Ever since the jaw-dropping paradigm shift of 2009’s “JCVD,” viewers have been forced to re-evaluate Jean-Claude Van Damme, a.k.a. the “Muscles from Brussels.” That 2009 film riffed off Van Damme’s real-life tribulations (including drug addiction, divorce and career valleys) to craft an unexpectedly effective drama. Not to say he’s going to be playing Willy Loman anytime soon (though why not? “Death by a Salesman”?), but it’s possible those life experiences have deepened his work. And not to read too much into the new, often-silly action comedy “The Last Mercenary,” but the now-60-year-old has become a pleasure to watch.

In the French production, he plays Richard Brumère, a former top black ops guy who is now essentially a superhero for hire. The savvy, sometimes meta comedy introduces Richard in a classic Van Damme pose to get the fans cheering (later, Richard walks into a room with a “Bloodsport” poster on the wall and comments that its star — one Jean-Claude Van Damme — is a “real man”). In a fair example of how the movie balances action with straight-up comedy, while Richard fights bad guys in the foreground in that first scene, there’s some pretty funny physical comedy stumbling about in the background.

By the way, the trailer and one-sheet don’t seem to be aware “Last Mercenary” is a comedy, but c’est la guerre.