Lionheart (Film Review)
1990 Universal Pictures
Directed by: Sheldon Lettich; Written by: S. N. Warren, Sheldon Lettich, and Jean-Claude Van Damme
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Page, Deborah Rennard, Lisa Pelikan, and Brian Thompson
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 105 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 7/10
Lyon Gaultier's brother gets burned alive in a bad L.A. drug deal. Now Lyon's gone AWOL from the French Legionnaire, to clean up his brother's affairs. That means taking care of his sister-in-law and niece, the former of whom wants none of his help when she finds out how Lyon is getting his cash: dangerous, underground street fights! Not only does the child and resistant widow need Lyon's support, but the Legion is on Lyon's trail. Plus, Cynthia, who sets up Lyon's fights, has now pit him against an unstoppable killing machine named Atilla--all because the pure-hearted Lyon spurned her advances. Now, everything rides on this one big fight. Can Lyon find a way to win not only the fight, but his sister-in-law AND the Legion's heart?!
It's Jean-Claude Van Damme. You know he's gonna wear tight jeans, punch or kick people in the nuts, and react strongly to doing so. However, 1990's Lionheart offers a little bit more. Playing more heavily into his pretty boy image than perhaps any of his other films, Lionheart presents a vulnerable, romantic Van Damme. Van Damme wanted to simply play a little more to his female fan base, but the result is a movie that feels like more of a...film than your average Van Damme movie. Lyon has heart and so does Lionheart.
Van Damme has always been a better actor than the majority of his B-movie action peers, but on a pure acting level, not necessarily charisma, he's better than a Schwarzenegger. Compare the scene where Van Damme cries at his brother's death here to...any moment that Arnie emotes. Van Damme might not have the unfathomable movie star charm of the Governator, but the guy is a decent actor. He does have charisma too, and while I like Kickboxer just a bit more than Lionheart, it's tough to argue that it's a better movie.
I'm not saying Lionheart is great or anything, but it's a solid and highly enjoyable film. In addition to a more vulnerable Van Damme, you've got an excellent and lovable Harrison Page as his fast-talking, down-on-his-luck fight promoter. The brotherhood between the two forms the backbone of the film and becomes almost shockingly emotional in the film's final act. The fights themselves aren't spectacular on a choreography level, but they are fun and visually interesting, from a bout in the middle of a circle of headlights, to one in a partially-emptied L.A. swimming pool. The gritty, neon, palm tree L.A. of 1990 is a character unto itself here, the perfect backdrop for a fun and seductive Deborah Rennard, as the film's beautiful, peacocking villain.
There's also a purity here, as Lionheart has simple, crowd-pleasing goals, and achieves those with a purity of vision and no further agenda. It's simply the type of film that isn't made in this day and age, and it's some of Van Damme's finest work.
I'm not saying Lionheart is great or anything, but it's a solid and highly enjoyable film. In addition to a more vulnerable Van Damme, you've got an excellent and lovable Harrison Page as his fast-talking, down-on-his-luck fight promoter. The brotherhood between the two forms the backbone of the film and becomes almost shockingly emotional in the film's final act. The fights themselves aren't spectacular on a choreography level, but they are fun and visually interesting, from a bout in the middle of a circle of headlights, to one in a partially-emptied L.A. swimming pool. The gritty, neon, palm tree L.A. of 1990 is a character unto itself here, the perfect backdrop for a fun and seductive Deborah Rennard, as the film's beautiful, peacocking villain.
There's also a purity here, as Lionheart has simple, crowd-pleasing goals, and achieves those with a purity of vision and no further agenda. It's simply the type of film that isn't made in this day and age, and it's some of Van Damme's finest work.
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