Lionheart

***Lionheart*** (also known as *Wrong Bet*, *A.W.O.L.: Absent Without Leave*, *Leon*, and *Full Contact*) is a 1990 action film, directed by Sheldon Lettich, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and co-starring Brian Thompson, along with Harrison Page, Deborah Rennard, Lisa Pelikan, and Ashley Johnson.

The film stars Van Damme as a paratrooper legionnaire; when his brother is seriously injured he returns to Los Angeles to enter the underground fighting circuit to raise money for his brother's family.

## Plot

Lyon Gaultier is a paratrooper in the French Foreign Legion, stationed in Djibouti, North Africa. His brother, who is married to an American woman in Los Angeles, is burned alive during a deal gone wrong and suffers third-degree burns, dying shortly afterward. Lyon deserts his legion when they withhold letters from his brother's wife and ultimately refuse to let him see his brother. He steals a jeep and escapes through the desert, finding work on a tramp steamer headed for the U.S. Meanwhile, the Legion commanding officer also travels to the States, arriving at the French Embassy, where he is told that Lyon's desertion is ranked at low importance with the LAPD, so he orders two of his own Legionnaires to do the job.

Lyon arrives in New York City and travels to California to be with his brother's family. Along the way, he meets Joshua, a man who runs
fights for money, and also learns that he cannot avenge his brother's murder, as he failed to identify his killers before dying. Tagging along with Joshua, Lyon meets Cynthia, who organizes underground fights for the rich elite and decides to sponsor him. Figuring that this would be the best way to earn the money his family needs, Lyon fights in no-holds-barred bare-knuckle fights to finance the trip. Once they reach L.A., he tracks down his brother's widow, who is reluctant to accept financial aid, even though she obviously needs it, because she is angry with Lyon for "deserting" his brother years ago. Joshua introduces Lyon in the fighting circuit as the titular "Lionheart," derived from "Lyon." Lyon continues fighting, and Joshua uses the prize money to give to Lyon's sister-in-law in the
form of checks, with Joshua claiming to be from a life insurance firm her husband allegedly subscribed to long ago.

Meanwhile, the two Legionnaires catch up with Lyon in Los Angeles. Lyon fights them off, but suffers a broken rib. Cynthia decides to take advantage of Lyon's string of victories by stacking the odds in favor of a massive, brutal fighter named *"Attila the Hun"*, who has so far been unbeatable. Cynthia stacks the odds by smuggling an video of Atilla fighting poorly from one of his earlier bouts, which as expected fails to impress the oddsmakers. Cynthia later reveals Attila's true prowess to the Legionnaires, and she promises to deliver Lyon to them after he has been thoroughly humiliated and beaten. The Legionnaires agree to this, provided they can be in the audience.

Lyon's fight with Atilla is hampered by his broken rib. Atilla's trademark (deliberately withheld from Lyon) is to let his opponent tire
themselves out before viciously breaking them, often killing them in the process. When it appears "Attila" has won, Joshua begs Lyon to give up, revealing that they were both used by Cynthia. Joshua, for the best of reasons (Lionheart's family), placed all of his own money on Attila as a form of "insurance," as all the odds are against Lyon winning. Lyon, angered by this news, bounces back and summons up all his remaining strength to defeat Atilla subduing but not killing him. While bookies sideline Cynthia demanding she pay up, the Legionaries capture Lyon. They escort him back to the apartment, where they give him some time to say his goodbyes before being deported back to Africa, where he will be court-martialed for desertion. Lyon tells his niece that he must go but try to look for times when
life can be good, which is emotional as she does not understand. However, just down the road, moved by the family's heartbreak, the Legionnaries decide to let Lyon go. They believe he has shown the Legion's values of honor, determination and service to others, both during the fight and helping out the family, and wish him luck in his new life in America. Ultimately, Lyon is shown running back to a pleased Joshua and joyous family.

## Cast

* Jean-Claude Van Damme as Lyon Gaultier
* Harrison Page as Joshua Eldridge
* Deborah Rennard as Cynthia
* Lisa Pelikan as Hélène Gaultier
* Ashley Johnson as Nicole Gaultier
* Brian Thompson as Russell
* Voyo Goric as Sgt. Hartog
* Michel Qissi as Moustafa
* Abdel Qissi as Attila the Hun