Legionnaire

Legionnaire

Director: Peter MacDonald

Year: 1998

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbage and Nicholas Farrell

     Slapping Van Damme's name on a film gives you the impression that this is going to be an action movie. To some, this might disappoint, because this is anything but that. What I personally like about Legionnaire is that Van Damme is able to show how versatile he can be, both in front and behind the camera. This film is one of the many times Van Damme was involved with the script and producing. 

     Tho story is rather simple: Van Damme plays Alain Lefevre, a boxer who is paid to take a dive. After beating his opponent, he decides to escape by enlisting in the French Foreign Legion. Thinking he has left his old life behind, he enters a new one that isn't much better than outrunning his debts. The conditions are terrible, and they are forced to march all the way across the desert to a French stronghold. His past catches up with him as two henchmen from Paris (whom you'll recognize from the opening scenes) arrive with another platoon. The film ends with Van Damme emerging victorious as the last man standing in beaten down, desolate stronghold. 

     Like I said, the plot is simple. It's got some great combat scenes as Lefevre's platoon is attacked, and the final climactic battle is exciting. Unlike other Van Damme films, the action is downplayed. Van Damme plays a character with more depth than usual in this film, and the plot doesn't rely on his roundhouse kick-boxing bad assery. Many would disagree, but I feel like Van Damme shows off his acting chops in this film. 

     The French Foreign Legion is not a military unit you ever see in films, in fact I can only think of one other, the Gene Hackman 1977 film March or Die. It's interesting to see what kind of outfit this is. The French Foreign Legion literally took anybody, from any background, from any race. It creates an opportunity to have some very colourful characters, as the Legion probably had over the years. That's one thing the film did right. It had a cast of characters that were literally from all over the world, and came from different backgrounds. Nicholas Farrel plays a disgraced Major from the British Army, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbage plays an American who fled because of injustice. Daniel Caltagirone adds humor to the film as an Italian who wants to impress his love back home. These characters all have back stories, similar to Lefevre's, and the film takes advantage of that.

      Legionnaire is a good film. Personally, it's one of my favourite Van Damme performances. It allows him to play a real character, one with emotional depth, which is why I think a lot of people wouldn't take kindly to this one. Forget that Van Damme and do the splits, and really appreciate how hard he worked on this film. If you take anything away from this film, I'd want it to be that.