Lionheart

 



Director - Sheldon Lettich (The Order, Double Impact)
Starring - Jean-Claude Van Damme (Kickboxer, Bloodsport), Harrison Page (Quantum Leap, Bad Ass), and Deborah Rennard (Kazaam, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues)
Release Date - 1990
Genre - Action
Tagline - "When the streets are a jungle...there can only be one king"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The world of cinema has saw the rise and fall of several action stars from the likes of Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, and so many more but few had the rapid rise and sudden fall like the Muscles from Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme.  When it comes to actions films of the late 80s and early 90s its hard to top Van Damme's work.  Sadly, he let a bad coke habit and his bad attitude almost ruin his career.  I was a fan of Van Damme's growing up as I stated in my review for Black Eagle but there was a handful of his films that I was never lucky enough to watch.  One of those films is the 1990 classic Lionheart.  I had always heard a lot of great things about this one but I never had the opportunity until now.  MVD Rewind recently put this one out on blu and was kind enough to send one my way!
     The film follows Lyon (Van Damme) who abandons his post in the French foreign legion to go to America to visit his dying brother.  When he arrives in the U.S. he takes part in a fight for cash and when he winds he is taken to an underground fighting promoter who uses him as her next big thing.  When he expresses interest in going to L.A. to visit his brother she is reluctant to do so but agrees seeing this as her opportunity to make even more cash on the west coast.  Once he arrives he learns that his brother passed away and now his wife and child are about to become homeless.  He uses his winnings to help them keep their home but his problems are far from over.  The foreign legion has tracked him down and they are working with the promoter to stop him from supporting her and staying in the U.S.
     I love the action and fighting in the JCVD flicks but some are a lot better than others.  Black Eagle was a huge disappointment in that aspect.  However, Lionheart was not that kind of film.  Lionheart had plenty of actions and some pretty fun fight scenes scattered throughout.  The acting in this one is what you would expect from a film starring JCVD.  He, more or less, portrays the same character and does very little acting.  He relies heavily on his martial arts skills and very little acting is done.  The supporting cast is fun.  The characters are a little over the top like most late 80s and early 90s action flicks but they do a solid job at making them fun and memorable.  The story for this one is your typical underdog sports film except the focus of the film is not an underdog.  JCVD is established as a rough and touch fighter with exceptional martial arts skills early on in the film but the fights he is in is promoted as if he is the underdog except he is never concerned with the fights.  In fact, he approaches them all the same even with a broke rib.  His confidence completely destroys that underdog approach.  With that being said, the story holds the viewer's attention very well and the action is timed perfectly.  Finally, this isn't a bloody one.  There is a few scenes with a little blood but the focus point of this one is the fight scenes.  Some of these scenes has better fight choreography than others.  Overall, Lionheart may be a cheesy early 90s action flick but no one can deny how fun it is.  MVD Rewind's release of this film is a must own for any cult film fan or fans of JCVD.  Check it out.