Lionheart - MVD Rewind 4K

The Ultimate Van Damme Movie

One of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s classics, Lionheart, gets the 4K treatment from MVD Rewind this week. Any fan should add it to their collection as MVD always gives Van Damme movies the love and care they deserve. 

Lionheart has always been a fan-favorite due to its simplistic structure that retroactively feels like an adaptation of a fighting videogame (I have no doubt that this film influenced the creation of Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat). I’ve always liked it, but I considered it middle of the road in the overall filmography. Watching it four times (I know, I need help) for this, it occurred to me that it might be the ultimate Van Damme movie due to the inclusion of so many mainstays in his films, and that could also explain why it’s a favorite of so many. 

The basic premise is certainly familiar as Van Damme is on a mission to help his brother. The brother is set on fire at the beginning during a drug deal, so the assumption would be that JCVD would be out for vengeance when he arrives. Surprisingly, aside from asking the doctor about it, he lets it go and instead focuses on helping his brother’s widow and child. But the catalyst of the story is still the familiar brother plotline used before and after this film in movies like Kickboxer and Maximum Risk. 

Of course, there’s the tournament-fighting aspect prevalent in many Van Damme classics. 

There’s also the AWOL plot point that was also used in Bloodsport, with two men constantly looking for Van Damme. This film also features him as a member of the French Foreign Legion, which he and writer/director Sheldon Lettich would revisit in Legionnaire.

Harrison Page provides the comedic relief as Van Damme’s guide in this world, which is similar to Kickoxer.

Speaking of Kickboxer, Tong Po actor Michel Qissi appears here (he was also in Bloodsport). Qissi’s brother Abdel plays Attila, and he would go on to play the big bad in The Quest, and show up in The Order, as well.

As Lettich gleefully points out in different special features segments, this is the first time Van Damme shows his bare ass on screen, and it certainly wasn’t the last.

Lettich is a Van Damme mainstay, too, working on Bloodsport (along with Frank Dux, whom Bloodsport is based on and who also worked on The Quest). Lettich went on to direct Double Impact, The Order, and The Hard Corps.

The Quest borrows a lot from this film beyond Dux and Qissi. That film also features Van Damme on a steamer ship (though it’s more period accurate in that one), and it also takes the “fighter from another country wearing a stereotypical outfit” gimmick from this with the Scottish fighter and fucking runs with it (the dude from Spain in The Quest is dressed as a bullfighter, for example). 

Then there’s the obvious Van Damme mainstay of broken English (“He was not enough strong!”). But that can’t be helped in any of his films.

There are only a few things missing that would make this the perfect encapsulation of Van Damme. He doesn’t do the splits. He does a much more toned down version of the roundhouse kick. And his brother isn’t his twin. If JCVD had played his doomed brother at the beginning, and if he had done the splits before hitting that dude in the balls (another similarity: punches to the balls!), then this would have been perfect. 

This is all a bit tongue-in-cheek, but a movie featuring so many common elements from Van Damme’s films makes it a fun, nostalgic watch. It’s easy to see why this is the favorite of so many. As for me, I appreciated it more this time around, though it’s still not among my all-time favorites.

Transfer

The blu-ray already looked great, but this 4K transfer provides the best experience for the film, restoring some of the grain and giving it an ‘80s feel right at home for such a movie. I did notice some imperfections here and there, but this is still the best way to watch the movie.

Special Features

The only new special feature is a moderated commentary with Sheldon Lettich. Lettich is always nice and candid in these things and that’s the case here. It’s not revelatory or anything, and I think I prefer the one he did with Harrison Page for the previous release (which is also included on this release’s blu-ray disc), but it’s certainly better than most commentaries these days which consist of two bloggers fanboying out about the film.

The main takeaway from this new commentary is how much of the film was ad-libbed, like most of Harrison Page’s shit-talking and the “I don’t know if I want fight you or fuck you” line. And he talks about how producer Lawrence Bender ended up in the movie. Bender was meant to just be a rich prick extra, but (surprise, surprise) he ad-libbed some stuff and ended up being a small part of the plot. 

The rest of the special features are from the blu-ray release a few years back, but this is the first I’ve seen of them, so I’ll give my two cents. 

There is a making-of doc that is largely talking head interviews from Lettich, Van Damme, and others. The odd thing about it is that there are a couple more featurettes that are taken from the same interviews used for the making-of. It would’ve been better if they had just made the doc feature length and included everything in one place. Regardless, there are plenty of good stories about the film that any fan would be interested in.

Oh, and I always enjoy the settings the interviewees choose, but Van Damme takes the cake, sitting in front of a fireplace and inexplicably having a rocket on his desk. 

There are a few archival promotional featurettes, as well, that are always interesting just for nostalgia’s sake.

The aforementioned commentary is on this disc and it’s the one to listen to if you’re picking between the two.

Speaking of the commentary, the most unique special feature is an outtake from the recording with Lettich and Page kind of warming up before it starts. I liked this just to see what one of these commentaries looks like behind the scenes.

It isn’t exactly a special feature, but the theatrical cut is only available on the blu-ray disc as the 4K only includes the international cut. 

On the physical side of things, this gets the usual MVD treatment with a slipcover with a distressed poster look, a reversible cover for the plastic case, and a mini-poster.

Overall, casual fans will probably be happy with the previous release. But if you’re like me, and if you’ve read this far I’m assuming that’s the case, then the upgrade to 4K is worth it.

Random Thoughts

The “international cut” is better but it’s not night and day. There are some cuts that are less jarring with the original footage still intact. Overall, it’s the version I would prefer to watch.

Does Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat exist without Van Damme movies like this?

Especially that first fight under the bridge. Dudes wearing hardhats while watching a street fight is right out of Street Fighter II. 

I’ve never understood betting when it’s just a guy holding a fist full of cash taking bets without writing anything down. How the fuck does he ever pay out properly?

“Let’s do lunch some time” is not nearly as good a taunt as “I don’t know if I want to fuck you or fight you.”

The dude on roller skates taking bets during the Scottish dude fight is fucking hilarious. And you know Harrison Page ad-libbed that “Hey, don’t fall down on them skates, boy!” line.

Just saying “Scotland” does not justify a dude wearing a kilt for an underground prize fight.

Van Damme does a lot of cold acting in this. By that I mean he acts like he’s cold a lot, which usually just means holding his collar up (even though his sleeves are rolled up). It makes sense in the New York scenes, but he does it once in the L.A. segment, too, going jogging in the morning with a hoodie on and even blowing hot air into his hands. I’ve never been to L.A., but I just don’t think this is a thing, especially during the time of year in which he just had a fight in a half empty pool with most of the audience in bathing suits.

Force: Five - MVD Rewind

I was excited to check out Force: Five (out now) because I had never heard of it. An ‘80s action movie about putting a team together to take down a Jim Jones-esque cult by primarily using martial arts? Sign me up. I hoped this was either a hidden gem that had been outshone by its louder ‘80s counterparts or a Gymkata-level (it features the same director) exercise in insanity. Sadly, it was neither. 

Force: Five has the elements necessary for a cult classic action movie. The team put together by martial artist Joe Lewis is fine and includes Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, but there’s nothing special about it, even though the helicopter pilot is set up as the “crazy” one. They’re all pretty plain. It reminded me of The Expendables, in that they talk about each other as being “crazy” and “badass,” yet we never get to witness it; we just have to take them at their word that they used to be awesome. The cult they’re tasked with infiltrating is a little more interesting, with martial artist Han Bong-soo as the Jim Jones-like leader. Everyone involved being a martial artist got me excited about the action scenes, at least.

Perhaps part of the problem is my recent watch history, as I watched this right after Duel to the Death, a movie that amazed me with its action choreography. Regardless, I found the action in this basic at best. It’s one of those movies in which goons stand around waiting for their turn to be punched or kicked. 

There were a handful of elements that showed promise. The weird-looking muscle man for the cult, Carl (Bob Schott, more memorable in Gymkata), was amusing. And the politician used as cover for the team getting on the island just decides to get hammered on Jim Beam, which was a fun choice (I think they were going with a Ted Kennedy joke with this character). And then there’s the bull in the maze, easily the weirdest part of the movie. In this martial arts cult, you can be killed two ways: by the leader and special spur-boots, or you get put in a maze with a bull. 

The inclusion of the bull implies there will be copious amounts of gore, but all of the brutal violence is just implied. I’m not gore-dependent when it comes to action movies, but when nothing else is clicking for me, a comical amount of blood and gore can salvage a movie, but this was tame. 

All this written, I’m sure this has a fan base that most likely saw it when it first came out and has a bit of nostalgia for it. I imagine people think the same of me when I gush over a lower-tier Van Damme movie that most people ignored if not out-right hated. It’s just not my thing. Not everything can be Gymkata.

Transfer and Special Features 

For fans of the film, MVD Rewind did right by them with this restoration. It looks great, and the disc comes with everything you’d expect from them: a nice slipcover with old video store elements added on, a reversible cover, and a mini-poster. 

On the special features side, things are a little strange. There’s a lengthy interview with Lewis (who died in 2012) that is mainly about his relationship with Bruce Lee. It’s interesting because it appears to have been done in a hotel room while Lewis was at a fight or convention or something. It’s very loose, and there are many moments when he starts giving the interviewer shit (in a fun way).

There are a couple featurettes with Benny “The Jet.” One seems to be a promotional video meant to get people to buy lessons from him, I assume on video. He just shows a few tips, like how to properly wrap your fists for a fight. The other one is a bit of German footage of a fight, but there are no subtitles for the German narration. The fight is decent, though, as you get to see him win by a knockout in one round. 

None of this is specific to Force: Five, but it’s still interesting enough. Something tells me there’s not a ton of background material available for this film, so what’s here at least gives a bit of background info on a couple of the stars.

Double Impact - MVD Rewind 4K

I wrote about MVD Rewind’s excellent blu-ray release of Double Impact a few years ago, but when they announced a 4K release (out this week), I knew I had to revisit it. And what better movie to double dip than Double Impact. 

Before I get into the specifics of the release, I wanted to get into the movie itself. This is one of my favorite Van Damme movies of all time; it’s up there with Bloodsport and Kickboxer, and that’s the highest praise I can give a JCVD movie. I feel like it gets forgotten as “one of the twin movies” by fans, since he went back to the well two more times (Maximum Risk and Replicant), but this was the first and best effort (and Maximum Risk shouldn’t count as much since his twin dies at the beginning, and Replicant is technically a clone movie).

The twin aspect is a big selling point for me. I like good guy Van Damme well enough, but anti-hero or, better yet, evil Van Damme is even better. The darker twin in this, Alex, is not evil, but he’s pissed off most of the time, and he has some problematic tendencies like drinking, jealousy, and violence. It truly shows Van Damme’s range, and he would go on to give some of his best performances when allowed to be the bad guy (The Expendables 2, Replicant). Double Impact allowed him to have a bit of fun with his image. 

Double Impact was also a chance to move beyond straight martial arts movies. Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and Lionheart are all great, but how many times can Van Damme simply fight in a tournament (a few more, it turns out, but oh well)? This was meant to be a blending of the martial arts genre and a straight action movie with plenty of gunplay and explosions. The poster promises as much: “One packs a punch. One packs a piece.” It turns out both twins pack both punches and pieces, but the intent was there. And the hand to hand fights are still the highlight of the film, but the bigger action set pieces do not disappoint.  

Revisiting this new 4K release just confirmed how I’ve always felt about this movie: two Van Dammes are better than one.

The 4K Release

First off, MVD Rewind knocked it out of the park years ago with the blu-ray release for this film. It looked great, and the special features were abundant, with the stand out being the lengthy two-part documentary. All of that is still included here, along with the 4K disc. 

This isn’t one of those night and day or at long last releases, but this is obviously the best this film has ever, and most likely will ever look. Any serious Van Damme fan should consider the upgrade. And if you don’t already have the blu-ray release, then going with the 4K is a no-brainer.

MVD Rewind knows their audience. Beyond the specific special features for the film, they cater to the nostalgia of the time. The disc begins with a faux-VHS intro, and the slipcover has an old poster look. (For those who prefer a crisp image, both sides of the reversible case cover are crisp.) It seems almost silly to have these VHS affectations for such a technologically advanced transfer of the film, but I like getting the best of both worlds. I’m not one of those people that embrace VHS (though I am more into vinyl than digital music, so what the fuck do I know?), but I do appreciate little nods to the world I grew up in while I enjoy the classics of my childhood in full modern glory.

Random Thoughts

Chad's clothes are hilarious. I know they were going for an opposite situation, but god damn!

Only Van Damme would take someone out “stealthily” by roundhouse kicking them in the face.

This was Van Damme’s attempt to move beyond just martial arts and into more gunplay, and it shows when he does the rolling-on-the-ground-while-shooting thing. Always happy to see that pulled off unironically.

You know you're evil if you party at a place called the Klimax Klub.

Van Damme even fucks in slow motion.

“Brother? Why, because he looks like me? I’m going to change that because I’m going to fuck up his face.”

That boat at the end had video game amounts of exploding barrels on it.

And who the fuck was the electrician on that boat? Just backing into a fuse box electrocutes you? Hong Kong was wild back then.

Say what you will about Griffith and Zhang, but at least they’re the type of villains to get their hands dirty and not leave things up to their minions. They want to be near the action. I mean, it’s stupid as shit on their part, but still, good for them.

Container ships are always a good choice for the ending of an action movie.

“What about my father?” What about your mother, too, Alex? You know, she did take a fucking shotgun blast to the face in front of her infant children.

As Zhang falls to his death, you see a regular worker watching. Dude must’ve been showing up early for day shift and walked into chaos. Imagine just showing up to work to run a crane or whatever and some random twins just fucked up your entire workplace seeking justice for royalties on a tunnel. Do you get royalties for tunnels? What were they entitled to, again?