Legionnaire (1998)

**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.