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Legionnaire (film)
Encyclopedia
Legionnaire is a 1998 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
as a 1920s boxer
who wins a fight after having been hired by gangsters to lose it, then flees to join the French Foreign Legion
. The cast includes Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
, Steven Berkoff
, Nicholas Farrell
and Jim Carter. The film was filmed in Ouarzazate
, Morocco
.
) is a French boxer in 1920's Marseille
, France. Alain is forced by local crime boss Lucien Galgani (Jim Carter) to take a dive in a fight. Galgani's girlfriend Katrina (Ana Sofrenovic) is also Alain's ex-fiancée whom he left standing at the altar. But Katrina forgives Alain, and the two hatch a plan to run off to America together.
Alain does not take a dive in the fight, but just as the escape plan is about to succeed, Alain's friend gets killed, and Katrina is captured by Galgani's men. But Alain has shot and killed Galgani's brother.
Desperately needing a new escape plan, Alain signs up for the French Foreign Legion
, and is shipped to North Africa to help defend Morocco
against a native Berber
rebellion
of Rif
warriors, led by Abd el-Krim.
Along the way, Alain meets some new friends, including Luther, an African American who has fled injustice in the States, Mackintosh, a former British Army Major with a gambling problem, and Guido, a naive Italian boy who wishes to impress his girl back home by returning as a hero.
But things will not be easy. The only real way to escape from the Legion is to survive the term of service, and the rebels have them outnumbered.
Galgani has sent his hired thugs into the Legion as well, to find Alain and get revenge for the death of Galgani's brother. In the end, only Alain stands up alive after the battle and Abd el-Krim seeing Alain's courage and determination allows him to live and tells him to inform his superiors what's waiting for them if they continue the colonization. Finally the movie ends with Alain's memory of Katrina and his former friends.
" is sung over the closing credits by Ute Lemper
.
Deemed unreleasable for movie theaters in the United States, Legionnaire was released to cable TV channels and home video despite a $35 million production budget.
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
as a 1920s boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who wins a fight after having been hired by gangsters to lose it, then flees to join the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
. The cast includes Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
, Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
, Nicholas Farrell
Nicholas Farrell
Nicholas Farrell is an English stage, film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. In 1983, he starred as Edmund Bertram in a television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park...
and Jim Carter. The film was filmed in Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate
-See also:* Tizi n'Tichka: The mountain pass that leads to Ouarzazate* List of Movies shot in Morocco-External links:* at IMDb...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
Plot
Alain Lefevre (Jean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
) is a French boxer in 1920's Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, France. Alain is forced by local crime boss Lucien Galgani (Jim Carter) to take a dive in a fight. Galgani's girlfriend Katrina (Ana Sofrenovic) is also Alain's ex-fiancée whom he left standing at the altar. But Katrina forgives Alain, and the two hatch a plan to run off to America together.
Alain does not take a dive in the fight, but just as the escape plan is about to succeed, Alain's friend gets killed, and Katrina is captured by Galgani's men. But Alain has shot and killed Galgani's brother.
Desperately needing a new escape plan, Alain signs up for the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, and is shipped to North Africa to help defend Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
against a native Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
rebellion
Rif War
The Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...
of Rif
Riffian people
The Rifians are a Berber people who inhabit the Rif in northern Morocco. The mother tongue of the Rifians is called Rifian, though many speak Moroccan Arabic, Spanish or French as second or third languages.-Physical anthropology:...
warriors, led by Abd el-Krim.
Along the way, Alain meets some new friends, including Luther, an African American who has fled injustice in the States, Mackintosh, a former British Army Major with a gambling problem, and Guido, a naive Italian boy who wishes to impress his girl back home by returning as a hero.
But things will not be easy. The only real way to escape from the Legion is to survive the term of service, and the rebels have them outnumbered.
Galgani has sent his hired thugs into the Legion as well, to find Alain and get revenge for the death of Galgani's brother. In the end, only Alain stands up alive after the battle and Abd el-Krim seeing Alain's courage and determination allows him to live and tells him to inform his superiors what's waiting for them if they continue the colonization. Finally the movie ends with Alain's memory of Katrina and his former friends.
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,... |
Alain Lefevre (nom de guerre Alain Duchamp) |
| Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:... |
Luther |
| Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt... |
Sgt. Steinkampf |
| Nicholas Farrell Nicholas Farrell Nicholas Farrell is an English stage, film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. In 1983, he starred as Edmund Bertram in a television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park... |
Mackintosh |
| Jim Carter | Lucien Galgani |
| Ana Sofrenovic | Katrina |
| Daniel Caltagirone | Guido Rosetti |
| Joseph Long Joseph Long (actor) Joseph Long is an actor. He has appeared in numerous BBC television productions including Doctor Who, Ashes to Ashes, The Bill and East Enders, He has also appeared in film, for instance in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers as film director Carlo Ponti. He portrayed Bernardino Drovetti in the... |
Maxim |
| Mario Kalli | René Galgani |
| Joe Montana Joe Montana (actor) Joe Montana is an actor, probably best known for his role as Marine in The Bourne Identity .-Filmography:-References:... |
Julot |
| Kim Romer | Capt. Rousselot |
| Anders Peter Bro | Lt. Charlier |
| Paul Kynman | Rolf Bruner |
| Vincent Pickering | Viktor |
| Takis Triggelis | Cpl. Metz |
| Tom Delmar | Cpl. Legros |
| Kamel Krifa | Abd-El Krim |
Production notes
The often-recorded 1936 song "Mon légionnaireMon légionnaire
Mon légionnaire is a French song created in 1936 by Marie Dubas, with lyrics by Raymond Asso and music by Marguerite Monnot. Marie Dubas toured the United States with this song in 1939....
" is sung over the closing credits by Ute Lemper
Ute Lemper
Ute Lemper is a German chanteuse and actress renowned for her interpretation of the work of Kurt Weill.- Biography :Born in Münster, Germany, Ute Lemper was raised in a Roman Catholic family. She joined the punk music group known as the Panama Drive Band at the age of 16...
.
Deemed unreleasable for movie theaters in the United States, Legionnaire was released to cable TV channels and home video despite a $35 million production budget.