Lionheart

R

1990

1h 45m

Action

List

39%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

52%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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It’s prime Van Dammage, refreshingly free of Kickboxer dance shenanigans or Street Fighter quirkiness, and with a final act that is satisfyingly big-hearted, featuring one of Jean-Claude’s better one-on-one, rock ‘em sock ‘em final boss battles. It actually convinces you he has no chance of winning. The story feels full, well-rounded and complete.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/24

Full Review

Gill S

It was not as epic or as stylized as I would have hoped, but its decent for the fight scenes and the ridiculous dialogue.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/17/23

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William D

Good movie worth watching if you love action movies.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/23/23

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Matthew D

Jean-Claude Van Damme fights against poverty for his family and it's great! American director Sheldon Lettich delivers a fierce martial arts film with his awesome picture Lionheart (1990). I loved Lettich's following film with Belgian star Jean-Claude Van Damme entitled Double Impact (1991), so it was nice to see Lionheart also brings violence and action to excite with a neat story. Lettich delivers distinct battles with emotionally striking drama all for a martial arts action classic. Writers Sheldon Lettich and Jean-Claude Van Damme do not shy away from the abject poverty conditions in New York and Los Angeles. Cinematographer Robert C. New's wide shots show off desolate cityscapes and vast deserts as well as striking emotional close-up shots. Editor Mark Conte's sharp cuts keep the fights suspenseful and exciting. I liked how much of Lionheart focuses on the earnest emotional drama scenes. Jean-Claude Van Damme makes you care about this deserting Legionnaire protecting his sister-in-law and her young daughter. Jean-Claude Van Damme is sincere as the considerate Lyon "Lionheart" Gaultier. I like seeing Van Damme get to do high kicks, roundhouse kicks, speak French, and play with the little girl. It's interesting to see Van Damme be gentle around his friends and resilient in the face of his foes. Harrison Page is hilarious as the greedy manager Joshua Eldridge. His fast talking comedic relief is a blast. Deborah Rennard is sexy as the sultry underground fight club organizer Cynthia Caldera. She's alluring and entertaining as she flirts with Van Damme, while also portraying Cynthia as irredeemably evil and consumed by avarice. Lisa Pelikan is gorgeous and sweet as the lonesome and worried sister-in-law named Hélène Gaultier. Ashley Johnson is adorable and sweet as the cute little girl Nicole Gaultier. It's neat to see her as a child actress opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme years before her legendary performance as Ellie in The Last of Us. Ash Adams cameos as the murdered brother Francois Gaultier. Brian Thompson is gigantic, selfish, and imposing as Cynthia's henchman Russell. Vojislav Govedarica (Voyo Goric) is great as the raging Legionnaire Sgt. Hartog. Michel Qissi is furious and thoughtful as the Legionnaire Moustafa. Clement von Franckenstein is amiable as the English Investor. Abdel Qissi is scary as the massive fighter Attila. Magic Schwarz' Raquetball Fighter, Paco Christian Prieto's Pool Fighter, Stuart F. Wilson's Scottish Fighter, and Jeff Langton's Sonny are all unique opponents for Van Damme. I love how strange each fight is staged. All the huge stunt team fighters did an excellent job. Composer John Scott's boisterous and emotional music has riveting heavy metal to soaring symphonic melodies. It sounds very 1990 in sound. Not to mention the outrageous, colorful early 90's costumes. Lionheart is a brisk and engrossing 105 minutes.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/02/23

Full Review

william d

Good movie The unrated directors cut is the best version to watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/18/23

Full Review

Carlos T

Minha opinião: Depois do sucesso de "O Grande Dragão Branco" acredito que Van tenta com este filme um sucesso maior. Porem um grande engano. Aqui ao invés de ser um torneio de Kumite onde vem os campeões do Mundo, aqui ele luta com vários lutadores de rua e de lutas privadas da alto elite. Creio que Van deva gostar de filmes dos Legião Extrangeira, pois em 1998 ele vai fazer outro filme da Legião, que considero uma das suas melhores atuações. Aqui ele tem seu irmão morre queimado em Los Angeles e ele esta na Legião, e tem que fugir para saber oque aconteceu com seu irmão, cunhada e sobrinha. E a Legião envia 2 soldados busca-lo. Chegando em LA ele precisa de dinheiro e vai fazer em uma luta de rua, lá conhece Joshua que se torna seu agente e apresenta a Cinthia a madame que arranja lutas para os socialites. Ele tenta uma aproximação com a cunhada, mas ela o culpa pela morte do marido. E pelo fato de estar precisando de dinheiro, Van vai fazendo mais lutas para ajuda-la, sem que ela saiba. Até que chega ao final do filme onde ele terá o seu maior desafio e assim deixa-la com dinheiro e voltar para a Legião. É assim mesmo a estoria, pena que não rola a química que foi Dragão Branco. As lutas são mais ou menos ao estilo que já conhecemos do Van. Roteiro e enredo a produção deixa a desejar, fraco. Vale apena assistir? Só se for muito fã. Nota: 4

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/14/23

Full Review

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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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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

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Janet Maslin

New York Times

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

Aug 30, 2004

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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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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: Sundip R. Shah, Sunil R. Shah, Anders P. Jensen
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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