Pound of Flesh (2015)

Director: Ernie Barbarash

Notable Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Darren Shahlavi, Charlotte Peters, John Ralston, Aki Aleong

At some point, a film about Jean-Claude Van Damme going out to find his kidney in South Eastern Asia garnered some big expectations. Perhaps it was the inclusion of villain badass Darren Shahlavi. Perhaps it’s because the film is directed by vulgar auteur champion Ernie Barbarash. Perhaps it’s because it has fight choreography by John Salvitti. Very quickly, this movie was racking up ‘cult points.’ Doesn’t matter though, because in the end, Pound of Flesh is disappointing in many regards. The film gathers some momentum going into the second half, thanks mostly to a few emotionally charged moments, but by then it’s still been a rocky ride that never even comes close to be as awesome as the above mentioned attributes should have made the film. Thusly, in a word, it’s disappointing.

Deacon (Van Damme) has never been all that reliable in life outside of his job—a job that really boils down to him walking into places and killing the shit out of everyone inside. When he makes his way to Asia to give his kidney to his niece, who requires it immediately, he is surely going to do one thing right. Unfortunately, he finds himself a target for the ultimate urban myth: waking up in a bathtub full of ice with one kidney gone. With the help of his teacher brother (Ralston), a prostitute (Peters), and an old “business” friend (Aleong), Deacon is going to get his kidney back. And the price is going to be a lot of lives.

A cold reception.

At its core, Pound of Flesh is such a silly concept that it almost had to fail. The entire quest for a stolen kidney is based on some well-worn concepts within the low-budget action genre (let’s beat our way through hoodlums to find our bad guy!), but it just seemed ripe for B/C-grade action clichés from the start. Unfortunately, Pound of Flesh rarely rises above many of its stereotypical plot progressions. There are a few moments of inspired emotional punch, including a rather heartfelt monologue from Van Damme about past mistakes that showcase just how far he has come as an actor from Kickboxer and the finale tugs a bit on the heartstrings more than it should have, but most of the rest of the film is a humdrum affair of random red herrings, generic action beat downs, and Van Damme finding ways to not take off his shaded glasses. We get plenty of brotherly love/hate, some terrible dialogue, and the random inclusion of a prostitute-turned-Van Damme disciple that rarely makes sense, so just run with it, because it’s not going to throw you a curve ball.

Honestly though, this is a straight to home video action flick featuring Van Damme as an organ-missing angel of vengeance, so the clichés and poorly navigated plot progressions are par for the course. It’s the fact that Pound of Flesh fails to even wholly entertain that is most concerning. Ernie Barbarash, who made the generic thriller 6 Bullets with Van Damme a decent watch and also made a fun little actioner with Michael Jai White last year, seems to do some very random things with this film. Firstly, the first big action set piece (when Van Damme goes to a night club with a Bible looking to beat some thugs) is horrendously green screened. Why? Fuck knows. This happens randomly throughout the movie too. There are some of the worst green screen shots I have seen in a long time and that says a lot in itself. Pound of Flesh also tends to be oddly edited, Van Damme’s stunt double is quite obvious at times, and the film’s focus on being taken seriously undermines a lot of the better B-grade aspects it should have utilized to maximum entertainment value. Barbarash usually takes poor scripts and elevates them with decent execution, but Pound of Flesh might be one of his worst.

Kicking it Van Damme style.

It’s not that Pound of Flesh as a film is entirely bad. Van Damme delivers one of his better performances despite the dialogue and plot, the fight work is decent even if a little too brief for my liking, and Shahlavi (RIP) steals every scene he’s in as the only guy that seems to be having fun in the movie, even if he is only the henchman. It’s just that with all of those things combined, this film could have arisen as the little actioner that could to be a cult classic built on solid pieces. As is though, the execution is uneven, the story is wishy-washy, and the focus of the film never seems to be in the right mindset. Perhaps it was the oddly high expectations I had going in, but Pound of Flesh is simply disappointing.

NOTE: It’s sad that this is one of the last films that Shahlavi finished before his untimely passing. He truly was a screen presence full of heart, charm, and larger than life character. It’s great that he was one of the few truly inspired elements of this film. He will surely be missed by all action fans around the world. Rest in peace, Darren Shahlavi. Your scene stealing moments will live on forever.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

6 Bullets (2012)

Director: Ernie Barbarash

Notable Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joe Flanigan, Anna-Louise Plowman, Charlotte Beaumont, Kristopher Van Varenberg, Bianca Van Varenberg, Steve Nicolson, Uriel Emil Pollack, Louis Dempsey, Mark Lewis

The later years of Van Damme’s career are fascinating in many ways. An action star more associated with his off screen antics in the 90s and his cheesy films has seemingly found redemption in the last decade. Whether it be one of the more defining roles as the villain in Expendables 2 or the meta performance delivered in JCVD, the Muscles from Brussels has turned a leaf. Even in a low budget action thriller like 6 Bullets, Van Damme seems intent on adding that extra layer of ‘lost soul’ to a rather by-the-numbers flick. It works very well for him. Partnered with another solid directorial effort from Ernie Barbarash and a solid enough script, 6 Bullets ends up being a rather surprising thriller that had me hooked.

After his arrogance leaves a handful of innocents dead from his mistakes, an ex-mercenary turned detective for hire Samson Gaul (Van Damme) decides to give up his life to find a simpler one as a butcher. When a couple of American tourists lose their daughter to a people traffickers he decides to step back in for one last shot at redemption…and he might ignite a bigger fight than he was expecting.

More like spin kicking in the rain. Am I right?

I’m not trying to say that 6 Bullets is some kind of Oscar worthy film that no one understands. It has its issues, particularly when it comes to its obvious budget and some of the mediocre acting. All I’m saying is that for a straight to home video action thriller affair, 6 Bullets is easily a mark above the regular fodder in the game. It plays its action sequences more for impact of characters than for entertainment (which may deter some fans) and focuses more on the thriller elements. In fact, the opening action set piece that features Van Damme slashing and dashing his way through a brothel and then igniting all the cars in the parking lot with balls of flame might be interpreted as ‘old school Van Damme.’ Which is all the more reflected by his character’s remorse for that style of thinking as he becomes consumed with redeeming himself from his brash past in thoughtful and meaningful choices. Might be an indicator in itself for Jean-Claude about the entire Damme career if you think about it too much.

Not that 6 Bullets is a full on thinking man’s thriller. It follows a decently predictable path of twists and surprises that most fans familiar with the genre will be able to dictate by just reading the synopsis. It does touch on some decent fun here and there (is his friend in the police force a rat?!) with some fun secondary performances. Van Damme’s son, who has now been featured in quite a few of his more recent flicks, struggles a bit here and there but does a fine job in the end and the missing child’s parents seem to be a bit too knowledgeable in violence to be wholly believable. Like I said, it’s not winning any Oscars.

"Do you have time to talk about bringing Van Damme into your life?"

6 Bullets is just a fun film that does an admirable job at justifying some of its dramatic moments for a budget bin kind of flick. The action bits are well shot, the tension is upright to get the job done, and the film generates a solid role for Van Damme. I’m really starting to think that director Ernie Barbarash is a guy to really get behind when it comes to straight to home video action. 6 Bullets is just more proof of that.

Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Quest, The (1996)

Director: Jean-Claude Van Damme
Notable Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Roger Moore, James Remar, Janet Gunn, Jack McGee

Jean-Claude Van Damme, through the 80s and 90s, most certainly did his fair share of bad films. I would venture to guess that by classical film critiquing standards he most definitely never did a 'good' film, even if I love his career that ranged from awesomely bad ("Cyborg") all the way to big budget awesome bad ("Universal Soldier"). Yet nothing in his career had prepared me for "The Quest." In my own quest to work through Van Damme's film career chronologically, not even the hilarious film atrocity that is "Street Fighter" prepared me for the terribleness of "The Quest."

Chris Dubois (Van Damme) has had it rough in his life. He lives on the streets trying to protect the young kids under his guidance and when a theft goes wrong he has to run from the mob to keep the kids safe. After being rescued by a high end con man/pirate (Moore), he ends up helping to devise a plan to win a massive martial arts tournament.

He's sad because he watched this movie.

Don't worry if that synopsis doesn't make sense. The film doesn't either. As much as it attempts to give rhyme and reason to the ridiculousness of its plot, none of it really makes sense as characters do very asinine things for the sake of moving the plot. To begin with, did we really need another hidden martial arts tournament film? Not only that, but the reasons for Van Damme's character to even be there are shoddy in structures and rarely believable. Add on top of that a terrible romantic subplot with the leading lady (who has a truly flat character) and a vomit inducing and supposedly funny sub plot featuring Moore and McGee as bumbling con men and you have a recipe for disaster even before it hits the screen. I mean seriously...street orphans?!

From there, it only gets worse. Van Damme must honestly be a terrible director because he couldn't even make himself look good. Not that acting has ever been a highlight of his early career, but even the action sequences are poorly shot with some of the worst pacing on the planet. Outside of seeing Van Damme in full clown make up running from cops on stilts in the opening, not a single action piece is memorable. The fights at the end are rushed and often poorly choreographed which only adds salt to the wounds. The acting might even be worse. Van Damme phones in his own performance, Moore is obviously disinterested in the film, and even the underground Blood Brothers favorite James Remar gives one of the worst performances of his career. It's like watching the film version of a car wreck. It's horrifying through and through.

This move is called 'awkward split kick.'

That being said, I do have to give this film a rating of one for the simple fact that its so unintentionally funny in its awfulness that I had fun watching it. Never did I find the humor in it funny, but the seriousness of its silly plot, the terrible lines delivered, the attempts at being "cool" in the action...it's all a riot if you go into it with the right mentality.

Even as a big JCVD fan, I have to say this is one to skip. While "Street Fighter" might have been a horrid film in its own right, it was at least campy enough to feel like it didn't need to be good to be entertaining. Outside of the unintentional humor, "The Quest" has nothing going for it. Not a single thing. I only suggest watching this as a party favor for you and your friends to laugh at.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Nowhere To Run (1993)

A "Collateral Dammage" Running Feature Entry

Director: Robert Harmon
Notable Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rosanna Arquette, Kieran Culkin, Joss Ackland, Ted Levine

After the success of "Universal Soldier" in 1992, Jean-Claude Van Damme was on a roll. Just in the next few years he would be an A-list celebrity with hits like "Hard Target," "Timecop," and "Sudden Death." So what about the lesser known "Nowhere To Run" that was released in 93? Could it be the Muscles From Brussels had released an overlooked gem in the midst of all of his awesome action films of the 90s? The short answer is simply no. While "Nowhere To Run" has some occasional moments, the majority of the film is a forgettable affair of predictable plot progressions and lackluster characters. It's easy to see why this film gets looked over.

Sam (Van Damme) has just made a daring prison escape with the help of his friend. Even though his friend died in the process, Sam is desperate to make amends for his previous life and he finds an opportunity when he stumbles into Clydie (Arquette). Clydie has a problem. Her land and house are going to be forced from her hands by a corrupt businessman (Ackland) and his "security" man (Levine), so its up to Sam to make sure this doesn't happen.

Sunglasses make the hero...they really do.

Despite its glorious character actor cast and its rather simple, we've-seen-it-a-thousand-times premise, "Nowhere To Run" is about as forgettable of early action films as they come. Director Robert Harmon (known mostly for his stunning "The Hitcher" film previously) seems to have an eye to keep the action paced well, but most of the issues come from the film's focus on the drama. As much as I love seeing a film about a man seeking redemption and finding it by serving justice to the stepped on, this film gets to be a little...awkward. Some of this has to do with Van Damme's inability to carry the film as the lead. His character is the quiet strong type and while he has the look and presence for it, his ability to act without dialogue can leave a bit to be desired. Not to mention, what dialogue they did have was kind of awkward too. It's great entertainment to see a little 5 year old girl talk about the size of Van Damme's penis. It really is. Really the only person that made a full attempt to act here was Arquette and she sort of gets pushed to the side for the predictable plot. Nothing all that original happens and if you can't guess how it all turns out in the end by the first 15 minutes, you don't watch enough made for TV movies.

Luckily, the film does keep itself at a brisk pace and Harmon keeps the action moving even if most of it comes off as predictable too via the basic script. He has a wicked killer opening with the prison bus break out, but the film sort of meanders from there in its focus on familial drama. We get a relatively fun introduction to Van Damme's character when he first meets the family by kicking ass and there is an over the top motorcycle chase that features a B-grade action worthy Van Damme leap onto his motorcycle to start it. Unfortunately, most of it is not quite memorable enough to carry the film through its ABC formula and it ends up falling flat despite Harmon's best efforts to make it awesome.

Aftermath of an epic gun firing leap.

For Van Damme fans "Nowhere To Run" might tickle the fancy to see him in his perpetually gelled hair and high waisted jeans, but the film lacks flair and stronger action set pieces to set itself aside from the other films he was doing at the time. Hell, the film even lacks the patented 'Van Damme Spin Kick.' While Harmon tries to keep it interesting with thoughtful camera work and some nice visual things, he simply can't save the film form its own poor scripting and some wooden acting performances. This is not the gem I was hoping it would be and its quite obvious why it's overlooked. "Nowhere To Run" is mostly for fans.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Double Impact (1991)

Director: Sheldon Lettich
Notable Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Geoffrey Lewis, Alonna Shaw, Bolo Yeung

With Van Damme's career on the upswing already with underground hits and a few mainstream successes (like the fun "Death Warrant"), it wasn't long until he made it to bigger films. His first of these happens to be the rather odd "Double Impact." Although the general approach to the film is about as cliche as early 90s action films gets, the film pushes itself by forcing the gimmick of having Van Damme play two roles (as twin brothers) to help keep us interested. Strangely enough, it works half of the time. Not that he showcases any kind of great acting prowess here, nor has much a character arc for either role, but watching twice as much Van Damme in a movie certainly carries a B-grade action fun to it.

When a deal goes bad between a few wealthy business partners in Hong Kong, the parents on the receiving end of the bullet leave their twin sons in the world. Alex (Van Damme) is raised as an orphan in Hong Kong to become a rather ruthless street fighter. Chad (also Van Damme) has been raised by his 'Uncle' Frankie (Lewis) at a prestigious Martial Arts school. When Frankie learns about the conspiracy behind the twins' parents assassination, he brings them together in Hong Kong to take down the ruthless drug lord and business man that ruined their lives.

"Who wrote this crappy film?"

Twins separated at birth unite as a spin-kicking duo to take down a ruthless Hong Kong drug lord and a crooked business man? If that doesn't sound like a great silly plot for an action film...then you need to get your head examined. The twins idea is just so ridiculous. I mean, they do the hair differently on each one. They even explain the same accent on each one as one was raised in a French orphanage in Hong Kong (?!?!) and the other was raised as a child in France by his uncle. This shit just keeps getting better! And not only that, but he plays an asshole..for each role! One happens to be a preppy Californian asshole and the other one is a street thug tough guy asshole...but they are still assholes! And when they start nagging each other, it's like B-movie heaven was just created. There is nothing Van Damme does better than half way act as a diva for his films and he does it with glitz here.

Flex. Roll. Flex. Shoot. Flex.

Yeah, that last line was wrong. He does do one thing better than half act as a diva tough guy. Spin kicks. Director/co-writer Lettich seems to understand this. He plods the film along sort of brushing over enough details to get the film going and putting our heroes in some bad situations (even throwing in a weirdly underdeveloped love triangle that culminates in one twin getting drunk, leering, and kicking things during an imagined and very creepy love making sequence plugged with needless nudity), but he does give Van Damme a copious amount of situations to spin kick people. Even if the rest of the action is hum drum at best including some oddly placed slow motion bits and a rather uneventful fight between Van Damme and Bolo Yeung, it's hard not to be entertained by just how often the film piles on the action cheese and then spices it with relentless spin kicking. It's like a catch phrase for Van Damme and "Double Impact" uses it endlessly.

Whatever you do, do not make a drinking game out of his spin kicks. It's suicide.

One thing that did impress was just how tight the film looked. Lettich might not have had the best script to work with here or the best actors to get the job accomplished, but the production values of the film seemed pretty expansive even compared to Van Damme's previous two 90s action films. The sets are relatively cool, in a B-action way considering its like an abandoned resort, some shanty ships, and a weird dance club, and when Lettich wants to add some fun and tension into the film it works. It's not the best, but I certainly wasn't expecting the best.

"Double Impact" is a cheesy action film that relies on us to just have fun with its two Van Dammes are better than one gimmick. If you are willing to ride with its outrageous concept and sometimes silly approach to it, the film is uproariously fun. It has a few great action bits, the comedy is awkward, and Van Damme being an asshole to himself is worth the price of purchase. This is not a film for everyone, but I sure had a blast with it.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning (2012)

Director: John Hyams
Notable Cast: Scott Adkins, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Andrei Arlovski

The "Universal Soldier" franchise is perhaps one of the most fucked up franchises out there. Although it seemingly looks to be cohesive on paper (outside of having two made for TV films that no one remembers or acknowledges), the consistency between films is utter insanity. That goes for this latest entry "Day Of Reckoning". Whether you consider it the sixth entry or the fourth, it really doesn't matter because at this point you might as well just throw everything you know, outside of the first film, out the window. However, that doesn't stop this entry from being the franchise's best sequel, even if it's a mind fuck entry into the series.

John (Adkins) has been through hell. The last thing he remembers is his wife and young daughter being ruthlessly slaughtered by a group of men invading his home. When he awakes from his coma (with memory loss in tow), he is told that his family was killed by Luc Deveraux (Van Damme) a rogue militant man. What John discovers upon returning home is a series of clues that seem to be leading him towards a final confrontation with this man...and a mystery that keeps getting stranger and stranger.

Seems like Adkins and Van Damme sure are in a lot of films together...

If Stanley Kubrick mashed together "Memento" and "Universal Soldier: Regeneration", the end product still wouldn't be as strange and brutal as "Day Of Reckoning." I've used the term arthouse action before to mostly describe unique films of the genre, but this one takes it to a whole new level. When John Hyams took the franchise back in a more serious and brutal direction with "Regeneration", it reinvigorated it. Made it modern, gritty, and borderline depressing. Now he takes it even a step further, applying an almost film noir atmosphere to it, cranking the brutality and grit to maximum, and then letting the viewer try to do their best with making it make sense.

On its own, the film is grating. Hyams uses some odd techniques to give the film a disorienting feeling like a ton of strobe light effects, minimal dialogue, and a ton of twists where the film does little to indicate to the audience where it's going. To this end, it's damn effective. I was completely engrossed with John's journey (played to rather impressive effect by a subtle Scott Adkins) and found myself verbally stating "what the fuck" at some of its more ridiculous turn of events. "Day Of Reckoning" does little to build back story for the series or why Luc Deveraux and Andrew Scott (both reoccuring roles) are where they are now since the last film and in ways it was frustrating. That frustration however only came after I finished the film since I was so intent on seeing this mystery unfold on screen.

Dolph's role might be small, but it's quite memorable.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting such an artistic deviation for the franchise. When a film with the "Universal Solider" tag features Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins, and Andrei Arlovski with John Hyams directing...I'm going for the action. Sure as hell, "Day Of Reckoning" doesn't disappoint on this end. While the film really does build an atmosphere of mystery for its first half occasionally punctuating this with some very gritty fight sequences, it's the last half that owns it's action label. Starting with a car chase (that feels more like a gladiator battle than true chase) and a face off in a sporting goods store where Scott Adkins punches a bowling ball into dust, the film kicks into high gear. It makes random twists in plot, but seemingly always chalks up a solid, and very violent, action sequence to fit in. By the time the finale comes around - featuring Adkins fighting Lundgren and Van Damme - the bar was raised so high only the most intense fighting would be acceptable...and it goes there. Oh yes, it goes there.

The "who's got the machete" game at the end...we've all played that.

"Universal Solider: Day Of Reckoning" is not for everyone. In fact, it may not even be for fans of the franchise since it deviates so drastically from the style and feel of the previous entries. On the other hand, I felt it was a more dangerous and ballsy product that kicks it to being the most intense and strongest film of the franchise thus far. It has enough thick atmosphere and artistic merit to be unique, yet slays with its brutal and brilliant fight work. "Day Of Reckoning" might not be the "Universal Solider" we know, but that doesn't deter the film from being a fantastic viewing experience.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

This is the kind of film that really needs to be seen to be judged. So you might as well pick up your copy at the links below.

Death Warrant (1990)

Director: Deran Sarafian
Notable Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Patrick Kilpatrick, Cynthia Gibb, Robert Guillaume

Growing up one of my favorite action stars was Jean-Claude Van Damme and by now you would have thought I was able to see most of his movies. Yet "Death Warrant", one of his more popular ones and one that he was able to build a chunk of his career on, was a film that I had somehow overlooked. Then they made it available on Blu Ray and I decided it was high time to rectify this situation. In an attempt to work my way through his Damme filmography starting with his 90s films and kicking it off with "Lionheart," the next film up with the elusive "Death Warrant." Although it lacks the heart and depth that surprised me with the previously mentioned film, this actioner does showcase the charm and fight skills of Van Damme even if it places him in some ridiculously odd situations to do said showcasing. "Death Warrant" might not make a whole lot of sense (and when it does its a little cliche), but I'll be honest...it was pretty entertaining.

After Detective Burke (Van Damme) spends a good amount of time and energy going undercover to snag the elusive killer The Sandman (Kilpatrick), his reputation has started to grow. It grows enough that a couple of concerned politicians decide to send him undercover into a penitentiary to investigate some mysterious deaths of the inmates. With a young attorney (Gibb) acting as his wife and partner in the investigation, Burke is ready for almost anything with his strong fighting talents and determination. What he uncovers at the penitentiary though goes much beyond his skill set and its going to take everything he has just not to get killed.

The mustache only makes this more awkward...

At its core, "Death Warrant" is a fairly standard action affair. Tough cop and macho man fighter goes into a prison to find a killer. He has to fight his way to earn some respect. He finds a conspiracy. It all goes to hell. End. It's a fairly predictable plot progression that hits all the right beats in the right places (even throwing in the obvious romantic subplot between Burke and fake wife), so in many ways if you are an action fan you've seen it before. Can't really blame writer Goyer for this one, as it was one of his first scripts, but it does tend to go by the numbers far too much. 

When the film does deviate though...man, it throws it out there. The twist of why the deaths are happening is pretty blatant by the end of the first act, but its how our hero gets there that makes it so strange at times. By the time he goes to visit a red eyed 'godfather' type figure in the prison named Priest who lives in a cage decorated with sheets and keeps a few transvestites at his sides, I was thoroughly entertained by the ridiculousness of the film. It helps that the casting of the film adds quite a bit of charm with Van Damme showing just why he would be a star later on and a supporting cast that seemed to realize just how ridiculous the script was and knocking it up a notch. The overall plot might be predictable, but I'll give it to "Death Warrant" that it did its best to keep us invested the entire time.

Most memorable moment in the film.

Now that I've written two paragraphs on the damn story, let's get to the real reason someone watches a film like "Death Warrant"....THE ACTION! Unfortunately, the action is a little light here. It's relatively meaningful (unlike the ridiculousness of the fights in "Lionheart" which are more entertaining), but overall the lack of strong fights does hinder the film. The film obviously wanted to be more of cop investigation thriller than a straight up action film and this focus does tend to lean the overall experience of action to be disappointing during the film.

That is, until the finale, of course. Here we have the only truly memorable sequence of the whole film. A massive showdown between Burke and The Sandman, man vs man, in a massive underground multi story boiler room. Rarely does it make sense (Why is this boiler room like four stories tall and built like a maze? Why does Sandman open the furnace? Why doesn't Van Damme see that massive wrench flying at him before it slams him in the face?), but when it comes to entertainment I'm willing to suspend my sense of logic and belief. If you do this for the finale, I guarantee you will be entertained.

"Death Warrant" might be a relatively by the numbers action film, but it doesn't get by without some of that charm to make it entertaining. The action is too light, the plot is too goofy at times only to be too serious at the next moment, and it's predictable. It's not a great film by any means, but by God, it has charm with its casting and in its finale. That counts for something, right?

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Lionheart (1990)

Director: Sheldon Lettich
Notable Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Page
Also Known As: "Wrong Bet", "AWOL", and "Full Contact."

After a roundabout of successful low budget films in the late 80s, Jean-Claude Van Damme was ready to break out of the cult standings and into more mainstream work. Enter in 1990's "Lionheart." Where his previous films had him as some sort of godly fighter, the focus of this film gears towards a little more realistic and 'average joe' kind of mentality...if an average joe had some kick ass street fighting skills. Nonetheless, "Lionheart" grasps for a more dramatic and realistic tone and it does wonders to create a rather likeable film - even if it's very cheesy, suffers from a rather low budget, and has some amateurish execution.

When Lyon Gaultier (Van Damme) finds out that his brother was burned horrifically in Los Angeles, he decides he needs to help out his wayward brother and family by any means necessary. By any means necessary, I mean fleeing from his post in the French Foreign Legion stationed in Africa, jumping ship, and making it to America. Unfortunately, his geography isn't very good and he ends up in New York with no one to help him and no money. Luck will be with him though as he befriends a street wise homeless hype man Joshua (Page) who helps him earn some money by street fighting so he can make it to LA. But will the toll of his fierce fighting abilities get him into the wrong crowd or help him seek his lost family?

For a film essentially about a foreign street fighter, "Lionheart" has a lot of...well, heart. It really does focus in on Lyon's struggles against forces that want to desperately use him for those own cause. Some of the films more dramatic and serious moments, the time he spends with his brother's family for example, work quite well to really make the audience feel for his situation. Yes the film can be notoriously cheesy with some of its complications in his goals (including some Foreign Legion folk who are hunting him down that deliver some of the worst lines of dialogue in the film which says somethign when the dialogue is pretty bare bones and silly to begin with) and Jean-Claude gives a rather wooden performance, but in the end I would definitely give the film an 'A' for effort even if the execution is wobbly on its own feet with some awkward scripting.

As for the fighting, its hit or miss. The filmmakers and writers obviously wanted to throw in some unique and memorable sequences to try and push this film to A-list level action and most of it comes off as silly. Fighting a man in a kilt? An empty swimming pool for a street fight surrounded by people in high end clothing sipping champagne? It can very cheesy and for the most part the choreography is a bit slow for the actual fights as Lettich was mostly a screen writer before this and his work as a director is still pretty amateur here. Again I admire the fact that "Lionheart" goes for it and even when its a miss, the film charms itself out of the hole it digs.

For an early 90s romp into low budget action, "Lionheart" is fun and surprisingly charming with its dramatic bits. The relationship between Lyon and Joshua is quite intriguing and the familial tones work out. Jean-Claude is a rather wooden actor still and his performance lacks some of the luster he would gather later on, but its a fun film that tries very hard to do its best despite some of its odd plot twists and weird sexual undertones. It's a movie that I don't visit very often, but when I do its hard not to enjoy it on some levels.

Written By Matt Reifschneider