Lionheart Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Lionheart Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 18, 2014

Around 1990, Jean-Claude Van Damme was just breaking through with American audiences, finding modest but unexpected grosses for 1989’s “Kickboxer” and “Cyborg” suggesting viewers were interested in this odd action hero. Looking to expand his limited repertoire, Van Damme cooked up 1991’s “Lionheart,” taking a story credit on an old-fashioned melodrama about a good-guy fighter trying to do the right thing by his family and friends. The experiment is successful to a slight degree, offering the star an opportunity to portray other emotions besides teeth-gnashing rage, while director Sheldon Lettich does his best to keep the endeavor light on its feet, mixing face-pounding action with sensitivity. Nobody will mistake “Lionheart” for a Disney movie, and while the picture does retain severe limitations, it remains an engaging ride for Van Damme fans, with plenty of kicks to please the faithful while inching the actor’s abilities along, allowing him to cry and interact with children between fierce beatdowns.

Making his way in the French Foreign Legion in North Africa, Lyon Gaultier (Jean-Claude Van Damme) receives late word that his brother has been burned badly in Los Angeles during a drug deal, with his wife, Helene (Lisa Pelikan), desperate to bring her estranged brother-in-law to America. Going AWOL, Lyon makes his way to New York City, discovering a street fight gathering run by Joshua (Harrison Page), allowing him to make a few bucks as he crosses the country. Proving his power, Joshua brings Lyon to Cynthia (Deborah Rennard), a wealthy woman who partakes in an underground fight club for the elite, with hopes to bring the foreigner in as her ultimate weapon. Uncertain of the situation, Lyon agrees to the challenge, beating numerous opponents for big bucks, soon reaching out to Nicole, whose resentment is difficult to crack. As Cynthia books more fights and two Foreign Legion officers pop up in America to retrieve the runaway, Lyon realizes he’s in deep, hoping to secure enough cash to provide for Helene and his four-year-old niece, Nicole (Ashley Johnson).

Marking their first collaboration, Van Damme and Lettich (who would go on to make three more movies together) cook up an all-American story of good intentions with “Lionheart,” working to find a new direction for the star that sustains high levels of violence but also preserves a certain softness not typically welcome in the action genre. It’s an admirable effort, giving Van Damme more to do besides perfect his martial art skills, but “Lionheart” isn’t a radical departure, merely taking baby steps with a career few expected to last very long.

The street fighting angle isn’t played for very long, soon pushing Lyon into a more advanced circuit of brawling. Dubbed “Lyonheart” and sent into various environments to take on adversaries, our hero works through a warehouse, racquetball court, and half-filled pool to achieve his monetary reward, thrashing baddies from Scotland and So-Cal with his whirlwind of kicks and punches, sharpened with editorial fury by Mark Conte. The fight scenes are the highlights of “Lionheart,” allowing Van Damme to do what he does best, trying to make believe that his opponents have a shot at dropping Lyon to his knees. Fat chance. To goose the suspense, a final boss is introduced in for the form of Attila, an unbeatable, cat-loving behemoth sent in to destroy the deserter at the behest of Cynthia, whose lust for money knows no bounds. “Lionheart” often plays out like a video game, with the endearing champion facing an increasingly powerful roster of challengers, each boasting design individuality and a hunger to pummel the humble Frenchman.

Lyon as a family man is a little harder to swallow, though it does provide the character with a halo to ease digestion that he’s using ultraviolence to solve his problems. Scenes with Helene are powered by hesitation, with the single mother finding it difficult to trust Lyon after he abandoned his brother, leading him into a life of crime that’s only hazily defined in the picture (perhaps a victim of editorial decision). Lyon only means well, using Joshua to pull off the appearance of monthly insurance checks to help Helene out of debt and provide Nicole with a brand new bike. Van Damme provides all the puppy dog looks and single-tear streaming, but his broken English is a little rough on intended emotions, while scripted manipulations featuring an adorable kid and pure intentions feel a little too pushy, even for a B-movie like this. Also grating is the smooth jazz score by John Scott, which bends over backward to secure the heartwarming tonality of the family scenes.

Overall, “Lionheart” feels like an American movie made by a team of Europeans who’ve never visited the country. Joshua is more stereotype than a living, breathing character, with his jive-talking hyperactivity creating some discomfort. And the feature’s depiction of homelessness comes right out of the Great Depression, with soiled faces and blank stares greeting Lyon as he makes his way through New York City and Los Angeles.

Lionheart Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation retains its filmic appearance with a minor hint of filtering present, yet grain remain discernible. Sharpness is inherently limited by the low-budget effort, but detail is comfortable, delivering facial particulars and costume textures, and locations are preserved, with distances and decoration on view. Colors are welcoming, stable and true, with 1990's fashion delivering bold primaries, and skintones are natural. Blacks are limited, with low-lit encounters blocking out a true appreciation of delineation, but overall it's not a nagging problem. Minor speckling is detected, but overt damage isn't a concern.

Lionheart Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD sound mix shows its age with a tinny, fuzzy quality that carries throughout the feature. While dialogue exchanges are understood, the thinness of the track doesn't bring out the emotional performances. Action sequences don't offer much depth, with violence missing expected weight. Scoring is omnipresent and only adequate, though it does support comfortably with passable instrumentation. While this is a basic mix for a movie with limited scope, there's some degree of disappointment that the track doesn't sound fresher for a film that's only 24 years old.

Lionheart Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:08, SD) is included.

Lionheart Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Lionheart" is earnest and simple, which benefits the movie immensely. Without trying to achieve too much, too quickly, Van Damme and Lettich pull off an engaging actioner with an atypical friendliness about it. It's not a particularly inspired feature, but in the grand scheme of Van Damme's filmography, it's a nice detour from the usual commotion.