Universal Soldier (1992) TriStar/Sci-Fi-Action RT: 102 minutes Rated R (strong graphic violence and strong language) Director: Roland Emmerich Screenplay: Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch and Dean Devlin Music: Christopher Franke Cinematography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub Release date: July 10, 1992 (US) Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Ally Walker, Ed O’Ross, Jerry Orbach, Leon Rippy, Tico Wells, Ralf Moeller, Robert Trebor, Gene Davis, Drew Snyder, Tiny Lister Jr., Simon Rhee, Eric Norris, Michael Winther, Joseph Malone, Rance Howard, Lilyan Chauvin, Monty Laird, Joanne Baron, Lupe Ontiveros. Box Office: $36.2M (US)/$80M (World)
Rating: *** ½
And you thought Chuck Norris and David Carradine in Lone Wolf McQuade was the ultimate action pairing? Wait until you get a load of Jean-Claude Van Damme (Bloodsport) and Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV) in Universal Soldier. That’s right, the “Muscles from Brussels” goes up against the “Stockholm Slammer”* in this sci-fi actioner from Roland Emmerich (Independence Day). The emphasis is most definitely on the fiction seeing that the science behind it is explained only in general terms. It’s cool. At least we get to see two major action stars trying to kill each other for 102 minutes.
Their story begins in Vietnam circa 1969 with a bloody massacre perpetrated by Sgt. Scott (Lundgren) in a small peaceful village. One of his men, Luc (JCVD), finds him wearing a necklace made of human ears and ranting about traitors. Luc, who’s reached the end of his tour and just wants to go home, tries to stop him to no avail. Long story short, the two men kill each other. Shortly after, another squad shows up and puts their bodies on ice. Somebody has serious plans for these two dead soldiers.
Luc and Scott, along with a few others, become part of the Universal Soldier program. Basically, this entails bringing them back to life to act as an elite antiterrorist unit. It has its pros and cons. On the pro side, they’re super-strong, highly-trained, agile, self-healing and near-unstoppable. On the con side, they tend to overheat quickly and must cool off in a cryogenic storage unit. Also, they can’t think for themselves. In addition to reanimating their bodies, the scientists wiped their memories clean or so they thought.
In the midst of dealing with a hostage situation at the Hoover Dam, Luc starts experiencing flashbacks to that fateful day in ‘Nam. It causes him to shut down. The lead technician (Rippy, Moon 44) wants to take him off-line to further assess the situation. The military commander in charge, Col. Perry (O’Ross, Red Heat), won’t allow it.
The problem worsens when a recently-fired reporter, Veronica Roberts (Walker, Profiler), starts nosing around. She thinks if she can get the story on this covert unit, the network will give her back her job. She’s spotted taking photos of a dead/not dead UniSol. Perry orders Luc and Scott to bring her back dead or alive. Scott, who’s also regaining his memory, opts for the former only to be thwarted once again by Luc. He then grabs the reporter and flees. Determined to keep their secret program a secret, Perry dispatches the other UniSols to find the two fugitives and silence them permanently. It’s an assignment Scott takes personally.
Most of Universal Soldier consists of Luc and Veronica trying to stay one step ahead of their pursuers as they attempt to find out what they did to Luc. The usual action- shooting, fighting and vehicular chases- ensues. As Luc’s desire to go home strengthens, so does Scott’s desire to keep fighting a war that’s been over for nearly two decades. In case you’re wondering, the two leads go mano-a-mano a few times before the end credits roll.
As for the science behind UniSol, it’s briefly explained by retired doctor Gregor (Orbach, Law & Order), one of the men that invented the process. He says they “hypercharged their bodies to turn dead flesh into living tissue” or some such nonsense. Gee, if it’s that easy, we may have just conquered death. LOL! To be fair, no one expects scientific realism from a movie like Universal Soldier. It’s called “science fiction” for a reason.
I’m not going to get hung up on the usual things I cover in one of my reviews. I’ll cut right to the chase and say Universal Soldier is a solid actioner featuring two titans of the genre in the 90s. You know what? They work pretty well together. Sure, neither of them can act, but who cares about that? They both have serious martial arts skills that they use to pound the hell out of each other. JCVD has a great scene going up against a bunch of locals in a roadside diner. Dolph finds a new use for a supermarket meat freezer. As the lone female in the main cast, Walker acquits herself nicely. She has an intelligence and steely determination that serves her well throughout.
At the center of Universal Soldier, there’s an awesome chase involving a bus and a huge armored van. There is action and bloody violence aplenty. Emmerich keeps things moving at a rapid pace. The plot isn’t completely stupid; it’s just silly. The screenplay contains the usual dopey tough guy dialogue. In other words, it’s business as usual for the genre. That’s not to say Universal Soldier is just another dumb macho action picture. Well, it is, but it works. It’s a well-oiled action machine powered by two of the biggest action stars of the time. I was in my 20s when it came out and I believe my reaction was “Dude, it rocks HARD!” I stand by that statement.
*= Since I couldn’t find an official moniker for Dolph, I made up one of my own. I doubt it will stick, but it’ll do for the purposes of this review.
