Legionnaire

"A fugitive from a killer. A remote outpost. A fight to the death."

1998 1h 38m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 638

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Synopsis

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Alain Lefevre is a boxer paid by a Marseille mobster to take a dive. When he wins the fight he attempts to flee to America with the mobster's girlfriend Katrina. This plan fails and he seeks escape by joining the foreign legion. As part of the legion he tangles with abusive lieutenant Steinkampf and bonds with legionnaires Luther, Mackintosh and Rosetti.

“A fugitive from a killer. A remote outpost. A fight to the death.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jean-Claude Van Damme
Alain Lefevre
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Luther
Steven Berkoff
Sgt. Steinkampf
Nicholas Farrell
Mackintosh
Jim Carter
Lucien Galgani
Ana Sofrenović
Katarina
Daniel Caltagirone
Guido Rosetti
Joseph Long
Maxim

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter MacDonald
Writers: Sheldon Lettich, Rebecca Morrison, Jean-Claude Van Damme
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter MacDonald, shot by Douglas Milsome. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Altman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mike Murphy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean-Claude Van Damme and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Steven Berkoff carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A fugitive from a killer. A remote outpost. A fight to the death.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0126388 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter MacDonald directs. Douglas Milsome behind the camera. John Altman scores. Mike Murphy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.4× over at the box office.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Peter MacDonald, shot by Douglas Milsome. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Altman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Mike Murphy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jean-Claude Van Damme and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Steven Berkoff carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A fugitive from a killer. A remote outpost. A fight to the death.".
8IMDB entry: tt0126388 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 17 themes, including "shepherd", "martial arts", "rebel", "morocco".

The technical file

Cinematography: Douglas Milsome
Original score: John Altman
Editing: Mike Murphy
Production design: Charles Wood
Makeup / hair: Desideria Corridoni
Stunt coordinator: Greg Powell
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $67,900,000
Return: 340% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Legionnaire (1998)

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Peter MacDonald

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Filipe Manuel Neto2023-04-25
★ 8/10
The best Van Damme movie, for me. I picked up this movie by chance, right at the beginning, and I watched it. I liked the style, the atmosphere, and the fact is that the film turned out to be very good. The film begins when a boxer, who should have lost a fight, decides not to comply with the agreement, harming some mobsters, who go after him to kill him. In order to escape and hide, he enlists in the Foreign Legion and goes to Morocco, where he will have to survive a commission in times of war. Jean Claude Van Damme really surprised me with his work, completely outside of what he has accustomed us to. I don't even like this actor very much, and I really enjoyed watching him work in this film! It is, for me, the best film of Van Damme's career to date, and excellent proof that he can do better, and differently, when he wants to. I also enjoyed seeing Nicholas Farrell, Steven Berkoff, Jim Carter and Daniel Caltagirone. The script is not complicated and also not original, but it works very well and gives us a good story, which never feels like a mere excuse to send the character to fight in Morocco. It's a good action movie, a movie that takes itself seriously and does its best to be taken seriously by the public. There is a good set of sets, excellent costumes, a legitimate and serious effort to recreate the historical period with some accuracy. The filming locations were also meticulously selected and are magnificent, something cinematography is no stranger to. Indeed, the film has magnificent colors and was well shot. In addition to all this, it is worth listening to the soundtrack, where the melody “Mon Legionaire” stands out clearly.
Wuchak2023-05-24
★ 6/10
Jean-Claude Van Damme adventure in the Moroccan desert In 1925, a boxer in Marseille (Van Damme) makes some big enemies and so joins the French Foreign Legion in which he’s assigned to Morocco during the Rif war to defend a desert outpost against Abd el Krim’s Berber guerillas. “Legionnaire” (1998) begins like “The Cotton Club” (1984) before settling into a plot reminiscent of “The Dirty Dozen” (1967) with the North African milieu of “March or Die” (1977) or “Khartoum” (1966), not to mention an ending similar to “The Alamo” (1960). Like “The Flight of the Phoenix” (1965) and “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), this is a movie involving the challenges of sweaty men in the vast, beautiful desert. As such, don’t look for many, if any, women in the proper cast, although Ana Sofrenovic has a small role. While this lacks the martial arts action of most Van Damme flicks, there are plenty of fights and military combat. The opening sequence in Marseilles is well done and the desert cinematography is both colorful and breathtaking. I was expecting a low-budget affair, but was impressed by the production values. Although not a blockbuster, it cost $20 million in 1997 when it was shot, which is nothing to sneeze at. Unfortunately, the story isn’t as dramatically compelling as “The Dirty Dozen,” “The Flight of the Phoenix,” “Lawrence of Arabia” or “The Alamo.” The script needed another rewrite or two to flesh out some depth. As it is, a couple of the villains are too comic booky and the black character (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who’s stalwart in the role) is the cliched American that’s (supposedly) ever so hurt by white American society. It smacks of Lib Hollywood propaganda and is just hackneyed & eye-rolling. The film runs 1 hours, 39 minutes, and was shot in Morocco. GRADE: B-