Soldier

Soldier



Before Paul WS Anderson drew our attention to his middle initials, he was simply Paul Anderson. It was during this time that he directed the all out actioner ‘Soldier’.
And, as we now know, it was all downhill from there.

The story starts with a group of babies being selected at birth for a military experiment. The children are raised, not by loving parents, but by hard-nosed drill instructors. They’re forced to witness violent brutality, desensitizing them into becoming ultimate killers. It’s effectively a school for mini-Rambos.

When they grow up, however, they’re superseded by a new breed of ultimate soldiers. These ones were genetically modified in the womb and can outrun, outfight and outwit the older soldiers, rendering them obsolete. It’s during a fight with one of these GM warriors that the Soldier of the title, (Sgt. Todd; Kurt Russell) is presumed dead and shipped off to a waste disposal planet.

On the planet he discovers a small colony of refugees, forging a life among the rubbish. It’s there he slowly rediscovers his humanity as he’s welcomed into their community.

Lucky for us it’s not all soul searching and spiritual awakenings, the modified super-soldiers turn up for a training exercise/ extermination of life. It’s up to Todd to protect the innocents and save the Fuckin’ day.

The simplicity of this story is its strength. There are hardly any complications between Todd and the killing of bad guys. One way you cut down on complications is obliterate all needless dialogue. Having Kurt Russell act as an almost mute murder machine saves us time getting to know the character.

Unfortunately, it does make the bit where he cries all the more laughable.

Made in 1998, Soldier’s visual effects seem to predate the first Star Wars movie. With models so obvious, you can just about see the strings.

Thing is, I could list all this movie’s failings and release it as a book, but the fact is it’s a great film. The tension preceding the climactic battle at the end has us baying for blood. At the end of the day, that’s all you need.

Paul Anderson seems to love action films like the rest of us and here he’s ticked all the right boxes. With his return to form with ‘Death Race’ and this early effort, you can’t write him off.

Verdict 8/10
Bad acting, bad effects, great film.