Lionheart (1991)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I enjoyed this one. The fight scenes are plentiful and well executed. The very early 90s was when JCVD's career really began to take shape. "AWOL" or "Lionheart," is slightly reminiscent of the Charles Bronson film "Hard Times." The similarity, is that Van Damme competes in these highly illegal but exceptionally dangerous (aren't they usually?) fights against all comers from all walks of life. After the turds he had been producing beforehand, JCVD finally came up with a winner!!

AWOL also known as Lionheart shows us Van Damme just on the cusp of hitting stardom. By this time he had a loyal following for what were low budget martial arts films that got a loyal following on VHS and did well in the fledgling satellite movie channels market.Lyon Gaultier (Van Damme) escapes his post in Djibouti with the French Foreign Legion when his brother is set on fire by drug dealers in LA. His brother's wife rebuffs him and and two agents are pursuing him to drag him back to the Foreign Legion.Once in the USA he stumbles into the underground fight scene which he quickly becomes successful at and soon enlists a street hustler as a manager, Joshua (Harrison Page) who gives him the nickname Lionheart.His success attracts the attention of a fight promoter Cynthia (Deborah Rennard) who gets Lyon for several no holds barred street fights. However it seems the real action is on the side bets and although he is her champion she is not averse to betting against him.Lyon in the meantime is trying to get money together for his sister in law and his niece for which Joshua is used to inform them that its proceeds from an insurance policy.The film has several good action sequences allowing Van Damme to display some of his signature moves. You have fight scenes set in an underground car park and more memorably in a half empty swimming pool. The combat scenes are well choreographed with even some humour thrown in in the final segment.The storyline is rather so-so and the script is just about passable. If in doubt the writers put some cursing in. Van Damme's acting would get better in time but here its still weak. You can see how even a few years later Dolph Lundgren would out-act him in Universal Soldier.Still there is enough fight scenes allowing Van Damme to excel at what he does best. Rennard best known for years as JR Ewing's loyal secretary Sly in Dallas provides sassiness as the scheming fight promoter.

"Lionheart" is one of those rare movies that are so clichéd you can know it by heart without even having seen it. Nobody watches Jean-Claude Van Damme movies for their deep characters and inventive plots, but "Lionheart" is literally just "Bloodsport" with a less cool title. Van Damme joining an obscure fighting circuit, befriending a wacky sidekick, being chased down by his government, having to beat a grotesquely evil fighter that killed all his previous opponents, deja-vu anyone? "Kickboxer" was pretty similar too but at least those makers had the decency/insanity to have the characters fight with broken glass, this movie just totally phones it in. Van Damme also has to do quite a lot of drama scenes in this one, and let's just say I get why he's not on Broadway. Doesn't this movie have anything going for it then? Well, moving the action to LA was a pretty good idea, and the ending fight is pretty exciting too (mainly due to the cheesy audience reactions). That's all I've got though, sadly. Actually seeing "Bloodsport" again would be a much safer bet.

Van Damme is a celebrated action-star, who's now very rightly so regarded as a legend. 'Lionheart' explores the potential Van Damme has, and I must say, this 1990 film is a must for Van Damme fans. 'Lionheart' stars Van Damme as a paratrooper legionnaire; when his brother is seriously injured he returns to Los Angeles to enter the underground fighting circuit to raise money for his brother's family.'Lionheart' works in parts. The Fight Sequences are Outstanding and all the credit goes to Van Damme. In terms of Writing, the film has some engaging moments that work on it's advantage. Sheldon Lettich's Direction, is plain ordinary. Van Damme is truly the best thing about 'Lionheart'. The actor performs well throughout, and is Outstanding when it comes to Action. He holds the film on his shoulders and does complete justice to his part. If you're a Van Damme fanatic, then 'Lionheart' is your best bet.