the course of action. Cast Michael Palance as Mitchum Olivier Gruner as Joseph Charlegrand Ian Ziering as Cain Parker Ashley Laurence as Mary Parker Marc Singer as Ziegfield Von Trotta James Brolin as Colonel Jones Rance Howard as Farmer Peter Lee as The Master Background The French Foreign Legion had been founded in 1831, one year after the Garde Écossaise had been officially dissolved. Right from the beginning many German-speaking men joined the forces, often hiding behind false names. In 1861 Napoleon III used the Legion for the French intervention in Mexico. It lasted until 1867. At that time Charles Lecour had already created and established French boxing as a blend of savate and English boxing. Hitherto savateurs had used their hands mainly to block kicks or to fence with sticks (canne de combat) at the same time. One of Lecour's students was former army instructor Joseph Charlemont. Against this background it is imaginable a savateur like Joseph Charlegrand could have served in Mexico and that he might have met a German-speaking legionnaire during this time, though the slow speed of communications and travel in 1865 as well as the lack of cross-over in combat sports of the time make the idea of an international martial arts contest in the wilds of the American West highly unlikely. Reception J.R. Taylor of Entertainment Weekly gave it a grade C+. TheActionElite.com rated the film 3.5 out of 5 praising action directed by Isaac Florentine. References External links 1995 films 1995 martial arts films 1995 Western (genre) films Films directed by Isaac Florentine Films scored by Kevin Kiner Films set in 1865 Films set in Mexico Films set in France French Foreign Legion in popular culture American martial arts films Martial arts tournament films Savate 1990s English-language films 1990s American films