Product: Legionnaire [VHS]
Rating: 4.0
Surprisingly very good...
This is not the typical chop-socky Van Damme flick. Heck, Van Damme doesn't even do his crescent kick, his cherished trademark. Instead, it's a war movie about the French Foreign Legion in 1925 that is sent to war in Africa. Van Damme plays Alain, a fugitive boxer who signs up with the Legion as a way of escape from gangsters. This all happens within the first 10 or so minutes. The large bulk of the film has Alain befriending his fellow legionnaires and learning the values of friendship even in a time of war. True, this movie is rather predictable and many of the characters seem cliche, but the cinematography, score and (surprisingly) acting are all above average. Even Van Damme pulls off a convincing performance, proving that when he's given a good script, he can be believable. The reason this $40 million film was never released in theaters was because of its downbeat ending. Don't be fooled by its direct-to-video nature, though. This is a good one for the war/action fan.