Universal Soldier (1992 film)
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| Universal Soldier | |
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| Directed by | Roland Emmerich |
| Produced by | Mario Kassar |
| Written by | Richard Rothstein Christopher Leitch Dean Devlin |
| Starring | Jean-Claude Van Damme Dolph Lundgren Ally Walker Ed O'Ross |
| Cinematography | Karl Walter Lindenlaub |
| Editing by | Michael J. Duthie |
| Release date(s) | 1992 |
| Running time | 99 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The 1992 science fiction film Universal Soldier, directed by Roland Emmerich, stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers. The film also stars German actor Ralf Moeller.
The film was followed by two television movie sequels in 1998 Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business, and a theatrical sequel that ignored the television films, Universal Soldier: The Return, in 1999, with the only returning cast member being Van Damme for the latter.
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[edit] Plot
Near the end of the Vietnam War, an American military squad receives orders to secure a village against Vietnamese forces. Pvt. Luc Devreaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) comes to find the members of his squad and various villagers dead with their ears missing. His comrade in arms, Sgt. Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) is the cause of this, having gone murderously insane. Devreaux finds that Scott, while holding up a string of severed ears, is also holding a young boy and girl hostage. Devreaux tries to reason with Scott, saying that the war is over. Scott becomes infuriated and shoots the boy in front of him, then orders Devreaux to shoot the girl in order to prove his loyalty.
Devreaux refuses and stops Scott from shooting the girl. The girl attempts to escape, but Scott lobs a grenade at her, killing her. Luc and Scott shoot each other and both are killed. The next morning, a Special Ops squad finds their bodies and the Commanding Officer of the squad gives the medics orders to "bag their bodies in ice."
Jumping to modern day, terrorists have taken over the McKinley Dam and the police agencies are ordered not to intervene or make any attempt to rescue the hostages. Instead, the Unviersal Soldiers (or "UniSols"), an elite counter terrorism unit, are called with Devreaux (now designated "GR44") and Scott (now designated "GR13") among this team. They apparently have been revived with no memory of their previous lives.
Devreaux and Scott are sent in to dispatch several of the terrorists, with Devreaux using efficient means, but Scott using excessive force. Their camera feeds sent back to the command post garners concern with the project technicians, suggesting that despite being emotional blank slates, Scott is actually enjoying it. As the UniSols infiltrate the area, they demonstrate their superior training and physical abilities, as one of them is shown surviving close-range automatic gunfire.
After the area is secure, Devreaux begins to regain memory from his former life after seeing two of the hostages who resemble the villagers he tried to save back in Vietnam. Turning around, he looks upon the face of Scott (who is also experiencing the same memory) but as a Unisol, he doesn't say anything. This causes him to ignore radio commands from Unisol Command.
Back in the mobile command center, the Unisol technician team are trying to figure out what happened at the McKinley Dam incident. They reveal that the UniSols have enhanced healing abilities and superior strength but also have a tendency to overheat which causes them to shut down. It is also revealed that they are given a neural serum to keep their minds under control and their previous memories suppressed. All of the UniSols are then ordered to go back into their cooling units and inject themselves with the serum.
Because of this glitch, Woodward (Leon Rippy), one of the technicians on the project, feels it may be better to pull the plug on the project due to Devreaux's flashback and Scott's behavior on the field. But Colonel Perry (Ed O'Ross), the commander in charge, tells them that the mission will proceed as planned.
TV news journalist Veronica Roberts (Ally Walker) is attempting to get a story on the UniSol project in an attempt to be reinstated at her job, having previously been fired while covering the McKinley Dam incident. After speaking with representatives from the project, she receives evasive answers. She later sneaks onto the base with a camera to investigate the project further only to discover the body of a damaged UniSol who appears to be fatally wounded but is still alive.
While attempting to escape, Devreaux and Scott are ordered to bring her back. She escapes to the car of her cameraman, but when the Unisols pursue, they cause the car to crash and overturn. Scott mercilessly executes the cameraman and Devreaux again intervenes, preventing him from shooting Roberts. They both escape in a UniSol vehicle.
After escaping, Scott mumbles to himself softly about Devreaux being a traitor, but none of the Unisol team realize it. Dr. Gregor (Jerry Orbach) resolves to chase the reporter and Devreaux across country to prevent knowledge of the UniSols from getting out, not only to the public, but to the American government, as the project is unauthorized by the American military.
As Devreaux and Roberts hide out and attempt to get evidence of the UniSol program to the media, Roberts turns on the television to learn that she is now being framed for the murder of her cameraman. As the UniSol team is dispatched, Scott's previous personality begins to emerge, causing him to kill innocents. As the technicians realize what is happening, they attempt to stop him, only to be killed themselves. Scott then takes over the rest of the UniSol team.
Devreaux and Roberts travel around as Roberts tries to dig up more information about the UniSol program. They meet Dr. Gregor, the originator of the program, who reveals the history of the project. Devreaux learns more of his past and wants to go home to meet his family in Louisiana.
After Devreaux reunites with his family, Scott tracks them down, leading to a vicious confrontation from which only one of them will emerge alive.
[edit] Trivia
- This was the last film encoded in CDS due to the release of DTS
- In the South Park episode "Go God Go", the army of evolved sea otters wear the same UniSol gear that Van Damme wears in this film.
[edit] See also
- Universal Soldier: The Return
- Universal Soldier (1971 film)
- Universal Soldier (cyborg) - the type of cyborg from the 1992 Universal Soldier film and its sequels
