Lionheart [Region 2] | ![Lionheart [Region 2]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41B3EP9VVQL._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: Sheldon Lettich
Actors: Jean-claude Van Damme, Harrison Page, Deborah Rennard, Lisa Pelikan, Ashley Johnson
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $22.25
Rating:  50 reviews
Format: Pal
Language: German (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 105 Minutes
EAN: 4012050407285
ASIN: B00004RYXD
Theatrical Release Date: January 11, 1991
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
 Heart Of A Lion, No Brain At All May 10, 2009
Mike Schorn (APO, AE United States)
When his brother is murdered during a drug deal gone wrong, Lyon Gaultier (Jean-Claude Van Damme) deserts his post at the French Foreign Legion and stows away to America. Arriving in New York, he must make his way across the country to his brother's widow (Lisa Pelikan, "Return to the Blue Lagoon"), whom he hopes to support with proceeds won from illegal underground street fighting...all while contending with a pair of Legionnaires on his trail.
I've seen about half of Van Damme's films, and thus far, "Lionheart" is one of my least favorite for the fact that there's not enough action, and what's there is not very good. Van Damme has about seven hand-to-hand fights with various thugs and fighters of differing time lengths, but only one of them is against another martial artist (Paco Prieto, "Only the Strong"), and even it isn't exactly show-stopping. I'm not saying that guys like James Thompson ("Gunhed"), Jeff Langton ("Final Impact"), Stuart Wilson ("The Rundown"), Magic Schwarz ("Over the Top"), or Abdel Qissi ("The Quest") don't look like tough guys...they just aren't very interesting fighters and don't give Van Damme a chance to show off his better moves. Since the fights were choreographed by Van Damme himself (and Frank Dux and Michael Qissi), I'm very much surprised that they're not showier, but the fact that they aren't kills at least half of this Van Damme vehicle.
The acting keeps the movie afloat, mostly through the efforts the vastly underrated Harrison Page ("Sledge Hammer!"), who plays the stereotypical role if ever there was one of Van Damme's sidekick/partner/comic foil but is very entertaining in doing so. The aforementioned Lisa Pelikan does well as the widowed single mother, as does Deborah Rennard ("Dallas") as the wealthy, scheming fight organizer who freely switches between using Van Damme as a gambling chip and a piece of meat. A young Ashley Johnson ("What Women Want") plays Van Damme's niece, and Brian Thompson ("Cobra") and Michael Qissi ("Kickboxer") have small, minion-ish parts. Everybody does fine, but nobody stands out besides Page. Van Damme gives the usual performance that needs no elaboration.
Not much is to be said about the story; some folks claim it's one of Van Damme's better plots, but I don't agree that it goes anywhere. There is some social half-statement about the "sick aristocracy" whose members get off on watching the less fortunate pummel eachother, but again, it doesn't really go anywhere. In all, the storyline didn't keep me interested, and neither did most other things about the movie. As a fan of action/fight movies in particular, I was surprised that I wasn't more entertained by this kind of film, but seeing as there are plenty more Van Damme movies out there, I don't feel too bad about giving up on this one.
 Remember Ol' Lionheart.. March 20, 2009
R. Webb (u.s.a.)
LIONHEART and Bloodsport are undoubtedbly Van Damme's elite films,and as you look back at these martial art films it makes you wonder why Van Damme didn't stick with his roots and keep on making movies like Lionheart or Bloodsport,where as now Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal are popping out dvds once a month just to make a buck ,that is if they're selling. Van damme may still do a kick or two in a new film but not enough to satisfy an audience that really wants to see it,so, I guess we'll just have to settle for replays of Kickboxer ,Bloodsport,John Woo's Hard Target, and the great Lionheart,1991, - Hey, Van Damme, get back to the real deal.
Van Damme in a tear jerker! August 20, 2008
Gary Coffman (Missouri)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought this was a pretty good movie. Great fight scenes, some corny little emotional moments, but definitely recommended for Van Damme fans!
Lionheart! June 28, 2008
BJ (East Peoria, IL United States)
Great movie!
If your a Van Damme fan, you've already seen it!
It was the "Fight Club" of the late 90's!
Recommended to all men!
Bloodsport, IN A POOL! June 28, 2008
Jason (Backwater, Alabama)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)
1. Who is he? Lyon Gaultier, a disgruntled, often disciplined French Legionnaire stationed in Africa
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? His brother Francois, who gets torched to a crisp after reneging on a drug deal
3. Does he take his shirt off? As a stowaway on a ship to America, Lyon is forced to shovel coal into the boilers of the boiler room. And, whew!, does it ever get hot down there!
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? No, despite the fact that a rich, psychopathic, sadistic blonde fight organizer named Cynthia basically threw herself at him
5. Is there a tournament? More or less, only, winners advance to bigger and more lucrative matches with each victory
6. Is training needed for this tournament? Not specifically. His military training and hard labor already prepared him for battle.
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? Sadly, unless mid-air splits count, the answer is no.
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? With a well-placed single shot in his initial organized bare-knuckle fight, Lyon destroys the reproductive future for a guy who looks like the biker from the Village People.
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? The question isn't "does he", it should be "where does he". The answer: In a racquetball court, under a bridge, in a nearly empty swimming pool, and a small arena with stands.
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? Atilla basically looks like the guy one-step-to-the-left on the Evolutionary chart. Additionally, he has saxophone-sized mutton-chop sideburns, which is scary in and of itself.
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? In a previous battle, Lyon sustains a broken rib, and some betting against him know it.
12. Does he win? Yes, and it's a near perfect ending.
It's uncanny how talented JCVD is at making this type of movie. If it were anyone else, the corniness would be much worse. It's almost as if his poor acting (despite this being his best acting job) makes this type of movie better. JCVD is like epicac; under normal circumstances, it's not great to chug a bottle, but when mixed with the consumption of something sure to turn your stomach otherwise, it's perfect. Best of all, the little girl who plays Lyon's niece Nicole (Ashley Johnson) is absolutely adorable (later went on to be Mel Gibson's daughter in What Women Want), and adds a real humanistic aspect to the movie without getting in the way of the tumultuous action.
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