Lionheart

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Lionheart

R

1990

1h 45m

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Léon Gaultier (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a soldier in the French Foreign Legion, serving abroad in East Africa. But after his brother is cruelly murdered, Gaultier deserts his assignment and travels to the United States to help his widowed sister-in-law (Lisa Pelikan), who is now struggling to care for her children. But the job market is tough, so Gaultier takes his hand-to-hand combat skills into the brutal world of bare-knuckle fighting, where the paydays are nearly as big as the risks.

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

The scriptwriters, first-time director Sheldon Lettich (Sylvester Stallone's collaborator on "Rambo III") and Van Damme himself, dream up the worst things that could possibly happen. Then they try to kick their way out of them.

Jan 11, 2018

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B-

Sep 7, 2011

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

Using tactics like these, Woody Allen could become an action hero, too.

Aug 30, 2004

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

This film is deliriously funny. A diamond in the rough, with an emphasis on rough. [Full review in Spanish]

Dec 12, 2022

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a decent-enough Van Damme vehicle that probably should’ve topped out at an hour and a half.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 18, 2022

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Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

An engaging ride for Van Damme fans, with plenty of kicks to please the faithful while inching the actor's abilities along.

Rated: B

Sep 21, 2020

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Chief B

My favorite Jean Claude van Damme movie and honestly van Damme isn't that bad of an actor here . He isn't Day Lewis or de Niro but he does show some acting skill here with the silent, lethal but good hearted guy. The fighting is great and honestly the last 35 minutes or so are just great. The final boss, how I call him is pretty menacing and the comedic relieve in this movie does a pretty good job too. Also it's a fish out of water movie and I have spot for those. BTW for me this movie will always be called : wrong bet. When I was in my teens that's what the VHS covers said

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/14/25

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Michael D L

Another great fighting movie with decent action

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/07/25

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Otávio A

Amo esse filme, pra mim, é o terceiro melhor filme do JCVD, ficando atrás apenas de "Bloodsport" e "Kickboxer".

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/18/25

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Ari V

A lot of decent little nuances for a pretty typical Van Damme movie. Page is especially good here. 2.75/5

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/15/25

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Don't S

Rotten Tomatoe critics say bad things about every movie because they are all on their death beds if it's not from the 30s it's not a good movie. Watch for yourself and make your own decision. Rotten is in the name that should say everything about thus company. A joke

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/04/24

Full Review

AD 3

Why are critical reviews so bad? The critics take themselves more serious than the movie does. This is not trying to be Best Picture of the Year...What it is is a solid Van Damme movie that has aged surprisingly well. I don't think ppl realize Van Damme was a fighter first, not an actor. While the action isn't as good as some of his other efforts, I would argue it's simply they were trying to do something different. There's certainly more of a bare knuckles type of brawling involved compared to his usual finesse. Finally, the highlight to me is the heart of this movie, Lionheart to be exact, and the almost naivety that can go into that. The meaning of the title redeems anything else about the movie in my eyes

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/06/24

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Sheldon Lettich

Director

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Léon Gaultier

Deborah Rennard

Cynthia

Harrison Page

Joshua Eldridge

Lisa Pelikan

Hélène Gaultier

Ashley Johnson

Nicole Gaultier

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Synopsis

Léon Gaultier (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a soldier in the French Foreign Legion, serving abroad in East Africa. But after his brother is cruelly murdered, Gaultier deserts his assignment and travels to the United States to help his widowed sister-in-law (Lisa Pelikan), who is now struggling to care for her children. But the job market is tough, so Gaultier takes his hand-to-hand combat skills into the brutal world of bare-knuckle fighting, where the paydays are nearly as big as the risks.

Director: Sheldon Lettich
Producer: Eric Karson, Ash R. Shah
Screenwriter: Sheldon Lettich, Jean-Claude Van Damme
Production Co: Imperial Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $22.5M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Surround

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