This Van Damme outing isn't a success because it has "all the right ingredients"; rather, it's a success because it's just so different to the rest of his output. Gone are the brutal martial arts tournaments and battles with hired killers; instead, what we have here is a well-paced tale of heroism, warfare, and man's loyalty to his fellow man. Strong acting from the supporting cast - not to mention Van Damme, who can be all right when given the right type of character - and some excellent desert locations, filmed in Morocco, give LEGIONNAIRE an edge over most of its ilk, and it's a crying shame that this went straight-to-video when bigger-budgeted but poorer movies manage to make it to the cinema screens.
This is Van Damme's most adult film to date, a film which realistically deals with friendship in times of danger. Not only is it a film which is pleasing to watch - the beautifully arid desert locations are complemented by a fine score and good cinematography, whilst the action sequences which depict huge battles full of explosions and the like are well-choreographed and visually excellent - but it's also a good-natured movie which stays with you after the close and leaves you with a good feeling inside, even despite a downbeat ending.
The supporting cast, which includes an excellent Nicholas Farrell and Steven Berkoff, is also uniformly excellent, marred only by the occasional stereotype (the maniac mobster, played over-the-top by Jim Carter, or the strict platoon leader), and the film is awash with good performances. A slower-paced yarn, this takes time to build up the characters and make you care about them before shocking us with high body counts in the war sequences and unflinching deaths for the heroes. Although the story is familiar from all the films that have come before it, LEGIONNAIRE stands true as a good genre film and just goes to show that serious, intelligent action flicks can still be made in this day and age. Someone finally realised it isn't all just about special effects and stunts.
This is Van Damme's most adult film to date, a film which realistically deals with friendship in times of danger. Not only is it a film which is pleasing to watch - the beautifully arid desert locations are complemented by a fine score and good cinematography, whilst the action sequences which depict huge battles full of explosions and the like are well-choreographed and visually excellent - but it's also a good-natured movie which stays with you after the close and leaves you with a good feeling inside, even despite a downbeat ending.
The supporting cast, which includes an excellent Nicholas Farrell and Steven Berkoff, is also uniformly excellent, marred only by the occasional stereotype (the maniac mobster, played over-the-top by Jim Carter, or the strict platoon leader), and the film is awash with good performances. A slower-paced yarn, this takes time to build up the characters and make you care about them before shocking us with high body counts in the war sequences and unflinching deaths for the heroes. Although the story is familiar from all the films that have come before it, LEGIONNAIRE stands true as a good genre film and just goes to show that serious, intelligent action flicks can still be made in this day and age. Someone finally realised it isn't all just about special effects and stunts.