Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take an Van Damme underrated, epic war, drama film, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.
Legionnaire (1998) in my opinion it is a solid good war drama movie. I like this movie a lot since I was a kid, I rent the VHS tape and I like it, I watch it on TV and I like it. This is different solid performance from Van Damme, who actually went making a different movie, from his action movies by showing that he can act! This movie did worked perfectly for me. Is not one of my Van Damme favorite films, but it is still entertaining solid enjoyable Van Damme movie. The film is about courage, loyalty, love and true friendship. That is what I like about this movie. It is hell a lot of better than stupid The Quest (1996) I hated that movie from Van Damme, that was one of his worst movies ever! Legionnaire is the opposite about that bombed film. Van Damme did a solid acting performance for me.
However this film has a major problems and a flaws that are really not explained at all. The acting in this movie was good but the film is a "whole" pretty slow paced & boring at times, plus the film needed better ending, that explained what happened to his women? I think I do remember hearing that this film was suppose to hit big screen, but since his recent films wasn't making the big money like his early 90's flicks ,it went to VHS. Van Damme was trying his acting out without any of his famous kicks and head butts which feel flat. Still I think this movie is hell out better than Street Fighter (1995) that I also really hated.
This was the second time Van Damme played a Legionnaire, the first time he played a Legionnaire was in Lionheart (1990) my favorite Van Damme film! But this time Van Damme play's a boxer who suppose to lose a fight in the second round and he should went on a dive, but he won the fight instead, on the run from the mobsters, they tried to killed Van Damme, in self defense Van Damme kills one of the mobsters brother and than flees to the Legion. I liked about this movie that it was set in the earliest 20th century, I like it that is was historical event and I like it the acting in this movie, the true friendship and loyalty in the war in the film. I had no idea Steven Berkoff was in this movie, I mostly remember him from my favorite action movie Beverly Hills Cop (1984) which he did an awesome villain, but this time he is a commanding officer of the legionnaires. Peter MacDonald did a great job directing this war movie. He gave us Rambo III (1988), so I don't think this movie is awful bad or terrible, it is pretty good War drama film. I like the theme score which, is a good score for this film, the similar score was used in Lionheart (1990), just it was different score from John Altman. In Lionheart John Scott made the music for the film, in here it was John Altman who made a score for this film.
Legionnaire is a 1998 war film set in the year 1925 and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Alain Lefevre, a French boxer on the run from the Marseilles Mafia for refusing to fix a fight. Lefevre then joins the French Foreign Legion to escape the assassins who are trying to kill him. The decision puts Alain into the middle of the Rif War in French Morocco. The battles shown in the film are based upon real events. Abd-El Krim (Kamel Krifa) was a real life leader of the Rif/Berber rebels who were trying to force the French out of North Africa. Though the film ends with Abd-El Krim victorious, in real life, after early defeats, the French and Spanish ultimately threw a quarter of a million troops at him and his rebels, and Abd-El Krim was defeated and exiled after a bloody 10 month campaign.
I am giving this movie a 7, because the movie deserves it, it is not my favorite Van Damme movie, but it is still a good one. If there where not have been a slow paces and boring scenes sometimes, I would gave this movie a 10. But it is a 7, good movie.
7/10 Grade: B Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Steven Berkoff, Nicholas Farrell, Nicholas Farrell, Jim Carter, Ana Sofrenović,Daniel Caltagirone, Joseph Long Director: Peter MacDonald Producers: Christian Halsey Solomon, Kamel Krifa, Sheldon Lettich, Peter MacDonald, Roberto Malerba, Richard G. Murphy, Edward R. Pressman, Jean-Claude Van Damme Screenplay: Sheldon Lettich, Rebecca Morrison, Jean-Claude Van Damme Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 39 Mins. Budget: $20.000.000 Box Office: $8,162,450
Legionnaire (1998) in my opinion it is a solid good war drama movie. I like this movie a lot since I was a kid, I rent the VHS tape and I like it, I watch it on TV and I like it. This is different solid performance from Van Damme, who actually went making a different movie, from his action movies by showing that he can act! This movie did worked perfectly for me. Is not one of my Van Damme favorite films, but it is still entertaining solid enjoyable Van Damme movie. The film is about courage, loyalty, love and true friendship. That is what I like about this movie. It is hell a lot of better than stupid The Quest (1996) I hated that movie from Van Damme, that was one of his worst movies ever! Legionnaire is the opposite about that bombed film. Van Damme did a solid acting performance for me.
However this film has a major problems and a flaws that are really not explained at all. The acting in this movie was good but the film is a "whole" pretty slow paced & boring at times, plus the film needed better ending, that explained what happened to his women? I think I do remember hearing that this film was suppose to hit big screen, but since his recent films wasn't making the big money like his early 90's flicks ,it went to VHS. Van Damme was trying his acting out without any of his famous kicks and head butts which feel flat. Still I think this movie is hell out better than Street Fighter (1995) that I also really hated.
This was the second time Van Damme played a Legionnaire, the first time he played a Legionnaire was in Lionheart (1990) my favorite Van Damme film! But this time Van Damme play's a boxer who suppose to lose a fight in the second round and he should went on a dive, but he won the fight instead, on the run from the mobsters, they tried to killed Van Damme, in self defense Van Damme kills one of the mobsters brother and than flees to the Legion. I liked about this movie that it was set in the earliest 20th century, I like it that is was historical event and I like it the acting in this movie, the true friendship and loyalty in the war in the film. I had no idea Steven Berkoff was in this movie, I mostly remember him from my favorite action movie Beverly Hills Cop (1984) which he did an awesome villain, but this time he is a commanding officer of the legionnaires. Peter MacDonald did a great job directing this war movie. He gave us Rambo III (1988), so I don't think this movie is awful bad or terrible, it is pretty good War drama film. I like the theme score which, is a good score for this film, the similar score was used in Lionheart (1990), just it was different score from John Altman. In Lionheart John Scott made the music for the film, in here it was John Altman who made a score for this film.
Legionnaire is a 1998 war film set in the year 1925 and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Alain Lefevre, a French boxer on the run from the Marseilles Mafia for refusing to fix a fight. Lefevre then joins the French Foreign Legion to escape the assassins who are trying to kill him. The decision puts Alain into the middle of the Rif War in French Morocco. The battles shown in the film are based upon real events. Abd-El Krim (Kamel Krifa) was a real life leader of the Rif/Berber rebels who were trying to force the French out of North Africa. Though the film ends with Abd-El Krim victorious, in real life, after early defeats, the French and Spanish ultimately threw a quarter of a million troops at him and his rebels, and Abd-El Krim was defeated and exiled after a bloody 10 month campaign.
I am giving this movie a 7, because the movie deserves it, it is not my favorite Van Damme movie, but it is still a good one. If there where not have been a slow paces and boring scenes sometimes, I would gave this movie a 10. But it is a 7, good movie.
7/10 Grade: B Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Steven Berkoff, Nicholas Farrell, Nicholas Farrell, Jim Carter, Ana Sofrenović,Daniel Caltagirone, Joseph Long Director: Peter MacDonald Producers: Christian Halsey Solomon, Kamel Krifa, Sheldon Lettich, Peter MacDonald, Roberto Malerba, Richard G. Murphy, Edward R. Pressman, Jean-Claude Van Damme Screenplay: Sheldon Lettich, Rebecca Morrison, Jean-Claude Van Damme Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 39 Mins. Budget: $20.000.000 Box Office: $8,162,450