In 1996, a military program is introduced that hand-selects newborn baby boys to be enrolled into a training regimen that will harden them into super soldiers by their 18th birthday. These soldiers are desensitized to violence as well as given mental and physical tasks that reinforce their endurance.
Flash forward to forty years later. Captain Church (Gary Busey) recognizes Sergeant Todd (Kurt Russell) as one of the best soldiers under his command. Although Todd and his fellow soldiers have racked up an impressive list of victories and won dozens upon dozens of medals, Colonel Mekum (Jason Isaacs) has decided to replace them with an even stronger type of soldier: one that is selectively created through genetics. Captain Church is skeptical of the quality of these new soldiers and is eager to test Mekum’s creations. He pits Todd against Mekum’s best soldier, Caine (Jason Scott Lee). Caine not only defeats Todd in hand-to-hand combat, but takes out two other older model soldiers as well.
Mekum orders the bodies of the three dead soldiers to be placed in “waste disposal” and, eventually, the bodies are dumped on Arcadia, a barren, garbage-filled planet. Although he was believed to be dead, Todd is merely injured. He is nursed back to health by Mace (Sean Pertwee) and his family who, along with many other people, inhabit the desolate planet. Todd’s killer instinct and hardcore nature are a shock to the peaceful people of Arcadia but soon they will come to appreciate him as their peaceful existence is about to be threatened.
Kurt Russell’s role as Sergeant Todd only requires him to say approximately 100 words but his expressive face conveys a wide range of emotions throughout the movie. His scenes with a mute boy are oddly touching, especially for the type of story being told.
That story, penned by David Webb Peoples, is largely predictable and full of disposable characters who act illogically. However, on the strength of Russell’s performance, it’s worth watching.
Soldier was directed by Paul Anderson, who’s also responsible for Alien vs. Predator and Event Horizon. Thankfully, I didn’t know that before watching the film as I would have probably skipped it. However, it was a nice surprise to find out who was behind the camera after I determined that Soldier is a flawed, but entertaining, action flick.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
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