and once again, Leo takes care of the unit and retreats with Sergio to the wilderness outside the beach house. Quasimodo, who had engaged in a brawl with Leo, returns to Masson to share his suspicion that Leo might be a former member of the armed forces, and they begin to go through decrypted digital files found in the catacombs to learn about Leo’s past.
At this point, Leo opens up about his past to Sergio, revealing that the beach house used to be his childhood home, that he used to hide in the basement catacombs to escape from his abusive, violent father—and laments not being able to save his mother from his cruel grasp. It is quite clear that Leo has suddenly decided to open up as he clearly lacks a sense of belonging, without having anyone to call his family, as he pledges to save Sergio’s family by hook or crook. On the other hand, unable to capture Sergio after multiple attempts, Masson decides to give Sergio an ultimatum—either he surrenders himself, or Masson will start killing his family members one by one. To show Sergio that he isn’t messing around, Masson kills the elderly maid, Jeanne. Quasimodo is visibly infuriated witnessing an innocent life being taken, as it appears his moral compass has not been compromised—unlike Masson and Esmeralda, who simply shrug off the incident as necessary violence.
Quasimodo is able to decrypt the files regarding Leo’s past, which reveals the truth about his identity. Sergeant Leonidas Apastegui, who used to serve under Commander Masson’s unit, was a decorated soldier whose reputation preceded him. However, Leo decided to turn his back on his unit after refusing to follow Masson’s orders to gun down a nomadic tribe. While Masson committed war crimes with ease by shooting down unarmed innocent tribespeople, Leo stood up against his leader and his unit to serve true justice.
Was Leo Able To Save Sergio’s Family?
Sergio is moved after learning of Leo’s past actions, and the duo plan to have Sergio surrender and let Leo handle the situation with Masson and co. Leo is able to incapacitate the rest of the unit, and during an altercation with Esmeralda, Sergio is able to accidentally kill him. Masson engages in an old-school brawl with his former comrade Leo, who manages to get the upper hand, only for a dishonorable Masson to pull a gun on him. However, Quasimodo ends up betraying his boss, as he was already feeling disenchanted after Masson killed Jeannie, and this time, seeing his true colors, he decided to follow in Leo’s footsteps and choose the right path by turning on Masson. Leo knocks out Masson, and Sergio is reunited with his family after all is said and done. Immensely thankful to Leo, the Shuster family decides to leave the beach house to head for a safer location, but to their surprise, Leo is not willing to leave his old place and decides to stay behind.
However, in The Gardener’s ending, Masson once again decides to make a last-ditch attempt to capture Sergio, as he vehemently chases after the family, only for Leo to catch up with the band. Finally, with Sergio’s antics acting as a distraction, Leo is able to put Masson down for good, and the Shuster family is finally safe from their pursuers, at least for the time being. Later on, it is revealed that Sergio exposed the details about the Matignon list in the media, creating a massive public uproar that resulted in the President getting impeached and imprisoned for crimes against the state. Sergio knows he could have neither saved his family nor exposed the conspiracy had it not been for Leo’s support, who is seen tending to a garden in a stately place, dressed as an abbot. I want to see Van Damme returning to this role once again if a sequel is indeed planned, as teased by the ending, but I really wish the makers come up with a better script this time around.