Customer Reviews

Red Carpet Double Feature: Legionnaire/Replicant [Import]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have never publicly said this but have been oft times pilloried by my friends for saying so;so here goes.I LIKE Jean Claude Van Damme ,I think he has been given a bad rap(acting wise)over the years and has turned out some very decent film product that has been under appreciated by fans and film critics alike.Sure many of his movies can be considered far less than perfect and the plots a little more than threadbare but he has stayed within his acting limits and has delivered some entertaining films time again and again.Nothing illustrates the yin and yan of Van Damme better than the movies on this DVD "Legionnaire" and "Replicant".
First off is the May/2001 film "Replicant".The story involves a police detective Jake Riley(Mike Rooker)who is near retirement.However he has been dogged of late by the sadistic and dark serial killer by the name of Edward Garrotte(Van Damme).As his killing spree continues unabated he taunts Riley and the rest of the Seattle Police Force to catch him;knowing much about Riley's life and even phoning him personally.It seems that not only Jake Riley wants him badly but the Feds do also.They approach Riley with a proposition to help catch Garrotte.They have created a laboratory clone or "replicant" of Garrotte who they are hoping can eventually learn to get a precognitive sense of what Garrottes next moves might be and thus end his killing spree.
Riley agrees to take charge of the replicant,but not all goes well for much of the time.Riley can only see Garrotte in the replicant who has the mind of a child and in whom he must teach the very basics of life and his surroundings.He treats the rep with disdain and even physical punishment.However as time progresses the tensions lessen as the rep begins to get the precognitive feelings it was hoped he would.Through much the film Riley and rep are now just a step behind Garrotte.The film culminates in a showdown in a mortuary where at first it seems Garrotte manages to connect with the rep and Riley is on the verge of being killed with no help.When Garrotte asks the rep to kill Riley he can't and Garrotte says he will kill him for disobeying.The rep and Garrotte have it out and as a fire breaks out,threatening a large tank of propane,the rep pushes Riley out the door and locks it.Soon after an explosion erupts and the room disintegrates.An after scene finds the investigating police tell Riley the only things left in tact were the bodies.Later Riley is at home when a man(looking very much like the rep) delivers a letter and disappears.
As much of a Sci-Fi fan that I am I found the film less than sterling and imaginative and one of Van Damme's lesser efforts;kind of a light "Double Impact".It is edited tightly but maybe too tightly.There are many little scenes where the connections don't make sense but you just have to go with them.For example there is a scene where the replicant gets his first taste of sex with a hooker but has no money to pay.A fight ensues with the bouncers and he cleans the floors with them but the police and then Riley show up to take him back.Later at the end of the film we see the rep reuniting with the hooker for a happy ending/future.There was little connection however established with that hooker in the fight scene to justify that kind of plot twist/ending.However the picture is a decent time waster and it comes in around 2 1/2 to three stars.
While "Replicant" could be considered the yin of the equation,the yan is most definitely "Legionnaire".The story involves a French boxer Alain Lefevre/Duchamp in 1920s France.He is fully dedicated to his sport and in fact left behind the woman he loved at the altar to pursue his dream.She is now a moll connected with a local gangster,Lucien Galgani(Jim Carter).Galgani approaches the boxer and his manager with a proposition to take a dive in his next fight.They consent and they are paid handsomely to do so.Come fight night and Duchamp has second thoughts.His has always wanted to emigrate to America and he feels it is now or never to get out of a life that has gone sour.He wins the match and flees for his life;his manager isn't so lucky and dies.Duchamp enters a Foreign Legion recruiting office and shortly thereafter ends up in an outpost in French Morocco.
The Legion troops are led by a very taciturn Sgt.Steinkampf(Steven Berkoff)and the new recruits go through days of intense training and long marches.Along the way Duchamp gains a few friends in an Italian,a black American and a disgraced former British officer.The day arrives that a fort many miles away is in need of ammunition and reinforcements to fend of an attacking tribe of Berbers or Riffians.Before they are to leave to relieve the fort Galgani,whose reach is as long as his memory, has sent two henchmen to kill Van Damme.They arrive and become part of the relieving party to the fort.Duchamp now not only has the Berbers,hunger,thirst and tiredness to worry about but his own "comrades".Along the way his Italian friend becomes disabled and in a Berber raid at a spring he is killed and the groups ammunition and much of the supplies are destroyed.They finally reach the fort and Duchamp,the black American and the Britisher are put on dog duties.When Duchamp and others go out on patrol(which includes the two assassins),the Britisher turns on Duchamp.It seems he will be paid handsomely for helping to kill him.Before they can they are in the heat of another attack and retreat to the fort which now comes under almost relentless attack.
In the end the fort is practically razed to the ground and Duchamp is miraculously the only man left standing in the whirlwind of destruction meted out by the Riffs.He walks out between a double line of the enemy on horseback to meet the Riff leader,expecting a swift execution.Instead he is told his courage has been duly noted and is something much respected among the Berbers.He will be allowed to live and to take back the message to his kind that this is the punishment they will receive if they continue their invasion of their homeland.The camera,looking down on Duchamp,pulls slowly away and leaves him pondering his uncertain future.
This movies' plot has many influences,the least of which would be Gunga Din,but it still manages to keep ones interest throughout and is a thoroughly enjoyable saga of men's triumph's not only over physical hardships but of their own mental ones.It is also a look at how hardships bind men together against adversities.The film certainly had a high budget and it looks it.Its' productions values are very high and everything from the acting to the cinematography to the editing is A-1.It is unfortunate that by this time Van Damme's career had taken a bit of a nose dive and fans and critics alike weren't taking him as seriously as they had before,which would account for its' poor showing.In fact I think the critics have unfairly lumped him in with many others like Seagal as just another wanna be Schwarzenegger or Stallone.Sure he has had some clunkers(as all have)but don't forget films like "Hard Target" "Universal Soldier" and his highest grosser to date "Time Cop";they grossed countless millions and were good and solid movies.There will always be a spot for action stars like Van Damme and I think he has done admirably in his career of fulfilling that role for his fans.But "Legionnaire" showed more and that Van Damme could also really act/emote.He shows a very broad range of emotion throughout this film and with his solid supporting cast it lifts it up far above your average flick.It is a very GOOD and under appreciated film and I whole heartedly give it a solid four stars.
Both films have been transferred well and there are no special features with either.The DVD comes one sided;thank goodness!Both are presented in their widescreen format.
In conclusion while "Replicant" is just barely an average flick but fun nonetheless,"Legionnaire" is the solid winner amongst these two.It shows what Van Damme is capable of doing and is a sleeper of a picture that deserved better from the public than it got.For the bargain price you can't go wrong.

This is a review for Legionnaire. I finally have been able to obtain the widescreen version of this underappreciated flick. For Van Damme fans..Beware! This is not your typical formulistic martial arts Van Damme effort. There is no martial arts in this movie...a boxing sequence and lots of action but a complete break from his other movies. Van Damme was one of the producers of this film and it appears to have been close to his heart. This truly is a tribute to classic actions films like Beau Geste, Lawrence of Arabia and The Four Feathers. It may miss their high mark but it is a worthy effort. For me it rates 5 stars because it is nothing like his other movies (which were getting to be "cookie cutter" efforts....ie. same story, different settings) and actually a solid script with a good ending. The lack of success with this project is obvious...for the fans it is not what they want, and for those who would enjoy this picture it is not what they expect. If you like adventure movies which follow in the footsteps of the great adventure classics this picture is worth your time.