areaseven Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Universal Soldier ( ユニバーサル ソルジャー ) Carolco/Tri-Star Pictures, 1992 Lions Gate Home Entertainment, 2007 Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Stargate) Running Time: 103 minutes Rated R for violence and gore, nudity, profanity and mature situations. Cast Jean-Claude Van Damme (J.C.V.D., Ivan in No Retreat, No Surrender) as Luc Deveraux/GR44 Dolph Lundgren (Street Preacher in Johnny Mnemonic, He-Man in Masters of the Universe) as Andrew Scott/GR13 Ally Walker (Sam in Profiler) as Veronica Roberts Ed O'Ross (Lt. Touchdown in Full Metal Jacket, Kay in Men in Black: The Series) as Col. Perry Jerry Orbach (Det. Briscoe in Law & Order, Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast) as Dr. Christopher Gregor Leon Rippy as Woodward Tico Wells as Garth Ralf Moeller (Conan the Adventurer, Hagen in Gladiator) as GR76 Tom "Tiny" Lister (Zeus in No Holds Barred, President Lindberg in The Fifth Element) as GR55 Simon Rhee as GR61 Eric Norris (Chuck Norris' son) as GR86 Synopsis In 1969, in a village somewhere in Vietnam, U.S. Army soldier Luc Deveraux discovered that Sgt. Andrew Scott had lost his sanity after killing his own platoon. They both wound up killing each other after Scott murdered an innocent civilian. Instead of declaring them dead, the military packed their bodies up and declared them as missing in action. Twenty-five years later, Luc and Scott are reborn as genetically enhanced soldiers with superhuman abilities and a high tolerance to harm. But while the military has converted them into perfect fighting machines, they failed to clear their minds of the past. This results in Luc experiencing flashbacks of the Vietnam incident and Scott reverting to his chaotic self. The situation is further complicated when Luc saves news reporter Veronica Roberts from being executed by Scott and they are both branded as fugitives as Luc makes his journey to return home. Lowdown It's been nearly two decades since Universal Soldier hit theaters. Sure, the plot is really shallow, but who cares? The movie still kicks ass with tons of explosions, awesome gadgetry and that badass truck that doubles as the UniSol's mobile base. Arguably, this is Dolph Lundgren's best movie outside Rocky IV and Johnny Mnemonic. And this is one of a handful of Van Damme movies worth watching (the others being Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Timecop). Yes, it bites a lot from the Terminator series, but it's simply a guilty pleasure film. If you want a straightforward action flick, look no further, as Universal Soldier delivers in spades. As a matter of fact, at under $10, it's a steal. Just don't bother with the sequel Universal Soldier: The Return or the direct-to-video pseudo-sequels. Rating: B DVD Extras: B+ The Special Edition DVD includes a behind-the-scenes video featuring interviews with Van Damme, Lundgren, Emmerich and Devlin. Also included is an alternate ending that fortunately never made it past the cutting room. References The Internet Movie Database Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the white drew carey Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Arguably, this is Dolph Lundgren's best movie outside Rocky IV and Johnny Mnemonic. Rocky IV, OK... not so bad. But saying it's someone's best movie since... (don't make me say it) Johnny Mnemonic!?!? Now THAT is a loaded statement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladic Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 One of my fave movies from vandamme is Never Retreat Never Surrender, although he plays a bad russian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted July 4, 2008 Author Share Posted July 4, 2008 One of my fave movies from vandamme is No Retreat, No Surrender, although he plays a bad russian. Yeah, I forgot to mention that. Haven't seen it in over 20 years, so I'll wait for SPIKE TV to air it someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowlightman Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Wow. 19 sentences. Very thorough review A+++ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyryder Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 This was one of my favorite movies, as a kid. It was right up there with Leviathon. I never claimed to have good taste in movies.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Hey, I like Leviathan a lot too. How about a review for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 Hey, I like Leviathan a lot too. How about a review for that? Yeah, I'll do that, once I set up my Netflix account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 Going to the subject of Van Damme himself, has anyone seen his most recent film? It seems to be a satire on his own life. From what's been posted on the web, critics all over Europe have been raving about it. J.C.V.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taksraven Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 I love the Ruthless Reviews review of this film. Pretty much sums it up for me. Enjoy. http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/reviews.cfm...al_soldier.html Taksraven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.