Soldier (1998) – Film Review

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Cast: Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, Jason Isaacs
Certificate: 15

By Roger Crow

When the Western genre started running out of steam in the 1960s, it morphed into sci-fi movies. All the same themes were there, from the shootouts and the lone hero on a quest to the posse hunting down the innocent man. You know the sort of thing. Horses were replaced by spaceships and jet bikes, and six shooters became laser guns.

All of which preamble brings us to Soldier, a late 1990s sci-fi epic which promised much but sadly delivered little. Kurt Russell may have been paid by the word, and probably still got a fortune for that minimal amount of dialogue. Not that it matters. Both Schwarzenegger and Gibson also spoke little in the first Terminator, and second Mad Max, and both films were masterpieces. Alas, the same cannot be said for Soldier. Which is a shame, because there are references to a shared Blade Runner universe, and a Shane-style set up in which our love-starved hero only knows how to kill and not feel pain.

“Warrior within”

Kurt plays Sergeant Todd 3465, a veteran in a long line of soldiers raised from birth to become ruthless and remorseless killing machines. When the callous Colonel Mekum introduces a new line of stronger, genetically engineered fighters, Todd is judged obsolete and confined to the waste disposal planet Arcadia 234.

Taken in by a group of humble colonists, Todd reconnects with his lost humanity, gaining their acceptance and their friendship. But when Mekum unleashes his new elite squad on the planet, led by the fearsome Caine 607, Todd must reawaken the warrior within to protect his newfound community.

The main set, and set pieces are fine, and there’s plenty of action, but the whole thing lacks a certain something. Jason Scott Lee is a generic antagonist, and the ever-reliable Sean Pertwee is so obviously a sacrificial pawn that his character may as well walk around with ‘Dead Man Walking’ emblazoned on his clothes.

I wanted to like Soldier more than I did, and 26 years after my last viewing, sadly it hasn’t aged like a fine wine. It’s not a bad film, just disappointing.

“Feast of trivia”

However, the shiny new 4K UHD version does boast a yack track with Anderson, producer Jeremy Bolt (who plays an extra in one scene) and co-star Jason Isaacs, which is a feast of trivia. Babies can apparently only be on screen for 10 minutes at a time, so a load of plastic babies were used for the opening scene, as well as real ones of course. And nice to see Freddy, the docile boar, also gets a shoutout for a scene in which he is torn apart. Though not really of course. Oh, and Kurt Russell’s son Wyatt, also pops up; these days he’s better known as playing a version of Captain America.
Sharp-eyed Kurt fans will also spot a subtle reference to some of previous characters, including Snake Plissken.

Picture and sound quality is great for a 27-year-old movie. In fact it looks like it was shot yesterday, which isn’t always the way with some 1999 movies.

There are plenty of other additional features, and as ever with Arrow video, it’s an attractive package, even if the film itself is a bit humdrum.

Roger Crow( Writer )

Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast

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