Review of Lionheart (1990) by John A — 19 Mar 2016
Van Damme co-wrote this action flick with director Sheldon Lettich, which involves a soldier drawn into the world of bare knuckle fighting, an illegal sport for the amusement of the rich, after his brother is seriously injured.
Lyon (Van Damme) is a member of the French Foreign Legion who decides to go A.W.O.L. (Absent Without Leave), when his brother is seriously injured in a drug deal. Lyon decides to enter the world of illegally street fighting to raise the money for his brother's hospital bills as well as to help his brother's family.
Van Damme has never been great at acting but he pulls of a decent performance here and his raw power & charisma comes through. The fight sequences are nicely choreographed and are a pleasure to watch. This was made at the time where the cheesiness of his roles disappeared while appearing in a good film but before he was giving decent performances in terrible but watchable films.
The plot is basic & works, the action is raw & enjoyable, & the script is solid. All in an enjoyable film that sadly should be better known as it features one of Van Damme's better performances. Known as A.W.O.L. In the UK.
This review of Lionheart (1990) was written by John A on 19 Mar 2016.
Lionheart has generally received mixed reviews.
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