Lionheart: Extended Cut: Collector's Edition – MVD Rewind Collection (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1990
Director: Sheldon Lettich
Writers: Stefani Warren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sheldon Lettich
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Page, Deborah Rennard, Lisa Pelikan, Ashley Johnson, Brian Thompson, Dennis Rucker, Billy Blanks

Release Date: July 28th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 109 Minutes 6 seconds (The Extended Cut), 104 Minutes 32 seconds (The Theatrical Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 (The Extended Cut), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions - Blu-ray)
Rating: R
Sound: LPCM Stereo English (4K UHD - The Extended Cut, Blu-ray - The Theatrical Cut), DTS-HD 5.1 English (Blu-ray - The Theatrical Cut), Dolby Digital 5.1 English (Blu-ray - The Extended Cut), Dolby Digital Stereo English (Blu-ray - The Extended Cut)
Subtitles: English SDH (4K UHD - The Extended Cut, Blu-ray - The Theatrical Cut), French (Blu-ray - The Theatrical Cut), Spanish (Blu-ray - The Theatrical Cut)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"Upon receiving news that his brother in Los Angeles is seriously injured, Lyon Gaultier (Van Damme) Deserts the French Foreign Legion from a remote outpost in North Africa. Fleeing from two of the Legion's security force who have orders to bring him back at any cost, Lyon reluctantly turns to the illegal, bare-knuckles underground fighting circuit to raise the money he needs to help his brother's family." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (4K UHD), 3.75/5 (Blu-ray - Both versions)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Director Approved 2025 4K Scan & Restoration (2160p - 16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative) of the extended “A.W.O.L. Cut” of the movie presented in 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio in HDR."

Lionheart comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.6 GB

Feature: 60.1 GB

Lionheart comes on a 50 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.5 GB

Feature: 20.4 GB (The Extended Cut), 16.8 GB (The Theatrical Cut)

This Blu-ray uses the same master that MVD used for their 2018 Blu-ray release.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Stereo English - The Extended Cut), 4/5 (LPCM Stereo English - The Theatrical Cut, DTS-HD 5.1 English - The Theatrical Cut)

The 4K UHD only contains the extended cut and it comes with one audio option, a LPCM stereo mix in English with removable English SDH. This track is the best-sounding of the ones included. It sounds clean, clear, and balanced and robust when it should.

The Blu-ray contains two versions. The extend cut comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English and a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English. There are no subtitles. While they sound clear and balanced, they lack oomph! The theatrical cut comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and action sequences are well represented. Included are removable English SDH and French and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with director Sheldon Lettich, moderated by Heath Holland.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), five promotional clips/scenes from the movie for television (1 minute 29 seconds, 1 minute 3 seconds, 1 minute 26 seconds, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a behind-the-scenes photogallery with music from the film playing in the background, an archival featurette titled Behind the Scenes of the Audio Commentary (5 minutes 39 seconds, LPCM stereo English with removable German subtitles), an archival interview with actor Harrison Page (13 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Sheldon Lettich (25 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival Making of featurette (8 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Lionheart: Behind the Fights, featuring interviews with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sheldon Lettich, and producer Eric Karson (10 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Inside 'Lionheart' with the Filmmakers and Cast, featuring interviews with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sheldon Lettich, and producer Eric Karson (25 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled The Story of 'Lionheart, featuring interviews with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sheldon Lettich, and producer Eric Karson (47 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Sheldon Lettich and Harrison Page for the theatrical cut, and an audio commentary with Sheldon Lettich and Heath Holland for the extended cut.

Other extras include trailers for Black Eagle, Return of the Swamp Thing, and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, reversible cover art, a collectible Lionheart “4K LaserVision” mini-poster, and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Sheldon Lettich directed Lionheart. He’s most known for the four films he made with Jean-Claude Van Damme, the other three being Double Impact, The Order, and The Hard Corps.

A man serving in the French Foreign Legion is forced to take drastic measures to reunite with his grieving family after his brother's death. Now on the run, after escaping the French Foreign Legion, he becomes entangled in underground street fights to raise money for his brother's widow and child.

Lionheart is arguably Jean-Claude Van Damme’s most well-rounded film. While action is always the focal point of any Jean-Claude Van Damme film, a film like Lionheart showcases what he’s capable of beyond the brawn. Jean-Claude Van Damme portrays Lyon, a character that allows him as an actor to dig deeper than his usual role. That said, Lyon’s estrangement from his brother and his need to make amends for not being there for him when he was murdered are what drive the narrative.

Although Lionheart is overflowing with 1980s and 1990s action cinema cliches, they actually suit the story that unfolds really well. The bulk of the action is organized street fights for affluent people's entertainment. All around the action sequences are outstanding, especially a brutal knockdown drag-out finale where Lyon narrowly wins.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (Kickboxer) delivers a solid performance that’s oozing with charisma. His character, Lyon, is a man of few words who lets his fists do most of the talking. Lyon is a fish out of water when he arrives in the US. He meets Joshua, a former fighter who helps him earn money and locate his dead brother's wife. Unfortunately, for Lyon, wherever he goes, trouble seems to find him.

While Jean-Claude Van Damme is clearly the main attraction, Lionheart surrounds him with a strong cast who are all excellent in their roles. Harrison Paige in the role of Josuha delivers a standout performance. Rounding out the cast are Deborah Rennard, who portrays Cynthia, who orchestrates the street fights, and Brian Thompson (Cobra) in the role of Cynthia’s bodyguard. The bad guy characters are stereotypical and deliriously over the top.

The opening setup immediately grabs you with a scene where Lyon’s brother, a drug dealer, is burned alive. This scene firmly sets the tone for a grim story that is filled with tense moments and several well-executed twists. After a solid opening setup, the narrative does a superb job holding your attention while it builds momentum to an emotionally charged, cathartic finale. Ultimately, Lionheart is a very satisfying mix of melodrama and action.

Lionheart gets a first-rate release from the MVD Rewind Collection that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras. Recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer