***SPOILER ALERT***
Jean-Claude Van Damme finished his one-on-one hat trick with 1990s Lionheart. We all knew it as Wrong Bet down under. I did a comparison of Kickboxer (1989) and Bloodsport (1988) in my first post for this thread, explaining why I reckon the Kumite flick was far superior to the Muay Thai one.
Having recently rewatched the streetfighter one, I am not surprised to find that it shares the same screenwriter as Bloodsport. Sheldon Lettich seems to know how to package a great action movie and he managed to raise the stakes yet again without stumbling into silliness.
His absence from the credits for Kickboxer gives me another hint as to why they botched the escalating threat ploy in that one. Maybe check that post out before reading on.
Lionheart takes advantage of Van Damme’s fame for playing martial artists and saves time explaining how he got such skills; they also do away with the training montage trope. When his character (Lyon) is not busy busting heads, he is desperately trying to help his brother’s widow and her daughter.
In Bloodsport, he was fighting for the honour of his shidoshi (mentor/trainer). In Kickboxer it was for vengeance against the fighter who crippled his brother. In Lionheart it’s for his family. For that to hit home, you’re gonna need a little melodrama; it’s quick and effective.
Lyon did what he thought was best for his brother, but he still wound-up dead. His widow, Helene reckons Lyon fucked up and blames him for the death of her (sounds like a dead-shit) husband. As a single mum, she is struggling to make ends meet and to provide a stable home for her daughter.
Lyon competes in underground, no-holds-barred fights to get money to help his sister-in-law and niece. He fights all manner of characters and eventually becomes well known on the illegal street fighting circuit.
Unlike, the previous 2 films, there is no clear “Top Boss” character for him to be aiming for. Chong Li and Tong Po had already demonstrated their brutal efficiency at defeating, maiming and even killing opponents. They were there on the sidelines ominously watching as Van Damme dispatched challenger after challenger on his way to the final confrontation.
Lionheart uses a different tack for introducing our hero’s biggest threat, by leaning into the whole illicit gambling portion of these fights.
Lettich employs one of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic ploys where the audience knows more than certain characters. It is fantastic for building suspense. The audience gets to witness the two different versions of one of Attila’s fights caught on video. He will be Lyon’s ultimate challenge; a chance to either make enough money to get out of the game and take care of his loved ones, or to wind up horribly incapacitated or dead.
The original tape, along with Cynthia’s commentary, shows Atilla’s incredible ability to take hits. He uses this resilience to toy with his opponents and give them hope, before he literally tears them apart. Well, that looks like the fate of his unfortunate opponent in the video – OUCH!!!
A little later we are invited to the “official” screening of the tape for the high rollers. Lyon and his trainer, Joshua are present for this too. Cynthia whispers to one of the wealthy punters, “If you knew what I went through to smuggle this out…” before handing him the video tape.
When we cut to the footage on the big screen television, we understand what purpose that preface served. The picture is shithouse, like a poxy pirate copy made from God knows how many other copies. Lyon, Joshua and the high-stakes gamblers watch unimpressed as Attila takes huge punishment without answering back in any way.
As we approach the moment where Attila is done playing around, Cynthia gives a nervous sideways glance at her guests. Before they get any inkling of how severe the tide is about to turn in this bout, the screen turns to fuzz, and the picture is totally obscured. Kind of like that missing minute of the Epstein video.
The audience has seen enough and the tape is stopped. The con has succeeded and Lyon is now the hot favourite in a fight against a seemingly unstoppable wrecking machine. Attila, in this scenario is more a force of nature Lyon must overcome to achieve his goal rather than the villain of the piece.
That role is played by the scheming bitch and her pretentious partner/bodyguard; Cynthia and Russell. If Attila falls, the audience will be relieved, but the rejoicing will come from that devious duo getting their just desserts.
While preparing for the showdown Lyon tells Joshua he has put all his money on himself to win; thus we have an all-or-nothing hook to up the ante (yeah, I know). During a little play sparring Joshua discovers Lyon has been nursing some broken ribs he received courtesy of the two Foreign Legion thugs who are after him. Now our Lionheart is carrying a serious injury into a fight with the human mangler.
Oh and just for good measure, the cat is out of the bag regarding Attila’s history of obliterating his opponents. Joshua desperately tries to school his naïve friend about the dog-eat-dog world he is competing in, but Lyon is unwavering in his quest. That limp Joshua has was a result of a similar fix where he ended up on the receiving end of an odds rigging mismatch, thanks to none other than that same pair of slimy swindlers; Cynthia and Russell – FUCKERS!!!
Waiting to place his bet, Joshua’s loyalty is torn between backing his friend and trusting he can defeat this man-monster, or taking the better odds and at least having some money for when Lyon gets beaten to a pulp. They don’t go into whether the rumours about Attila have any effect on the odds. I think we’re just to assume that Lyon is still the favourite and Attila is the long shot.
So, the scene is set for the savage finale. All bets are in and the two combatants face off. As expected, Attila takes a few of Lyon’s best shots and brushes them off. When he is done toying, Attila unleashes and serves a vicious ass-whooping to the seemingly helpless Lyon.
Attila likes to showboat and he savours his dominance over his victims. He pauses between knockdowns, strutting around and holding off on the coup de grace. The high rollers are visibly distressed as they realise they have been duped. Cynthia sits with a shit eating grin, adding to our loathing.
During what appears to be Attila’s final swagger lap, Joshua rushes over and kneels beside the downed Lyon. He begs his badly damaged buddy to stay down and avoid being crippled or killed. As it becomes clear that Lyon is incapable of backing down, Joshua tells him that he put all his own money on Attila and pleads for Lyon to take the loss, promising to split the winnings.
Lyon gives an agonised look of betrayal at his friend and through gritted teeth, spits out the Aussie title of the film, “Wrong Bet”. The cinema audience gets a flood of endorphins as the now resolute Lyon gets back on his feet. The audience in the film begin clapping in unison, awestruck at the tenacity of this wounded man. Even Attila is amazed and then quickly switches to pissed off!
Attila moves in for the kill, and Van Damme leaps up for his signature helicopter kick as Joshua shouts out the US title of the film “LIONHEART!!!”
Lyon lands a perfect jumping 360-degree spinning heel/hook kick right on Attila’s jaw; would’ve taken an average man’s fucken head off! It doesn’t finish Attila, but it immediately turns the tide in Lyon’s favour, as he proceeds to beat the living shit out of this, moments before, unstoppable beast.
Lyon has achieved the impossible! Attila has been defeated! Now we get to share in the gloating as the high rollers revel in Cynthia’s expensive backfire. Apparently, she is ruined. Lyon has won enough to support his family. His demonstration of courage and resilience has even earned him the admiration of his foreign legion pursuers, who let him escape.
Cinema audience is thrilled and justice has been served. Except…
I just have one misgiving. If all the big money was on Lyon, and Lyon was the favourite, Cynthia’s losses would have been minimal. Of course, she would have been humiliated and inevitably shunned by her patrons, but certainly not bankrupt. The leak about Attila’s true capacities might have created a huge swing with the odds, but that was not explored. Probably belongs in a different movie.
Split hairs aside, it was a most satisfying victory. Easily a better build up and climax than the “Kickboxer” shemozzle. Proof again that, while there is no step-by-step formula for writing a good script, there are essential elements that cannot be ignored. It’s beneficial to tinker with them and deliver them in a unique way to keep things fresh. Leaving them out however, without a purpose, is either ignorance or hubris.
It may seem that the action is all we’re there to see, but if we don’t care, it all falls flat. Sheldon Lettich knew how to get the audience invested and I suspect played a significant role in securing Van Damme’s star status because of it.
Making this post I discovered 3 other titles for this fucken movie!
Marketing “experts” in various countries must have needed to justify their jobs.
This might be some kind of record for rebranding!
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