Customer Reviews

Soldier

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

Soldier is a rare experience that is far more than the plot, which has been outlined by the editorial comments. This is a journey taken by a strong warrior into his own humanity. I cannot even count the number of times that I have watched this movie, but I know it is more than twenty. I see more each time.

Kurt Russell's extraordinary and powerful acting skills make Sergeant Todd real. Successfully creating a character without dialogue is an art -- and he mastered it. This movie provides insight into today's violent world as well.

Todd has known nothing but war or training since he was born. He was conscripted in the hospital; he never knew love, or laughter, or how to play. He obeyed orders and did not speak unless spoken to. The perfect soldier could not have emotions. If the only way to kill an enemy was to kill innocent victims, then he did what was required.

Todd is the best soldier of the "old timers," and he has been bested a new, genetically engineered soldier. One of the most poignant scenes is on the world where he was dumped for dead. The survivors that created a life on Arcadia are nervous to have a soldier in their midst, and ask Todd why he is there alone. He stands, no expression on his faces, and says, "I was replaced by a better soldier, Sir."

Although he acknowledges that he is no longer good enough to be a soldier, as his body heals he works to grow stronger and returns to the training rituals that have ruled his entire life. As he sees the interaction in the group that saved him, he is conflicted by emotions that he never experienced. When asked what he thought about, he says, "Fear. Fear and training."

It is extremely painful for him to be exiled from these people because he is too strong, and his violent training is too dangerous. He does not understand what he feels. This is my favorite scene. He is alone in his exile, sitting in a concrete drainpipe with tears running down his face. He wipes the tears away, and with the skill of a great actor, Russell shows that he does not even know what they are.

The arrogant commander of the new soldiers considers Arcadia the perfect first "war." Anyone on the planet was considered hostile. Three soldiers attacked the small group, killing without provocation. They have no hope until Todd returns and saves the group. When he is asked what he would do, he says, "Kill them all, Sir." He will not let the group help him because "A soldier deserves a soldier."

Good writing means that the hero must have an enemy equal to his abilities, and this has great writing. In facing the final soldier, Todd's intelligence wins the battle.

I am passionate about this movie. The acting, plot, special effects, and depth earn five stars.

Victoria Tarrani

This is one of the great, unsung science fiction films of recent times. The story revolves around a future where soldiers are segregated and trained from the crib to be merciless, killing machines. Kurt Russel, in a great performance, plays one of these soldiers who are soon to be replaced by a genetically enhanced new breed of soldier. Sgt. Todd 3465 (Russel) is believed killed in a training exercise and disposed of like yesterday's garbage on a waste-disposal planet. He survives, finds refuge amongst a colony of planet refugees, and tries to fit in.

This is, on a very rewarding level, a tremendous action film. Russel's nemesis in the film, Sgt. Caine 607 (played by Jason Scott Lee) is an imposing presence, and the fight scenes between the two are excellent and convincing. The special effects and battle scenes are impressive as well, and really transport you to a harsh, bleak, metallic future.

On another level the film is about the discovery of emotion in the highly trained soldier as he tries to fit into a more normal society. Russel is simply outstanding in the roll, doing an incredible acting job. He speaks a total of about 20 words in the whole film, but his internal struggles are always clear and very moving.

This "learning human emotions" trick is one several science fiction films have attempted, and most are embarrassing and painful to watch, dripping with sugar and sap. "Soldier" excels in this department as Russel makes the shift from killing machine to feeling man in a subtle, believable way. The film is just very, very well done and well written. The acting is fine all the way around, and the dialogue is completely absent of those wince-producing moments films of this nature often have.

Over time, this has become one of my favorite movies. I have watched it several times with increased enjoyment each time. I have quoted dialogue from this movie on more than one occasion, particularly the moment when Sgt. Todd tries to express his feelings, and all he can verbalize is "fear . . . discipline."

This movie is carefully crafted, intelligent, and hugely entertaining from the opening credits onward.

It's a 10. Superb acting by Kurt Russell; directed by Paul Anderson, genius behind _Blade Runner_. He captured the essence of dictatorship and its opposite: individualism. Initially the protagonist, Todd, follows orders, used as a means to the ends of the State, a fighting machine who's then discarded. But Todd survives being dumped on a heap of refuse on a desert planet, to make his way to a small settlement of free people. There he learns what it means to have selfish values and to love a woman. When the totalitarians return to threaten her, only Todd can destroy them. Fight scenes and interpersonal dynamics were masterfully done. This is not a simplistic action movie with bullets flying everywhere. This is action melded with intellectual strategy, melded with a deep philosophical message. A sci fi classic, right along with Blade Runner.

Here's another movie that was marketed to the wrong audience and therefore died at the box office.I found Soldier to be a profound meditation on violence and beauty. Kurt Russell delivers yet another exemplary-but-unacclaimed performance. His Sgt. Todd is an Everyman who does his duty, no questions, and is tossed out with the rest of the garbage when the next new thing comes along.From that point, Russell's facial expressions combine with the sensuous camerawork of the cinematographer to provoke the questions: Do I deserve love, beauty, and community? and: When, if ever, is violence necessary?This is a flick I'd recommend to the content guardians who are knee-jerk haters of violence. Soldier uses violence appropriately, intelligently. It is a film for grown-ups. Then again, censors rarely get that point.Bottom line: When you watch this film, you have to watch everything that is going on. It's not just another action flick.

I cant imagine why anyone wouldnt like this movie. I recently discovered it didnt do well in the box ofice. that was a surprise to me, I've liked this movie since the first time i saw it on TV and I think with creativity a sequal could be made. If you agree say this review was helpful to you.

Written as sort of a sequel to Blade Runner (it takes place within the same universe) by David Peeples (Unforgiven, Blade Runner), Soldier is a rarity now days; it's a B-Movie masquerading as an A movie. I said it was a rarity because it also doesn't have any pretentions to be anything but that. Kurt Russell plays a man born and bred to be a ruthless, brutal soldier. When he's injured, he's discarded like yesterday's news on a planet where much of Earth's waste is dumped. When the latest genetically enhanced soldiers arrive to dispose of the inhabitants of the planet, Russell's character is pushed into action; he's discovered the barest hints of humanity and compassion that was always denied him before. He's taken to these underdogs and they to him almost as a family.

In many respects the plot for Solider could have been lifted from a Clint Eastwood Western. Here's The Man With No Name suddenly discovering an emotional core he never knew he had. He helps the less fortunate not because of pity but because he realizes he finally belongs. Russell's performance is masterful. While the Russell doesn't have much dialog, he manages to convey what makes the character tick with minimum discussion. Russell uses body language to communicate as much as the dialog. In many respects, he's a variation on the character of Rick Deckard from Blade Runner. He's a man of action that ceases to exist between assignments. This cypher like character suddenly discovers he is more than his past and his actions. In the process he rediscovers his own humanity. Soldier makes a complimentary piece to the Mad Max series.

The film uses the action and science fiction genre for a springboard to examine a lot of different themes and issues but, make no mistake, it is still an ACTION film. The stunts are well choregraphed and the visual effects effective but it isn't drenched in the CGI we've come to expect movies of this type to have.

The DVD transfer is very good as is the audio quality. The extras includes commentary by director Paul W. S. Anderson (Event Horizon, Resident Evil), a theatrical trailer, production notes and both the wide and full screen editions of the movie. My only complaint is the fact that writer David Peeples isn't given any room for a commentary track. Since he's truly the author of the film (and it was intended as a sequel of sorts or companion piece to Blade Runner), it would have been very interesting to get his take on the finished product.

Solider isn't Citizen Kane nor does it pretend to be; it's like many of the classic B-Movies of the 50's to the 80's (most notably The Terminator)in that there's far more than meets the eye going on here.

I have always liked Kurt Russell's movies, and Soldier is no exception. A lot has been said about the amount of lines he has in the film, but it is an action movie. Actions speak louder than words in this film. That's what makes it cool, and Russell shines in this movie.

The DVD is pretty good, the color is great as is the sound. The director's commentary by Paul Anderson is pretty good because his movies are really cool. He also is joined in the commentary by actor Jason Issacs (who played Mekum) and producer Jeremy Bolt. It also has a trailer for the film.

Some people over-analyze a film, when you do, you lose track of the fact that it is just a film, and take how bad things are too seriously.

Soldier may have gotten bad reviews, but I enjoyed it in the theatres and on my DVD player.

I hope you will like this DVD too.

I think this movie is one of the most overlooked of recent years. People may laugh, but I thought Kurt Russell was perfect in this--he gets my Oscar for that year. Too bad you never get nominated for a real action flick.

He says 80 words (not certain on that, but I counted them once!) but packs more into his performance than any of today's more acclaimed "actors". I've never seen an actor express so effectively with their eyes. So often I see a close up these days and either am not sure what emotion they are trying to show, or I know exactly what they are trying to display but can't help notice how poorly they are showing it.

Maybe part of it comes from the character, I'll admit. His emotions are buried due to his lifelong training, but he's seen some things that have tremendous emotional impact, so you are expecting there's something deep inside that wants to get out. And then Kurt shows it, and very effectively.

In summary, this is my favorite of the highly specific Terminator/Robocop/Ultimate Soldier sub-genre, and ends up being one of my very favorite action movies.

The spiritual opposite of "Star Wars III - Revenge of the Sith." Transcends sci-fi genre with a focused look at the essence of warriorhood, and what is sacrificed to create a "perfect killer." The evolution of the Kurt Russell character is a touching transformation from a souless Storm Trooper to a true citizen soldier in the ideal American tradition. But there's nothing textbook preachy about it. A lot of visual flash and pizzaz, considerable tension, and unpredictable twists because things could easily go either way, including the ending.

Boy, I'm sure glad I watched this movie _before_ I found out I wasn't supposed to like it. I don't understand the disappointment; this is a well-made and satisfying movie.

I've said before that Kurt Russell is an extremely underrated actor, and he proves it again here. This is a demanding role.

Sgt. Todd is a genetically-engineered supersoldier, indoctrinated from birth as part of something called the 'Adam Project'. A seasoned combat veteran, Todd is a highly trained killing machine who has never known any other way of life.

Yet during the movie, we're supposed to gather that he's starting to feel some 'normal' human emotions and having trouble reconciling his past with his present. Somehow Todd has to put all this across to the audience with a bare minimum of dialogue and an absolutely flat-affect delivery -- rather like Arnold in the _Terminator_ films, with the difference that Todd is _not_ a cyborg or robot, but a human being with a deep inner life that he doesn't know how to express.

I don't know who could have played the part other than Russell. I can't think of another actor who could manage to convey so much with an expressionless face and _also_ be believable as a pumped-up supersoldier. (And Russell is seriously pumped up for this film.)

The story is well-crafted, too. Written by David Webb Peoples, one of the screenwriters on _Blade Runner_, this film is conceived as something of a sequel to that one and partakes of its darkness and moral ambiguity. But for all that, it zips along nicely under Paul Anderson's direction (despite some overuse of slo-mo).

Oh, there's some derivative stuff that we can charitably regard as 'homage' if we like. There's a very heavy nod toward _First Blood_ (and in general a strong evocation of the U.S.'s treatment of Vietnam veterans). And certainly this supersoldier thing has been done before (although _Universal Soldier_, _RoboCop_, and _The Six Million Dollar Man_ were cyborgs rather than genetically engineered Uebermenschen). That just means we're dealing with a very good B movie rather than something breathtakingly new.

Some viewers have suggested that Jason Scott Lee isn't very effectively used in this film. I disagree; I think he's downright fearsome in his single-minded lethality. (As you'll learn in the first few minutes of the film, he's one of a team of _super_-supersoldiers that are supposed to render Sgt. Todd and his guys obsolete.)

The SF backdrop is interesting and unforced although not terribly well fleshed out. All I can say without spoiling things is that there's a planet in the Arcadia sector that Earth is using as a junkyard, and that there's a human society living on it that nobody on Earth knows about.

The rest of the cast does well (including Michael Chiklis). Watch especially for a nice job by Gary Busey. You'll probably also like the Joel McNeely score, which doesn't break any new ground (and certainly doesn't hoist the film to the stratosphere as David Arnold's does _Stargate_) but nevertheless does its job adequately.

Oh -- and don't forget to be awed by the hauntingly gorgeous piece of music in Scene 11. It's 'Night Ride Across the Caucasus' by Loreena McKennitt and it's on her CD _The Book of Secrets_.