20 Reasons Why You Rock: Lionheart
Lionheart was a pivotal movie on Jean-Claude Van Damme’s road to Hollywood success.
Prior to the release of Lionheart, Van Damme had built a strong foundation and loyal fan base. But Lionheart took the things that worked in Van Damme’s previous films and added on to them making Lionheart feel next level and making Lionheart rock…
#1- Lionheart reunited Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sheldon Lettich, who had previously collaborated on Van Damme’s breakout film, Bloodsport. Van Damme and Lettich are like the DeNiro/Scorsese of the action movie world.
#2- One of the things that really stands out about Lionheart is the score composed by John Scott and performed by The Munich Symphony Orchestra. Bloodsport and Kickboxer may have had more rocking anthems, but neither of them can lay claim to having a majestic score like Lionheart has.
#3- There was no question at the time Lionheart was released that Jean-Claude Van Damme was going to play the hero in the film. But I believe that Leon may be the most heroic character that JCVD ever played… here was a man who instantly establishes that he will do what he has to do to help his family and what’s not to like about a guy like that?!?
#4- I was a big fan of each of the fights in Lionheart having their own unique venues. There was the circle of cars, the raquetball court and my personal favorite… the partially drained in ground swimming pool. The different fighting environments are a huge plus and help the fights stand out and prevent a movie with multiple fights like Lionheart to feel repetitive.
#5- Leon winning a fight with a single nut shot may not have been the most sportsman like victory for our hero, but you don’t get paid by the hour in the world of underground fighting.
#6- Two of Leon’s fellow Legionnaires are familiar faces to action fans… the Tae Bo master himself Billy Blanks (Showdown and Talons of the Eagle) and the late Stefanos Miltsakakis (Legion of Iron and Fists of Iron). While it is a brief encounter Lionheart did give us JCVD vs. Billy Blanks!
#7- Harrison Page is Lionheart’s scene stealer. Page’s Joshua also has the most well defined character arc in the film. Joshua starts off as a street hustler who realizes he can make some serious dough with Leon. But Joshua proves he does have a heart, probably enhanced by the good nature of Leon, and by the end of the film an unbreakable bond has formed between Joshua and Leon and the two become family.
#8- While the villainous Cynthia character leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion, Cynthia’s right hand man Russell helps bolster the side of evil. Russell was played by the born to be bad, Brian Thompson. Not much is known about Russell, but I’ve always presumed he was an ex-fighter who caught Cynthia’s eye and she moved him into a management position. This would explain why Russell may have a bit of a jealous streak when it comes to Leon, especially the way Cynthia looks at Leon. But nothing can explain the euphoria Russell seems to be experiencing while watching a tape of Attila in action… the look on his face is unforgettable.
#9- Speaking of Attlia… what’s better than having one Qissi Brother in your movie? How about two Qissi Brothers in your movie!?! Attila was the monstrous and mysterious final challenge for Leon and he was played by Abdel Qissi (Abdel would go on to star with JCVD in The Quest and The Order)… Michel Qissi, who will always be Tong Po to me, was one of the two agents sent by the French Foreign Legion to retrieve Leon after he went AWOL.
#10- Another familiar face in Lionheart was Leon’s opponent in the aforementioned swimming pool played by Paco Christian Prieto. Prieto had a much meatier role in another Sheldon Lettich directed film, Only the Strong!
#11- I am a sucker for a good montage, but Lionheart does not have the training montage one would expect from a fighting movie. Instead we get a clothes shopping montage with Leon and Cynthia. But any montage is better than no montage at all.
#12- As a longtime fan of professional wrestling, it is always fun to see a wrestler unexpectedly pop up in a movie… like Tony Halme (aka Ludvig Borga) who plays a security guard during the final fight between Leon and Atilla. Halme’s action movie career would continue in the years that followed Lionheart with roles in Die Hard with a Vengeance, Fist of the North Star and American Tigers.
#13- When Leon and Joshua go grocery shopping they make sure to come home with a box of Hostess Cupcakes… these are men after my own heart.
#14- Here’s a not so startling revelation, life is not perfect and things don’t always go the way we’d like them to. That’s why it is important to make the best of every situation you find yourself in… I respect Hartog (Voyo Goric) and Moustafa (Michel Qissi) for making the best of their situation. After being holed up in a motel room for days if not weeks, staking out the neighborhood of Leon’s family in hopes of bringing in the A.W.O.L. Leon, our two French Foreign Legion minions jump at the chance at grabbing some front row tickets to the Leon vs. Attila fight! After all the long hours they put in, Hartog and Moustafa deserved a night out.
#15- If you can’t get sports historian Bert Sugar for your movie, the next best thing is to get a Bert Sugar wannabe to play the guy handling all the betting action for your fights. Nice hat, by the way.
#16- My favorite line in the movie is uttered by Leon during the final fight after Joshua reveals that he bet on Attila knowing his friend Leon was entering the fight at less than 100% and knowing full well Cynthia had an ace up her sleeve with Attila. It is a short, succinct, sound bite that resonates huge… Leon filled with passion and conviction says “WRONG BET!” Goosebump moment.
#17- The slow clap that is started by a member of Cynthia’s upper crust clientele (played by Clement von Franckenstein) is the greatest slow clap in the history of action movies.
#18- The icing on the cake in the final fight between Leon and Attila is when Russell gets kicked right in the kisser! Stand up and cheer moment.
#19- Cynthia’s walk of shame being escorted by security after she tries to skedaddle when her big bet on Attila does not pay off is a thing of beauty!
#20- The swerve at the end of Lionheart has always confused me to some degree, why did Hartog and Moustafa even go through the charade of hauling Leon back to the French Foreign Legion? And if it was a spur of the moment decision, how did the driver know to stop the car? Those details aside, it is hard to argue with a happy ending and Lionheart has a happy ending that is positively heartwarming.
