The star-studded cast is headed by Richard Thomas (The Waltons) as Paul Baumer, and includes such award-winning actors as Ernest Borgnine, Ian Holm, and Patricia Neal. As both narrator and star, Thomas occasionally seems to reincarnate his familiar John-Boy persona, but creates a character that has many more levels than that television alter ego. Watching Paul as he watches all of his high school buddies die is a highly emotional experience. He returns to his home a different person, conflicted in his feelings about the Army and war, evolving from an idealistic schoolboy to a fearful and humble veteran.
The scenery and costuming in this period piece are well done, and surely contributed to its winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Made for TV. Also contributing to the greatness of the film are the exceptional cinematography and special effects that, while realistically gruesome, truly emphasize the horrors of war. --Zachary Lively
Running Time 131 Min
Format: DVD MOVIE
Customer Reviews:
Great War Film!.......2007-05-25
This is one of the best war films ever made. I've seen the first version also. This film is an improvement over the original although the original was done well with what they had back in early years of film. What really makes this war film great is that it doesn't glorify war at all but shows you the death and destruction of war. This film should be mandatory in all high schools! The book is very good also. The book is more descriptive than the movie. What happens to Paul in this film is happening to our young men and women in Iraq right now!!
The "Johnboy" version of AQWF is truly awful.......2007-05-01
This film might be okay for the general public or high school classroom, but this film brings almost nothing to the table for WWI buffs or lovers of the novel. It's hard to mention anything good about this film other than the fact that it is not as dated as the original film and is also in color.
Earnest Borgnine's casting as Kat is simply laughable. The boys' mentor in the trenches, the "old man," was "old" only in comparison to the teen-aged boys who surrounded him. The battle scenes do not inspire fear or horror. Equipment, uniforms, and sets are inaccurate and "made for TV quality" at best. The acting is wooden and hallow.
This film is a waste of time and is scornfully referred to as "the Johnboy version" by WWI buffs. It is universally reviled.
All Quiet on the Western Front.......2007-01-18
Great war documentary of WWI, there is very little available that shows this period in history on the front, but this one is a classic.
ALL QUIT ON THE WESTERN FRONT.......2007-01-17
I really enjoyed this movie. Not the typical "John Boy" movie. I have not seen the original, although I have recently purchased it. I will be able to make a better comparison once I have seen it. By itself, however, it holds it's own.
All Quiet on the Western Front DVD.......2007-01-10
The DVD followed the novel fairly well, however, I did prefer the book over the movie.
Average customer rating:
- Good direct to TV movie
- one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ...
- van damme at his best
- B Budget At Best
- "I will break you, then re-make you!"
|
Legionnaire
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje , Steven Berkoff , Nicholas Farrell , and Jim Carter
Director: Peter MacDonald
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
 General
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| ( B )
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| ( C )
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Similar Items:
- Desert Heat
- The Quest
- Lionheart
- Replicant
- Sudden Death
ASIN: 6305259429
Release Date: 1999-02-09 |
Amazon.com
Exiled to a video-only release when its distributor balked after the flop of Jean-Claude Van Damme's previous film Knock Off, this lavish adventure deserved a chance at theatrical success. Action icon Van Damme recasts himself as a tragic romantic hero in this entertaining old-fashioned adventure with a modern sensibility. "The Muscles from Brussels" is no Brando, but he acquits himself nicely as a cocky boxer who double-crosses a Marseilles mobster and joins the French Foreign Legion when his half-baked plan backfires with tragic consequences. Surrounded by a better than usual cast (including Steven Berkoff as a Teutonic drill sergeant, Jim Carter as the ruthless ganglord, and Nicholas Farrell as a gentleman soldier with a taste for gambling and a dark past), Van Damme's dour performance sometimes gets lost in the colorful characters around him. But that's okay--there's adventure enough to go around and he's willing to share it. The Marseilles scenes evoke a quaint movie past with their smoky bars and shadowy streets, but the film is reborn as an ambitious, stoic platoon drama in the sands of French Morocco. Legionnaire alludes to classic films from Beau Geste to Casablanca to Lawrence of Arabia, but ultimately marches its own macho course, reveling in testosterone-driven heroics and bonding-under-fire while acknowledging the irony of its colonial mission ("We're the intruders," realizes one soldier). It's a calculated risk for Van Damme (who also cowrote and coproduced), but if Legionnaire never quite grasps the epic scope it's reaching for, it remains one of his best films, a handsome, exciting, and surprisingly grim desert adventure. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
Good direct to TV movie.......2007-01-21
I think this is direct to TV, I certainly never heard of it in the theaters.
Jean Claude Van Damme stars as a boxer who is supposed to throw a fight. When he meets his old girlfriend who he stiffed at their wedding he decides to run away with her. This doesn't work out and he decides to run away to join the French Foreign Legion. He knows that it is going to be bad going in but has to do it. I wish they would have explained a little more of exactly why he joined but that is really the only major flaw in the movie. The interaction between the main charcters who Jean Claude meets is the shining point in the movie. Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje's(Oz, Lost) southern accent was odd to hear. It didn't fully work for me but it is always great to see him on screen. Everybody is great and they stick by each other no matter what and everybody just does a brilliant acting job overall. Jean Claude's facial expressions looked stiff for the most part but he was the worst of the bunch and still did pretty good for himself.
While fighting battles with no of chance winning, some of Jean Claude's past catches up with him but the heart of the story is between the main characters and the story remains that way until the end which was a good choice.
I was completely surprised this wasn't your standard B-action flick. It is actually a very good movie with great sets and superb battle scenes. The cinematography in the desert is one of the finer points of the movie. No stylized action and the movie is all the better for it. We don't need to see Jean Claude doing super kicks and taking out everybody who has a gun with his bare 2 hands. We have seen that way too many times. You could tell it was right at this point in his career that he wanted to start doing better movies and he has put out about 4 good movies since this. Things are definitely looking up for the man who's first starring role was in Ng See Yuen's 'No Retreat, No Surrender'(AKA Karate Tiger). The movie gets a 3.5 from me but I can only pick a 3 or a 4. I don't know if I would watch it again since I am a hardcore action junkie but it was damn good movie.
This is a great DVD release from Sterling Entertainment. Picture is widecreened in a letterboxed format. Only 2-channel sound but still pretty good.
Special features include a 7 minute behind the scenes. It has an interview with one of the producers where he talks about Jean Claude. It also has an interview with the director and you get a little bit of a look behind the scenes.
There is a French Foreign Legion section and has a good interview with an historian. This is very good information wise and briefly tells how the Legion came to be and a bit about what happens after this movie. Best special feature on here. Also in this section is a very brief recent look at the FFL, text given on descriptions of weapons used, and a still gallery of filming the movie.
There is also a commentary with the writer of the movie.
The back of the DVD case also says that it has a commentary from a FFL expert and I was very disappointed not to find that on the disc.
one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ..........2006-06-09
Was that even a Van Damme film ? ... oh well , that's how I would discribe this Van Damme film .
Great sets , Great locations , Great costumes , Great props , ok acting ... this is Van damme after all !
The only 2 things I could complain about is the fact that Van Damme was a little bit cheesy about being proud to be a LEGIONAIRE and the ending ( I wont spoil it) .... it just seemed prodictable to me .
All in all , this is a good film and I recommend this as one of the best Van Damme films .
van damme at his best .......2006-05-13
love this movie jean claude van damme at his best great fun for all action fans do not miss this one
B Budget At Best.......2006-03-15
This is NOT one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's better efforts. Lots of special effects, blood and gore, but very light on acting. Historically, I'm sure the members of the LEGION ETRANGERE (French Foreign Legion), are laughing themselves silly, or rolling in their honorable graves.
"I will break you, then re-make you!".......2005-12-11
Definitely a good movie, Legionnaire, brings to the screen the story of a French boxer, who refuses to take part in a rigged match resulting in his joining the Foreign Legion.
It is the 1920's. France's North African colonies are experiencing Arab national revolutions and the French Foreign Legion is looking for new recruits in Europe as they sense their hold is weakening.
The movie is action packed, the special effects are great, the acting is excellent and the cast are wonderful.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Berkoff, Nicholas Farrell, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Consequently, they have done a superb job of providing an entertaining film that can be watched over and over again.
There is a wonderful feel of History; the clash between the French and Arabs is as fascinating as the interaction between the different nationalities found within the Legion, and both are presented very well in the film.
History, Battles, Intrigue, Duty, and Honor are all about.
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, the costumes, and the music are all wonderful!
The film combines romance, drama, action and adventure making it a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection!
Average customer rating:
- Why I don't outright hate this is beyond me
- TMR
- Kinda fun
- UGGGH! Save your money!
- How a sequel ought to be done.
|
The Mummy Returns (Full Screen Collector's Edition)
Starring: Donna Air , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje , Alun Armstrong , Freddie Boath , and Bruce Byron
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
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| ( F )
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| ( H )
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| ( T )
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| ( V )
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Similar Items:
- The Mummy [HD DVD]
- The Scorpion King (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
- Lara Croft - Tomb Raider (Special Collector's Edition)
- Men in Black II (Widescreen Special Edition)
- Jurassic Park III (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
ASIN: B00005N5S4
Release Date: 2001-10-02 |
Amazon.com
Proving that bigger is rarely better, The Mummy Returns serves up so much action and so many computer-generated effects that it quickly grows exhausting. In his zeal to establish a lucrative franchise, writer-director Stephen Sommers dispenses with such trivial matters as character development and plot logic, and charges headlong into an almost random buffet of minimum story and maximum mayhem, beginning with a prologue establishing the ominous fate of the Scorpion King (played by World Wrestling Federation star the Rock, in a cameo teaser for his later starring role in--you guessed it--The Scorpion King). Dormant for 5,000 years, under control of the Egyptian god Anubis, the Scorpion King will rise again in 1933, which is where we find The Mummy's returning heroes Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, now married and scouring Egyptian ruins with their 8-year-old son, Alex (Freddie Boath).
John Hannah (as Weisz's brother) and Oded Fehr (as mystical warrior Ardeth Bay) also return from The Mummy, and trouble begins when Alex dons the Scorpion King's ancient bracelet, coveted by the evil mummy Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), who's been revived by... oh, but does any of this matter? With a plot so disposable that it's impossible to care about anything that happens, The Mummy Returns is best enjoyed as an intermittently amusing and physically impressive monument of Hollywood machinery, with gorgeous sets that scream for a better showcase, and digital trickery that tops its predecessor in ambition, if not in payoff. By the time our heroes encounter a hoard of ravenous pygmy mummies, you'll probably enjoy this movie in spite of itself. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Why I don't outright hate this is beyond me.......2007-04-16
Director Stephen Sommers is responsible for some of the more questionable box-office films I've ever seen. Unlike Uwe Boll who has the box office match his talent (read: none), Sommers' films have actually been successful for the most part but right afterwards, people say how awful they were which is kind of funny. Among them is the sequel to the blockbuster hit the Mummy which had good effects but a super bad story but of course the latter is irrevelant if the film made money, hence we have the Mummy Returns where the keyword is "more": more effects, setpieces, characters, and all-around dumbness.
Set 9 years after the last film, Rick and Evelyn have gotten married and have a child named Alex. They get caught up in a rescue mission when Alex is kidnapped since he wears the Bracelet of Anubis, which ties into the Scorpion King, an ancient powerful warrior who's about to be resurrected. Killer of the Scorpion King can command a massive army so people decide to resurrect Ihmotep, our mummy from the first film. And once again, Rick and Evelyn along with Ardeth Bay and Evelyn's brother Jonathan have to once again avert disaster.
It's surprising to see that despite the special effects advancements over the years, the Mummy films have always had way too obvious CG. It has nothing to do with compositing and placing them in the scene that makes them look natural and not just pasted on but there's something off about the effects, like they're too texture-y and light. Nowhere is this more apparent than the Scorpion King himself and I won't spoil it but basically, I've seen Diablo II have better looking characters. However, one advancement that should've got more recognition is the big battle scenes involving thousands of armies. While it's old-hat now thanks to films like Kingdom of Heaven, Troy, Alexander and the Lord of the Rings films, this just looks better to me. The set pieces also don't have the grandiose nature from the first film. A massive tidal wave didn't have the impact of seeing a sandstorm from the last one and it makes this film obviously inferior to the first one.
A film like this doesn't need an in-depth story. It's a summer blockbuster and knows it; you come for the thrills and visuals, not to be riveted by dialogue exchanges and character development. But still, this is kind of a stupid story. A bracelet of something will reveal the location of someone allowing a something to defeat that someone and able to command something is basically the plot and we jump from location to location and have little mini-adventures along the way. There's a sequence involving tiny pygmy mummies (but I call them monkeys) that is not only unintentionally funny but it completely apes off a similar scene in the Lost World: Jurassic Park. Or maybe I'm just complaining too much.
There's not really a lot to recommend here. Most movies have at least something to recommend, whether it's the visuals, the acting, or just the plain strangeness of enjoying something so dumb. I don't completely hate it and why that is is kinda baffling.
TMR.......2007-03-20
If you loved the first offering, you'll love this sequel. Not only does ALL the major cast come back, but they come back well. You get more of everything the first one had to offer. Suspense, comic relief, awe. By the time this one ends, you're almost rooting for Imhotep. The only thing I found lacking was the cee-gee model of "The Rock" as the Scorpion King.
Kinda fun.......2007-03-03
For some reason, I enjoyed this movie more than the first one, perhaps because my expectations had been lowered by the original film. Maybe I was just in the mood to see a lot of things blow up real good. There's not much point describing the plot, because it's only a flimsy skeleton upon which to hang the action sequences, which go on pretty much non-stop from beginning to end. Everything is completely predictable, but it's humorous and moves fast. It's easily the best of the Mummy trilogy (counting "Scorpion King"), but that's not saying much.
UGGGH! Save your money!.......2007-01-10
This is THE WORST movie sequel I have ever seen. It was so terrible that it inspired me to write my first movie review ever on Amazon. Where's my receipt? You might enjoy this flick if you're less than 10 years old AND in possession of a single digit IQ. It's a huge disappointment following the original Mummy flick. I would like to give it a negative star.
How a sequel ought to be done........2006-11-04
This movie is a perfect example of how a sequel ought to be done. We pick up with the same characters--no changes, no retconning, and no disappointing surprises. Sequels like Men in Black II, Ghostbusters II, or Back to the Future II let us down because the sequels do not follow logically from the first movie. With MIB II, we expected to see Agents Jay and Elle paired up, with Agent Kay living happily ever after--no such luck. Then the cameo of Michael Jackson was pure flatulence. And that is just the casting, not the script.
The Mummy Returns avoids all of this. In fact, I was impressed to see Patricia Velasquez reprising her short role of Anck Su Namun. Yes! Same character with the same actress! This show the care and forethought that went into this film. And thought Ben Kingsly was a likeable character and a stellar actor, he was not brought back to life just for ratings. Yum!
I ma impressed how the scriptwriter and the director are able to manage the smaller characters. We instantly connect with young Alex O'Connell or pirate-pilot Izzy Buttons, who replaces the equally charming Captain Havlock from Mummy I. BEST SCENE: the two gremlins fighting over the dynamite stick.
I am also impressed how they kept the "vibe" of the first film. There was no attempt to make the film funny, or more serious, or more horrific. We just see an extrapolation and a continuation of the fun we saw in the first film.
The only flaw is one of the financing. As with most heavy-CGI films, the closer to the end of the move, the worse the special effects get, because the money runs out. I wished that had pulled a George Lucas and redone the effects for DVD release. Since the movie was a hit, the would have recouped their money on the DVD release, TV runs, 10th, 25th, 50th and 75th anniversary re-releases of the movie. Yes, this movie is a good as the Golden Age Classics, or Wizard of Oz.
Average customer rating:
- Good direct to TV movie
- one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ...
- van damme at his best
- B Budget At Best
- "I will break you, then re-make you!"
|
Legionnaire
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje , Steven Berkoff , Nicholas Farrell , and Jim Carter
Director: Peter MacDonald
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
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Jean-Claude Van Damme
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| ( B )
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| ( C )
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Damme, Jean Claude Van
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Similar Items:
- Desert Heat
- The Quest
- Lionheart
- Replicant
- Sudden Death
ASIN: B00002NDKW
Release Date: 2001-05-22 |
Amazon.com
Exiled to a video-only release when its distributor balked after the flop of Jean-Claude Van Damme's previous film Knock Off, this lavish adventure deserved a chance at theatrical success. Action icon Van Damme recasts himself as a tragic romantic hero in this entertaining old-fashioned adventure with a modern sensibility. "The Muscles from Brussels" is no Brando, but he acquits himself nicely as a cocky boxer who double-crosses a Marseilles mobster and joins the French Foreign Legion when his half-baked plan backfires with tragic consequences. Surrounded by a better than usual cast (including Steven Berkoff as a Teutonic drill sergeant, Jim Carter as the ruthless ganglord, and Nicholas Farrell as a gentleman soldier with a taste for gambling and a dark past), Van Damme's dour performance sometimes gets lost in the colorful characters around him. But that's okay--there's adventure enough to go around and he's willing to share it. The Marseilles scenes evoke a quaint movie past with their smoky bars and shadowy streets, but the film is reborn as an ambitious, stoic platoon drama in the sands of French Morocco. Legionnaire alludes to classic films from Beau Geste to Casablanca to Lawrence of Arabia, but ultimately marches its own macho course, reveling in testosterone-driven heroics and bonding-under-fire while acknowledging the irony of its colonial mission ("We're the intruders," realizes one soldier). It's a calculated risk for Van Damme (who also cowrote and coproduced), but if Legionnaire never quite grasps the epic scope it's reaching for, it remains one of his best films, a handsome, exciting, and surprisingly grim desert adventure. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
Good direct to TV movie.......2007-01-21
I think this is direct to TV, I certainly never heard of it in the theaters.
Jean Claude Van Damme stars as a boxer who is supposed to throw a fight. When he meets his old girlfriend who he stiffed at their wedding he decides to run away with her. This doesn't work out and he decides to run away to join the French Foreign Legion. He knows that it is going to be bad going in but has to do it. I wish they would have explained a little more of exactly why he joined but that is really the only major flaw in the movie. The interaction between the main charcters who Jean Claude meets is the shining point in the movie. Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje's(Oz, Lost) southern accent was odd to hear. It didn't fully work for me but it is always great to see him on screen. Everybody is great and they stick by each other no matter what and everybody just does a brilliant acting job overall. Jean Claude's facial expressions looked stiff for the most part but he was the worst of the bunch and still did pretty good for himself.
While fighting battles with no of chance winning, some of Jean Claude's past catches up with him but the heart of the story is between the main characters and the story remains that way until the end which was a good choice.
I was completely surprised this wasn't your standard B-action flick. It is actually a very good movie with great sets and superb battle scenes. The cinematography in the desert is one of the finer points of the movie. No stylized action and the movie is all the better for it. We don't need to see Jean Claude doing super kicks and taking out everybody who has a gun with his bare 2 hands. We have seen that way too many times. You could tell it was right at this point in his career that he wanted to start doing better movies and he has put out about 4 good movies since this. Things are definitely looking up for the man who's first starring role was in Ng See Yuen's 'No Retreat, No Surrender'(AKA Karate Tiger). The movie gets a 3.5 from me but I can only pick a 3 or a 4. I don't know if I would watch it again since I am a hardcore action junkie but it was damn good movie.
This is a great DVD release from Sterling Entertainment. Picture is widecreened in a letterboxed format. Only 2-channel sound but still pretty good.
Special features include a 7 minute behind the scenes. It has an interview with one of the producers where he talks about Jean Claude. It also has an interview with the director and you get a little bit of a look behind the scenes.
There is a French Foreign Legion section and has a good interview with an historian. This is very good information wise and briefly tells how the Legion came to be and a bit about what happens after this movie. Best special feature on here. Also in this section is a very brief recent look at the FFL, text given on descriptions of weapons used, and a still gallery of filming the movie.
There is also a commentary with the writer of the movie.
The back of the DVD case also says that it has a commentary from a FFL expert and I was very disappointed not to find that on the disc.
one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ..........2006-06-09
Was that even a Van Damme film ? ... oh well , that's how I would discribe this Van Damme film .
Great sets , Great locations , Great costumes , Great props , ok acting ... this is Van damme after all !
The only 2 things I could complain about is the fact that Van Damme was a little bit cheesy about being proud to be a LEGIONAIRE and the ending ( I wont spoil it) .... it just seemed prodictable to me .
All in all , this is a good film and I recommend this as one of the best Van Damme films .
van damme at his best .......2006-05-13
love this movie jean claude van damme at his best great fun for all action fans do not miss this one
B Budget At Best.......2006-03-15
This is NOT one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's better efforts. Lots of special effects, blood and gore, but very light on acting. Historically, I'm sure the members of the LEGION ETRANGERE (French Foreign Legion), are laughing themselves silly, or rolling in their honorable graves.
"I will break you, then re-make you!".......2005-12-11
Definitely a good movie, Legionnaire, brings to the screen the story of a French boxer, who refuses to take part in a rigged match resulting in his joining the Foreign Legion.
It is the 1920's. France's North African colonies are experiencing Arab national revolutions and the French Foreign Legion is looking for new recruits in Europe as they sense their hold is weakening.
The movie is action packed, the special effects are great, the acting is excellent and the cast are wonderful.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Berkoff, Nicholas Farrell, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Consequently, they have done a superb job of providing an entertaining film that can be watched over and over again.
There is a wonderful feel of History; the clash between the French and Arabs is as fascinating as the interaction between the different nationalities found within the Legion, and both are presented very well in the film.
History, Battles, Intrigue, Duty, and Honor are all about.
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, the costumes, and the music are all wonderful!
The film combines romance, drama, action and adventure making it a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection!
Average customer rating:
|
Red Carpet Double Feature: Legionnaire/Replicant
Starring: Replicant , and Legionnaire
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
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| Video
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DVDs Under $9.99
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ASIN: B000EHSVGO
Release Date: 2006-04-11 |
Average customer rating:
- Good direct to TV movie
- one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ...
- van damme at his best
- B Budget At Best
- "I will break you, then re-make you!"
|
Legionnaire [Region 2]
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje , Steven Berkoff , Nicholas Farrell , and Jim Carter
Director: Peter MacDonald
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Military & War
| Genres
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| Video
| Boxed Sets
| Action & Combat
| Anti-War Films
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| Drama
| International
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| Vietnam War
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| World War I
| World War II
| Blu-ray
| HD DVD
| Universal Media Discs
Berkoff, Steven
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Carter, Jim
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Damme, Jean Claude Van
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hayman, David
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Lea, Derek
| ( L )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
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Macdonald, Peter
| ( M )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
( L )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
- Desert Heat
- The Quest
- Lionheart
- Replicant
- Sudden Death
ASIN: B00004R7EW |
Amazon.com
Exiled to a video-only release when its distributor balked after the flop of Jean-Claude Van Damme's previous film Knock Off, this lavish adventure deserved a chance at theatrical success. Action icon Van Damme recasts himself as a tragic romantic hero in this entertaining old-fashioned adventure with a modern sensibility. "The Muscles from Brussels" is no Brando, but he acquits himself nicely as a cocky boxer who double-crosses a Marseilles mobster and joins the French Foreign Legion when his half-baked plan backfires with tragic consequences. Surrounded by a better than usual cast (including Steven Berkoff as a Teutonic drill sergeant, Jim Carter as the ruthless ganglord, and Nicholas Farrell as a gentleman soldier with a taste for gambling and a dark past), Van Damme's dour performance sometimes gets lost in the colorful characters around him. But that's okay--there's adventure enough to go around and he's willing to share it. The Marseilles scenes evoke a quaint movie past with their smoky bars and shadowy streets, but the film is reborn as an ambitious, stoic platoon drama in the sands of French Morocco. Legionnaire alludes to classic films from Beau Geste to Casablanca to Lawrence of Arabia, but ultimately marches its own macho course, reveling in testosterone-driven heroics and bonding-under-fire while acknowledging the irony of its colonial mission ("We're the intruders," realizes one soldier). It's a calculated risk for Van Damme (who also cowrote and coproduced), but if Legionnaire never quite grasps the epic scope it's reaching for, it remains one of his best films, a handsome, exciting, and surprisingly grim desert adventure. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
Good direct to TV movie.......2007-01-21
I think this is direct to TV, I certainly never heard of it in the theaters.
Jean Claude Van Damme stars as a boxer who is supposed to throw a fight. When he meets his old girlfriend who he stiffed at their wedding he decides to run away with her. This doesn't work out and he decides to run away to join the French Foreign Legion. He knows that it is going to be bad going in but has to do it. I wish they would have explained a little more of exactly why he joined but that is really the only major flaw in the movie. The interaction between the main charcters who Jean Claude meets is the shining point in the movie. Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje's(Oz, Lost) southern accent was odd to hear. It didn't fully work for me but it is always great to see him on screen. Everybody is great and they stick by each other no matter what and everybody just does a brilliant acting job overall. Jean Claude's facial expressions looked stiff for the most part but he was the worst of the bunch and still did pretty good for himself.
While fighting battles with no of chance winning, some of Jean Claude's past catches up with him but the heart of the story is between the main characters and the story remains that way until the end which was a good choice.
I was completely surprised this wasn't your standard B-action flick. It is actually a very good movie with great sets and superb battle scenes. The cinematography in the desert is one of the finer points of the movie. No stylized action and the movie is all the better for it. We don't need to see Jean Claude doing super kicks and taking out everybody who has a gun with his bare 2 hands. We have seen that way too many times. You could tell it was right at this point in his career that he wanted to start doing better movies and he has put out about 4 good movies since this. Things are definitely looking up for the man who's first starring role was in Ng See Yuen's 'No Retreat, No Surrender'(AKA Karate Tiger). The movie gets a 3.5 from me but I can only pick a 3 or a 4. I don't know if I would watch it again since I am a hardcore action junkie but it was damn good movie.
This is a great DVD release from Sterling Entertainment. Picture is widecreened in a letterboxed format. Only 2-channel sound but still pretty good.
Special features include a 7 minute behind the scenes. It has an interview with one of the producers where he talks about Jean Claude. It also has an interview with the director and you get a little bit of a look behind the scenes.
There is a French Foreign Legion section and has a good interview with an historian. This is very good information wise and briefly tells how the Legion came to be and a bit about what happens after this movie. Best special feature on here. Also in this section is a very brief recent look at the FFL, text given on descriptions of weapons used, and a still gallery of filming the movie.
There is also a commentary with the writer of the movie.
The back of the DVD case also says that it has a commentary from a FFL expert and I was very disappointed not to find that on the disc.
one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ..........2006-06-09
Was that even a Van Damme film ? ... oh well , that's how I would discribe this Van Damme film .
Great sets , Great locations , Great costumes , Great props , ok acting ... this is Van damme after all !
The only 2 things I could complain about is the fact that Van Damme was a little bit cheesy about being proud to be a LEGIONAIRE and the ending ( I wont spoil it) .... it just seemed prodictable to me .
All in all , this is a good film and I recommend this as one of the best Van Damme films .
van damme at his best .......2006-05-13
love this movie jean claude van damme at his best great fun for all action fans do not miss this one
B Budget At Best.......2006-03-15
This is NOT one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's better efforts. Lots of special effects, blood and gore, but very light on acting. Historically, I'm sure the members of the LEGION ETRANGERE (French Foreign Legion), are laughing themselves silly, or rolling in their honorable graves.
"I will break you, then re-make you!".......2005-12-11
Definitely a good movie, Legionnaire, brings to the screen the story of a French boxer, who refuses to take part in a rigged match resulting in his joining the Foreign Legion.
It is the 1920's. France's North African colonies are experiencing Arab national revolutions and the French Foreign Legion is looking for new recruits in Europe as they sense their hold is weakening.
The movie is action packed, the special effects are great, the acting is excellent and the cast are wonderful.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Berkoff, Nicholas Farrell, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Consequently, they have done a superb job of providing an entertaining film that can be watched over and over again.
There is a wonderful feel of History; the clash between the French and Arabs is as fascinating as the interaction between the different nationalities found within the Legion, and both are presented very well in the film.
History, Battles, Intrigue, Duty, and Honor are all about.
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, the costumes, and the music are all wonderful!
The film combines romance, drama, action and adventure making it a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection!
![Legionnaire [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21P4H46JJSL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- Good direct to TV movie
- one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ...
- van damme at his best
- B Budget At Best
- "I will break you, then re-make you!"
|
Legionnaire [Region 2]
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje , Steven Berkoff , Nicholas Farrell , and Jim Carter
Director: Peter MacDonald
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
German
| By Original Language
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
| Boxed Sets
| Action & Combat
| Anti-War Films
| By Theme
| Civil War
| Comedy
| Documentary
| Drama
| International
| Iraq War
| Vietnam War
| War Epics
| World War I
| World War II
| Blu-ray
| HD DVD
| Universal Media Discs
Berkoff, Steven
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Carter, Jim
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Damme, Jean Claude Van
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hayman, David
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Lea, Derek
| ( L )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Macdonald, Peter
| ( M )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
German
| By Original Language
| Foreign & International
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
( L )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
- Desert Heat
- The Quest
- Lionheart
- Replicant
- Sudden Death
ASIN: B00004T8AQ |
Amazon.com
Exiled to a video-only release when its distributor balked after the flop of Jean-Claude Van Damme's previous film Knock Off, this lavish adventure deserved a chance at theatrical success. Action icon Van Damme recasts himself as a tragic romantic hero in this entertaining old-fashioned adventure with a modern sensibility. "The Muscles from Brussels" is no Brando, but he acquits himself nicely as a cocky boxer who double-crosses a Marseilles mobster and joins the French Foreign Legion when his half-baked plan backfires with tragic consequences. Surrounded by a better than usual cast (including Steven Berkoff as a Teutonic drill sergeant, Jim Carter as the ruthless ganglord, and Nicholas Farrell as a gentleman soldier with a taste for gambling and a dark past), Van Damme's dour performance sometimes gets lost in the colorful characters around him. But that's okay--there's adventure enough to go around and he's willing to share it. The Marseilles scenes evoke a quaint movie past with their smoky bars and shadowy streets, but the film is reborn as an ambitious, stoic platoon drama in the sands of French Morocco. Legionnaire alludes to classic films from Beau Geste to Casablanca to Lawrence of Arabia, but ultimately marches its own macho course, reveling in testosterone-driven heroics and bonding-under-fire while acknowledging the irony of its colonial mission ("We're the intruders," realizes one soldier). It's a calculated risk for Van Damme (who also cowrote and coproduced), but if Legionnaire never quite grasps the epic scope it's reaching for, it remains one of his best films, a handsome, exciting, and surprisingly grim desert adventure. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
Good direct to TV movie.......2007-01-21
I think this is direct to TV, I certainly never heard of it in the theaters.
Jean Claude Van Damme stars as a boxer who is supposed to throw a fight. When he meets his old girlfriend who he stiffed at their wedding he decides to run away with her. This doesn't work out and he decides to run away to join the French Foreign Legion. He knows that it is going to be bad going in but has to do it. I wish they would have explained a little more of exactly why he joined but that is really the only major flaw in the movie. The interaction between the main charcters who Jean Claude meets is the shining point in the movie. Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje's(Oz, Lost) southern accent was odd to hear. It didn't fully work for me but it is always great to see him on screen. Everybody is great and they stick by each other no matter what and everybody just does a brilliant acting job overall. Jean Claude's facial expressions looked stiff for the most part but he was the worst of the bunch and still did pretty good for himself.
While fighting battles with no of chance winning, some of Jean Claude's past catches up with him but the heart of the story is between the main characters and the story remains that way until the end which was a good choice.
I was completely surprised this wasn't your standard B-action flick. It is actually a very good movie with great sets and superb battle scenes. The cinematography in the desert is one of the finer points of the movie. No stylized action and the movie is all the better for it. We don't need to see Jean Claude doing super kicks and taking out everybody who has a gun with his bare 2 hands. We have seen that way too many times. You could tell it was right at this point in his career that he wanted to start doing better movies and he has put out about 4 good movies since this. Things are definitely looking up for the man who's first starring role was in Ng See Yuen's 'No Retreat, No Surrender'(AKA Karate Tiger). The movie gets a 3.5 from me but I can only pick a 3 or a 4. I don't know if I would watch it again since I am a hardcore action junkie but it was damn good movie.
This is a great DVD release from Sterling Entertainment. Picture is widecreened in a letterboxed format. Only 2-channel sound but still pretty good.
Special features include a 7 minute behind the scenes. It has an interview with one of the producers where he talks about Jean Claude. It also has an interview with the director and you get a little bit of a look behind the scenes.
There is a French Foreign Legion section and has a good interview with an historian. This is very good information wise and briefly tells how the Legion came to be and a bit about what happens after this movie. Best special feature on here. Also in this section is a very brief recent look at the FFL, text given on descriptions of weapons used, and a still gallery of filming the movie.
There is also a commentary with the writer of the movie.
The back of the DVD case also says that it has a commentary from a FFL expert and I was very disappointed not to find that on the disc.
one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ..........2006-06-09
Was that even a Van Damme film ? ... oh well , that's how I would discribe this Van Damme film .
Great sets , Great locations , Great costumes , Great props , ok acting ... this is Van damme after all !
The only 2 things I could complain about is the fact that Van Damme was a little bit cheesy about being proud to be a LEGIONAIRE and the ending ( I wont spoil it) .... it just seemed prodictable to me .
All in all , this is a good film and I recommend this as one of the best Van Damme films .
van damme at his best .......2006-05-13
love this movie jean claude van damme at his best great fun for all action fans do not miss this one
B Budget At Best.......2006-03-15
This is NOT one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's better efforts. Lots of special effects, blood and gore, but very light on acting. Historically, I'm sure the members of the LEGION ETRANGERE (French Foreign Legion), are laughing themselves silly, or rolling in their honorable graves.
"I will break you, then re-make you!".......2005-12-11
Definitely a good movie, Legionnaire, brings to the screen the story of a French boxer, who refuses to take part in a rigged match resulting in his joining the Foreign Legion.
It is the 1920's. France's North African colonies are experiencing Arab national revolutions and the French Foreign Legion is looking for new recruits in Europe as they sense their hold is weakening.
The movie is action packed, the special effects are great, the acting is excellent and the cast are wonderful.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Berkoff, Nicholas Farrell, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Consequently, they have done a superb job of providing an entertaining film that can be watched over and over again.
There is a wonderful feel of History; the clash between the French and Arabs is as fascinating as the interaction between the different nationalities found within the Legion, and both are presented very well in the film.
History, Battles, Intrigue, Duty, and Honor are all about.
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, the costumes, and the music are all wonderful!
The film combines romance, drama, action and adventure making it a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection!
Average customer rating:
- Great War Film!
- The "Johnboy" version of AQWF is truly awful
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- ALL QUIT ON THE WESTERN FRONT
- All Quiet on the Western Front DVD
|
All Quiet on the Western Front
Starring: Richard Thomas , Ernest Borgnine , Donald Pleasence , Ian Holm , and Patricia Neal
Director: Delbert Mann
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Drama
| Genres
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General
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World War I
| Military & War
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| Video
Military Life
| By Theme
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Anti-War Films
| Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Borgnine, Ernest
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Holm, Ian
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Neal, Patricia
| ( N )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Pleasence, Donald
| ( P )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Sheard, Michael
| ( S )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Stewart, Ewan
| ( S )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Thomas, Richard
| ( T )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
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Mann, Delbert
| ( M )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
( A )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
- The Lost Battalion
- All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics)
- When Trumpets Fade
- Gallipoli (Special Edition)
- Stalingrad
ASIN: B00003G4J2
Release Date: 2000-01-11 |
Amazon.com
Taken from the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front is a devastating portrait by Delbert Mann (Desire Under the Elms, Marty) of a small group of German soldiers throughout the World War I.
The star-studded cast is headed by Richard Thomas (The Waltons) as Paul Baumer, and includes such award-winning actors as Ernest Borgnine, Ian Holm, and Patricia Neal. As both narrator and star, Thomas occasionally seems to reincarnate his familiar John-Boy persona, but creates a character that has many more levels than that television alter ego. Watching Paul as he watches all of his high school buddies die is a highly emotional experience. He returns to his home a different person, conflicted in his feelings about the Army and war, evolving from an idealistic schoolboy to a fearful and humble veteran.
The scenery and costuming in this period piece are well done, and surely contributed to its winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Made for TV. Also contributing to the greatness of the film are the exceptional cinematography and special effects that, while realistically gruesome, truly emphasize the horrors of war. --Zachary Lively
Description
A devastating story of war and a generation destroyed. In 1914 a group of German schoolboys set off to fight in the "glorious" war. During their brutal basic training disenchantment begins; then, boarding a train for the front, they see the wounded being rushed back to the hospitals. They begin to grasp the grim reality of war. When Paul (Richard Thomas) shoots a Frenchman and watches him die, he realizes the futility of war. Wounded, he returns home to a different world, a place where he cannot fit in. Sent back into battle, he meets destiny on a day when the German High Command Communique states simply, All Quiet on the Western Front. Richard Thomas, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasance, Ian Holm, Patricia Neal
Customer Reviews:
Great War Film!.......2007-05-25
This is one of the best war films ever made. I've seen the first version also. This film is an improvement over the original although the original was done well with what they had back in early years of film. What really makes this war film great is that it doesn't glorify war at all but shows you the death and destruction of war. This film should be mandatory in all high schools! The book is very good also. The book is more descriptive than the movie. What happens to Paul in this film is happening to our young men and women in Iraq right now!!
The "Johnboy" version of AQWF is truly awful.......2007-05-01
This film might be okay for the general public or high school classroom, but this film brings almost nothing to the table for WWI buffs or lovers of the novel. It's hard to mention anything good about this film other than the fact that it is not as dated as the original film and is also in color.
Earnest Borgnine's casting as Kat is simply laughable. The boys' mentor in the trenches, the "old man," was "old" only in comparison to the teen-aged boys who surrounded him. The battle scenes do not inspire fear or horror. Equipment, uniforms, and sets are inaccurate and "made for TV quality" at best. The acting is wooden and hallow.
This film is a waste of time and is scornfully referred to as "the Johnboy version" by WWI buffs. It is universally reviled.
All Quiet on the Western Front.......2007-01-18
Great war documentary of WWI, there is very little available that shows this period in history on the front, but this one is a classic.
ALL QUIT ON THE WESTERN FRONT.......2007-01-17
I really enjoyed this movie. Not the typical "John Boy" movie. I have not seen the original, although I have recently purchased it. I will be able to make a better comparison once I have seen it. By itself, however, it holds it's own.
All Quiet on the Western Front DVD.......2007-01-10
The DVD followed the novel fairly well, however, I did prefer the book over the movie.
![Legionnaire [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/2128S68B72L.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- Good direct to TV movie
- one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ...
- van damme at his best
- B Budget At Best
- "I will break you, then re-make you!"
|
Legionnaire [Region 2]
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje , Steven Berkoff , Nicholas Farrell , and Jim Carter
Director: Peter MacDonald
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Military & War
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
| Boxed Sets
| Action & Combat
| Anti-War Films
| By Theme
| Civil War
| Comedy
| Documentary
| Drama
| International
| Iraq War
| Vietnam War
| War Epics
| World War I
| World War II
| Blu-ray
| HD DVD
| Universal Media Discs
Berkoff, Steven
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Carter, Jim
| ( C )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Damme, Jean Claude Van
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Hayman, David
| ( H )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Lea, Derek
| ( L )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Macdonald, Peter
| ( M )
| Directors
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
( L )
| Titles
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Similar Items:
- Desert Heat
- The Quest
- Lionheart
- Replicant
- Sudden Death
ASIN: B00005R6TN |
Amazon.com
Exiled to a video-only release when its distributor balked after the flop of Jean-Claude Van Damme's previous film Knock Off, this lavish adventure deserved a chance at theatrical success. Action icon Van Damme recasts himself as a tragic romantic hero in this entertaining old-fashioned adventure with a modern sensibility. "The Muscles from Brussels" is no Brando, but he acquits himself nicely as a cocky boxer who double-crosses a Marseilles mobster and joins the French Foreign Legion when his half-baked plan backfires with tragic consequences. Surrounded by a better than usual cast (including Steven Berkoff as a Teutonic drill sergeant, Jim Carter as the ruthless ganglord, and Nicholas Farrell as a gentleman soldier with a taste for gambling and a dark past), Van Damme's dour performance sometimes gets lost in the colorful characters around him. But that's okay--there's adventure enough to go around and he's willing to share it. The Marseilles scenes evoke a quaint movie past with their smoky bars and shadowy streets, but the film is reborn as an ambitious, stoic platoon drama in the sands of French Morocco. Legionnaire alludes to classic films from Beau Geste to Casablanca to Lawrence of Arabia, but ultimately marches its own macho course, reveling in testosterone-driven heroics and bonding-under-fire while acknowledging the irony of its colonial mission ("We're the intruders," realizes one soldier). It's a calculated risk for Van Damme (who also cowrote and coproduced), but if Legionnaire never quite grasps the epic scope it's reaching for, it remains one of his best films, a handsome, exciting, and surprisingly grim desert adventure. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews:
Good direct to TV movie.......2007-01-21
I think this is direct to TV, I certainly never heard of it in the theaters.
Jean Claude Van Damme stars as a boxer who is supposed to throw a fight. When he meets his old girlfriend who he stiffed at their wedding he decides to run away with her. This doesn't work out and he decides to run away to join the French Foreign Legion. He knows that it is going to be bad going in but has to do it. I wish they would have explained a little more of exactly why he joined but that is really the only major flaw in the movie. The interaction between the main charcters who Jean Claude meets is the shining point in the movie. Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje's(Oz, Lost) southern accent was odd to hear. It didn't fully work for me but it is always great to see him on screen. Everybody is great and they stick by each other no matter what and everybody just does a brilliant acting job overall. Jean Claude's facial expressions looked stiff for the most part but he was the worst of the bunch and still did pretty good for himself.
While fighting battles with no of chance winning, some of Jean Claude's past catches up with him but the heart of the story is between the main characters and the story remains that way until the end which was a good choice.
I was completely surprised this wasn't your standard B-action flick. It is actually a very good movie with great sets and superb battle scenes. The cinematography in the desert is one of the finer points of the movie. No stylized action and the movie is all the better for it. We don't need to see Jean Claude doing super kicks and taking out everybody who has a gun with his bare 2 hands. We have seen that way too many times. You could tell it was right at this point in his career that he wanted to start doing better movies and he has put out about 4 good movies since this. Things are definitely looking up for the man who's first starring role was in Ng See Yuen's 'No Retreat, No Surrender'(AKA Karate Tiger). The movie gets a 3.5 from me but I can only pick a 3 or a 4. I don't know if I would watch it again since I am a hardcore action junkie but it was damn good movie.
This is a great DVD release from Sterling Entertainment. Picture is widecreened in a letterboxed format. Only 2-channel sound but still pretty good.
Special features include a 7 minute behind the scenes. It has an interview with one of the producers where he talks about Jean Claude. It also has an interview with the director and you get a little bit of a look behind the scenes.
There is a French Foreign Legion section and has a good interview with an historian. This is very good information wise and briefly tells how the Legion came to be and a bit about what happens after this movie. Best special feature on here. Also in this section is a very brief recent look at the FFL, text given on descriptions of weapons used, and a still gallery of filming the movie.
There is also a commentary with the writer of the movie.
The back of the DVD case also says that it has a commentary from a FFL expert and I was very disappointed not to find that on the disc.
one of "THE BEST OF THE BEST" ..........2006-06-09
Was that even a Van Damme film ? ... oh well , that's how I would discribe this Van Damme film .
Great sets , Great locations , Great costumes , Great props , ok acting ... this is Van damme after all !
The only 2 things I could complain about is the fact that Van Damme was a little bit cheesy about being proud to be a LEGIONAIRE and the ending ( I wont spoil it) .... it just seemed prodictable to me .
All in all , this is a good film and I recommend this as one of the best Van Damme films .
van damme at his best .......2006-05-13
love this movie jean claude van damme at his best great fun for all action fans do not miss this one
B Budget At Best.......2006-03-15
This is NOT one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's better efforts. Lots of special effects, blood and gore, but very light on acting. Historically, I'm sure the members of the LEGION ETRANGERE (French Foreign Legion), are laughing themselves silly, or rolling in their honorable graves.
"I will break you, then re-make you!".......2005-12-11
Definitely a good movie, Legionnaire, brings to the screen the story of a French boxer, who refuses to take part in a rigged match resulting in his joining the Foreign Legion.
It is the 1920's. France's North African colonies are experiencing Arab national revolutions and the French Foreign Legion is looking for new recruits in Europe as they sense their hold is weakening.
The movie is action packed, the special effects are great, the acting is excellent and the cast are wonderful.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Berkoff, Nicholas Farrell, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Consequently, they have done a superb job of providing an entertaining film that can be watched over and over again.
There is a wonderful feel of History; the clash between the French and Arabs is as fascinating as the interaction between the different nationalities found within the Legion, and both are presented very well in the film.
History, Battles, Intrigue, Duty, and Honor are all about.
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, the costumes, and the music are all wonderful!
The film combines romance, drama, action and adventure making it a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection!
DVD:
- Fatal Error
- Taffin
- Casper Van Dien: Road Rage
- Snake in Eagle's Shadow 2
- Rowdy Girls (Unrated Edition)
- The Big Bird Cage
- Aikido's Ueshiba - d
- The Secret Rivals
- Huevos 5 (ATV)
- Blue Submarine No. 6 - Blues (Vol. 1)
DVD List
DVD
DVD
Hide and Seek (Full Screen Edition)
North Dallas Forty
All I Want For Christmas [1991]
DVD: Kingdom Protista DVD
Der Tag des Falken
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