Reviews (317)

Kubrick Addresses The Complexities Of War
The dual nature of man, wherein he is able to embrace both war and peace simultaneously, is addressed by director Stanley Kubrick in the decidedly anti-war film, "Full Metal Jacket," starring Matthew Modine. Divided essentially into two parts, the first half follows raw recruits through basic training at Parris Island, where the effects of what it takes to turn a man into a Marine / killing machine is explored, predominately through the characters of Private "Joker," played by Matthew Modine, and Private Leonard Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio), dubbed "Gomer Pyle" by the D.I, Sergeant Hartman (Lee Ermey). It's a hard, stoic study of techniques and motivation that inherently questions the system itself, and is deftly and succinctly illustrated by the results achieved, which are not entirely those desired. It's hard stuff to swallow at times, but engrossing, and Kubrick manages to gradually build the emotional intensity that gives such impact to the climax of this first part, which is without question the strength of the entire film. The second half switches suddenly to Vietnam, where Kubrick takes up his pallet and canvass, and while attempting to paint a realistic portrait of war, instead takes more of a turn away from reality, and the film takes on a sense of the surreal; the result is more reminiscent of the visual artistry of "The Thin Red Line" than of the truly gritty realism of "Saving Private Ryan," and rather than make his statement directly through the use of the story, he uses the movie to stage sequences of events to demonstrate the contradictory nature of war and it's consequences, and man's involvement therein. And while he compares the moral and emotional conflicts with the physical, it is an acknowledgement of an inner struggle devoid of any proffered solution, though delivered quite subjectively. The pace of the film is very deliberate and much of the dialogue has a "staged" sense about it that, rather than underscore the issues being addressed, has more of an alienating effect which serves to neutralize the emotional aspects of what is being presented. The story is told from the point of view of Modine's "Joker" , but though Modine does a passable job, his is a rather unsympathetic character whose purpose it would seem is merely to act as narrator and to serve as the "eyes" of the camera. And, again, it only manages to distance the audience further, as Joker becomes a kind of buffer between the viewer and any sustained level of emotional involvement with the story or any of the characters. Instead of a stirring fulmination against the lunacy of war and man's enablement of it, Kubrick's approach creates more of a sense of rather cold ambiguity. Had Joker (as the lead) been a stronger character, and had the second half of the film been more like the first, instead of nothing more than a series of vignettes, this could have been a dynamic movie; as it is, because of Kubrick's choices, he made a good movie, but not a great one. There are two memorable performances here, one by Vincent D'Onofrio, who did an exemplary job of creating the hapless Leonard; the other by Lee Ermey, as the Gunnery Sergeant who could be the poster-boy for an anti-enlistment campaign. Also worthy of note is the work of Arliss Howard, who brought "Cowboy" so credibly to life. Rounding out the supporting cast are Adam Baldwin (Animal Mother); Dorian Harewood (Eightball); Kevyn Major Howard (Rafterman); Ed O'Ross (Lieutenant Tinoshky); and John Terry (Lieutenant Lockhart). With "Full Metal Jacket," Stanley Kubrick raises issues that are important, and makes some valid points about the causes and complexities of war, and the moral and ethical challenges of those presented with it. Obviously, this was a passionate endeavor; if only he would have allowed more of that passion to make it's way onto the screen. What a movie this could have been.

Great movie,but not my favorite on Vietnam
Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is a very good movie,but I like others on the subject of Vietnam better.It follows a group of Marine Corps recruits from boot camp to the war in Vietnam.I thought the boot camp sequence was outstanding.Gunnery Sageant Hartman is an unforgettable character,(every time I see R.Lee Ermey in a movie I'm reminded of him)probably the best drill instructor ever in a movie.The rest of the cast was very good,as well,especially Vincent D'Onofrio as Gomer Pyle,and Matthew Modine as Joker.After boot camp the movie shifts to Vietnam,where the action is seen mostly through Joker's eyes.The movie show's some of the horrors of war,but not as well as other Vietnam films such as Platoon and Hamburger Hill.(of course that's just my opinion,you may disagree)I've read that the movie was shot entirely on soundstages in England,rather than on location,and it looks incredible.Overall,while not my favorite movie about Vietnam,it is a very good film.

Fantastic
First of all....many Marines say that the first 30 minutes of the movie about boot camp is THE most accurate depiction of Parris Island in cinematic history. And of course Lee Ermey himself being a former Marine drill instructor tops it all....his profanity laced tirades are totally outrageous.

Second of all, the latter half of the movie deals with a subject not covered in Vietnam movies, a squad getting lost and having to face a lone sniper. Its a radical departure to be sure, but Kubrick in his usual cinematic mastery makes it very gripping.

So if you like Vietnam movies that are a bit different but still as strong as Hamburger Hill and Platoon, check this one out....its fantastic.

full....metal...jacket.
one of my favorite movies kubrick and matthew modaine how better can it get.lol. i suggest this omvie to anyone who likes kubrick, war movies or both for that matter. i also read the book that its based off of "the short timers" by gustav hasford it was really good but i still liked the movie better becasue it had vincent d' onfario and and the segarent(its like blasphemy that i cant remeber his name at this moment) but this movie is great, kind of boring at parts but still its deffinalty worth a watch.

An Near Masterpiece.
When Ordinary People are all Plunged into a Boot Camp Hell Pitbulled by a Leatherlung D.I. (R.Lee Emery) to Prepare for the Vietnam War and the Dehumanizing Process that turns People into Trained Killers.

Produced and Directed by Stanley Kubrick (2001:A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut) made a Savage Vietnam drama with a dark sense of humour. There's terrific performances by Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio, R.Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Arliss Howard, Kevyn Major Howard and Ed O'Ross. The first 45 minutes is a Masterpiece and then the last 71 Minutes, the movie turns into familiar territory with dark humour. The film's conculsion is Strong and Satifysing. This newly restored DVD is better than the previous DVD transfer. DVD has an sharp Pan & Scan (1.33:1) transfer and an strong newly remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is a Well Made film, which it might be far from some of Kubrick's best films but his elements are here. It's worth viewing. Based on the Novel "The Short-Times" by Gustav Hasford. Screenplay by Kubrick, Hasford and Micheal Herr. Grade:A-. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The boys are back in town, but they're wearing their carbon-paper suits in this frantic but not nearly as funny sequel to the action-comedy hit. The first time around, the combination of Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte had the element of surprise going for it: Who expected these two to have chemistry? This time, chemistry is virtually all they have in a veritable rehash of the first film. What plot there is has to do with Nolte's needing Murphy (who is just out of jail) to help him clear his own name and save his job on the police force. Director Walter Hill is back in place, but this time the script is the work of action hack Jeb Stuart and the movie barely gives Murphy room to unleash his comic riffs; when he does, we're expecting them (though he's still entertaining). --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (17)

More of a remake than a sequel
Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) has been tracking an elusive druglord named the Iceman for the last few years. During a botched arrest attempt he discovers that the Iceman has arranged a hit on old friend Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy) who's about to be released from prison. Cates is certain to face the loss of his badge if he doesn't wrap this up, so he turns to Hammond to help him bring in the Iceman. Three sadistic bikers (hired by the Iceman) are also hunting the pair, one of whom is the revenge hungry brother of the psycho Cates killed in the first film. Nolte and Murphy still click, and the movie is never boring, but this is basically a rehash with minor changes made here and there. We revisit their fistfights, another redneck bar, another hotel shootout, and so on. One plus is that the profanity has been toned down (at least by Murphy's standards) and there is some exciting gunplay amidst all the shattering glass you would find in a Walter Hill film. Hill might have turned in a much better film had he veered away from all this familar territory.

the boys are back in town
they are back. nick nolte and eddie murphy return in this smash hit sequal another 48 hrs. this time around a killer known as the iceman ganza's brother from the first 48 hrs is doing the dirty work and nick nolte is the only cop on the force who thinks he exists. just like before nick and eddie get 2 days to track this guy down. not to many people like this movie,but i thought it was a very good sequal. of course the first is better but this one is very good to. how can you not like it we have a bus that flips over 17 times with eddie murphy in it,eddie murphy holding up another redneck bar,and the ending is very good as well. rated r for strong violence,strong language,and some nudity

Can anyone please answer this question???
Why didnt Reggie recognize the Iceman (Detective Keyhoe) in the first movie...In the first movie, Reggie was in the precinct quite often, why didnt he recognize the Iceman then??????

I like this movie, but Reggie was the only one who knew what the Iceman looked like and the Iceman worked right next to Nolte?? his friend??...it is just a huge hole in the plot, but I did find the movie fun

Egad!
Should never have been made. A deflated carbon copy of the original. Inaugerated Murphy's early 90's slide. Murphy and Nolte can barely be bothered to show up for this nonsense.

Bad Sequel! Bad, BAD Sequel!
They get in fistfights again, they still treat eachother like dirt, Eddie does "Roxanne" again, Nolte shoots at the guy holding a gun against Eddie's head again, another redneck bar, the same "sky blue Cadillac", the list goes on and on. Never have I seen a sequel so desperate to cling to its predecessor as this one. And sequels are NOTORIOUS for clinging to their predecessors ("American Pie 2" and "American Wedding" anyone?). It has its moments, but trouble is you've seen most of them before when they were still fresh and original. Worth renting if you're a fan of the original, but certainly not a "must-own". ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Probably my favorite little-known horror film.
If you're all stocked up on the requisite horror/sci-fi DVDs and are looking to go deeper in your collection, here is a little gem from 1987 that I guarantee will please. Everyone has a movie they love that nobody else saw - this is one of mine.

You can get a feel for the story from the Amazon blurb above. My testimony is for the fun of the film. It's not gory, or even necesarrily bone-chillingly scary. It's just extremely entertaining and really well done (it's cousin in this genre is TREMORS, for the fun and campiness of it all).

But what makes this DVD worth BUYING is its extras, especially the commentary by director Jack Sholder. This guy is a B-movie director if ever there was one, and his resume isn't all that impressive: Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Renegades, some other forgettable 80's films, and the recently abysmal Supernova. But gosh darnit if he didn't make a good enough film to warrant some director's audio commentary, and boy does he go to town. You can tell he's probably a real jerk to work with, and quite impressed with himself. And his cranky disposition makes for some great dirt on the making of this film. He disses the star, Michael Nouri, and even blasts the poor acting of some of his bit players. This is a guy who likely makes few friends with his commentary, and it's VERY entertaining, especially after having enjoyed the film for your first time. On top of that, he's a pretty practical low-budget director who shares the tricks of what he did and adds depth to one's appreciation for the film.

So to sum up - a great little movie on its own merits, with great director's commentary to warrant purchasing the DVD.

Graphic sci-fi with a sharp sense of humor.
"The Hidden" turned out to be a real surprise. The aliens in this picture love fast cars and rock-'n-roll music. The story is about an alien cop of one species looking for a criminal alien of another species, which he follows to Earth. Both aliens enter human bodies and control these bodies until the host is dead. Violent and graphic, this film doesn't cover new ground, but twists it by juxtaposing this violence with a keen sense of humor. Michael Nouri is fine as the haggard city cop trying to understand the random killings suddenly spreading throughout his city, and Kyle MacLachlan is perfect in the roll of the quirky alien using an FBI agent's body to hunt down the criminal. Between 1 and 10, "The Hidden" gets a marginal 7.

An Excellent Sci/Fi Thriller.
A Series of Bizarre, Unusual Crimes are Committed by Seemingly Ordinary Citizens of Los Angeles. L.A. Police Detective (Micheal Nouri) is totally buffled by these stranges crimes. When a Mysterious F.B.I. Agent (Kyle MacLachlan) is helping the Police Detective with these inexplicable robberies and murders but not telling the detective that a Demonic Extraterrestrial Creature is Invading the Bodies of Everyday Citizens and Transforming Them into Inhuman Killers.

Directed by Jack Sholder (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2:Freddy's Revenge, Wishmaster 2:Evil Never Dies, Alone in the Dark) made a entertaining, wildly violent, kinetic, sci-fi action/thriller that is even touching with a sense of humour. This Independent Film has High Production Values was made with a Budget of $5-6 Million. This was a Small Hit for then Independent Studio-New Line Cinema. MacLachlan and Mouri are good in the film. DVD has an fine anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer (also in Pan & Scan) with an digitally remastered-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.

DVD has an great filmmakers commentary track by the director:Sholder and another film director (Who nothing to do with the film production but He's a fan of the film):Tim Hunter (River's Edge). DVD also has Unused Footage, never seen before special effects production footage with narration by the director of the film and the Original Theatrical Trailer. This film has become a Cult Classic and it's also a Underrated Film. This is a Fast, Violent, Edge of your Seat Thrill Ride of a Movie. Writer:Bob Hunt, who wrote this film is really-Jim Kouf. Which Kouf wrote "The Stakeout Films" and the little seen-"Gang Related". Terrific Music Score by Micheal Convertino. Grade:A.

Kill Those Smarmy Car Salesmen!!
This movie takes a tentacled stab at the Human Race. A great sense of humor throughout the film. Wild special effects. Surprised faces on nearly everyone in the movie! If you need a worthy SCI-FI flick for your collection this would be a good choice. Very re-watchable for the [gory scene/surprised faces] laughs alone.

The Hidden (1987)
Director: Jack Sholder
Cast: Michael Nouri, Kyle MacLachlan, Ed O'Ross, Clu Gulager, Claudia Christian.
Running Time: 97 minutes.
Rated R for violence, sexual situations, gore, and language.

A nice surprise of an action-science fiction feast, pitting police detective Michael Nouri and federal agent Kyle MacLachlan to join forces against an unknown evil. When a bizarre series of crimes wreck havoc on the streets of Los Angeles, California, the two discover that they may be up against a slithery alien intruder that wants to take over the world. MacLachlan's behavior gets stranger and stranger as the film goes on, prompting Nouri to suspect that he may have something to do with it.

Director Sholder creates a "Lethal Weapon" on extra-terrestrial steriods, creating an original and amusing cop-buddy flick that is satisfyingly different. While the script is fairly bogus and the performances are only mediocre, the action sequences and special effects are very well-done. Not a film that should cause anyone to drop all of their things and watch at once, but an exciting motion picture that will gratify those who enjoy many genres. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A flawed but admirably ambitious gangster movie, Hoodlum aspires to be a kind of Harlem-based equivalent to The Godfather, and while it falls short of that lofty goal it's still got plenty of qualities to make it well worth seeing. It's the first film to tell the story of Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (charismatically played by Laurence Fishburne), an ex-convict who dominated the Harlem numbers racket during the 1930s and '40s. As he rises to power he gains equally powerful enemies, including hotheaded Bronx gangster Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth) and the suave mobster Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia). Determined to defend his Harlem turf against these invaders, Bumpy eclipses the "policy queen" Stephanie St. Clair (Cicely Tyson) and becomes a self-styled Robin Hood figure, attracting the attention of a community servant (Vanessa Williams) who must confront the brutality of Bumpy's business. A must-see for anyone who likes gangster movies, Hoodlum is certainly not a masterpiece, but sharp performances and some powerful scenes make it an interesting look at a little-known chapter in criminal history. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Another Great Fishburne Performance!
Among other criticisms of this film was that it was a below average gangster flick, well I didn't see it that way. There was a lot of focus on the characters especially Fishburne's character Bumpy Johnson. Of course the movie highlights his rise in Harlem as opposed to Tim Roth's character (can't spell his name). The dialog was well written, I think that people were not ready for a gangster flick set during the era of Lucky Luciano and the Dutchman, involving a significant number of black characters. Yes I think African Americans were doing something during that time period besides wait for Dr.King to have his "dream". Fishburne played a strong character who took his destiny in his own hands and I think that's really what makes this film highly enjoyable to see.

Performances save un-original "Hoodlum"
Three great actors, Laurence Fishburn, Tim Roth, and Andy Garcia, are what keep this dull and awkward crime drama going. Watching Tim Roth potray the legendary evil Dutch Schultz is amazing. Larry Fishburn is also good as gangster Bumpy Johnson, one of Dutch's biggest rival's in the era in which this film takes place. And although Andy Garcia has a reletively small part, his performance as Lucky Luciano is probably the best offered of that character (at least from what I've seen). Other than that, this is probably the most boring gangster movie i've ever seen. Had it been at least half and hour shorter, it MIGHT have come out lookin' better, but alas, i did not. I wish I could give it Two and a half stars, I think that would be a little more fair, but I had to be fair to anyone curious about this movie, and give it "2".

Could have been great... but fell short.
This had the makings of a great mob movie. Set in the 1930's, depression era, the local boss of number-running, the Queen, is up against an insane competitor. Laurence Fishburn's character, "Bumpy," is recently let out of Sing Sing prison, and comes to help her.
This movie has all the makings of a modern-classic mob-movie; great shoot-outs, a very good plot, character-human analysis (if you get what I mean with that one, cause I don't know how else to put it), and a reason behind the chaos. The one thing that holds it back is the director. It may be his ego, it may just be his peronal taste, but the director kind of blurs plot-links at times with flashy scene-transitions, which annoy and confuse. Many a time he forgot that we were viewing the story through what he was giving us, and didn't already know everything to come, so he jumps around, and things happen that I don't really understand. It's not that I am stupid when it comes to movies, I even understood P.T. Anderson's "Magnolia," which confused many people (man, I seem arrogant there, but it's not that, I am just trying to show that it is a personal-retardation that is holding me back from understanding the movie). I could tell it wasn't the screen-writing, because the scenes not smudged by the director's ego were very good, and very well written.
The acting was powerful, everyone did a very good job in this category, yet Tim Roth (Dutch Schultz in this movie, the rival of The Queen of the numbers) has the same character every time, even if he is good in some, bad in others, but, still very well done. You could feel the emotions potrayed by the characters, and grew to either like or hate them. The special effects in this are awesome, as well. The main explosion in the movie truly had to be the best I have ever seen.

Watch this if you are a fan of mob-movies, otherwise steer clear and go for better ones like "Goodfellas" and "The Godfather."

FABULOUS SETS, SPARKLING CAST, ORDINARY MOVIE.
Hoodlum's sets and costumes are fabulous, the production value is very high, and the movie really conjures up an idea of what life must have been like in 1930s Harlem. I'm no authority, but I wonder if this level of
bright sunlit freshness was an accurate depiction of Harlem.

The movie gets gorier by the minute, until it draws to a very bloody end. Performances are not bad at all. Tim Roth - an actor I don't usually like - puts in a great performance as the psychotic-racist Dutch Schultz. Andy Garcia is excellent as Lucky Luciano. Vanessa Williams does her jig well. But the one performance that stands out is Fishburne's, very controlled and convincing.

The movie is not original after the movies we have been exposed to (good man turns all selfish when he sees the world around him) but it's a pretty decent gangster flick nevertheless if you like this kind of stuff. There's plenty of action -- in all senses of the word.

Hoodlum is enlightening
A great cast of characters, excellent scenes and Lawrence Fishburne exposes the emotions of a gangster. Just totally amazing in my opinion. ... Read more

Reviews (317)

Kubrick Had His Duds, Too
...and this is one of them. People wouldn't defend this film so zealously if it had been made by someone other than Kubrick, but his cult of enigmatic personality drives many to believe that he could do no wrong. You'll see a similar blind loyalty to Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut."

This is NOT "one of the best war movies of all time"...that's silly. It doesn't even approach "Patton" in terms of character, nor does it rival "Tora Tora Tora" in scope. "The Deer Hunter" and "Apocalypse Now" are both superior psychological dramas, and "Saving Private Ryan" does a better job of portraying the simultaneous heroism/obscenity of battle. What you do get with "Full Metal Jacket" that you don't get with those other films is Kubrick's trademark pessimism about human beings, which is neither insightful nor particularly interesting. But then most people these days think that good art expresses only one thing--nihilism. At his worst, Kubrick fed that mistaken belief.

short & sweet
don't worry, this is not another one of those long, boring, meaningless not so desriptive reviews.....instead, i'm gonna make this short & sweet and to the point.....i own this DVD, and a big part about being a succcessful dvd collector's is determaining which movies are worth buying and keeping and trust me when i say this people....."FULL METAL JACKET" is definitely worth keeping....to my own personal opinion, FULL METAL JACKET has got to be the greatest war movie ever made, but don't get me wrong, there has been quite a few really great one's just recently released....Pearl Harbor....Black Hawk Down...We Were Soldiers....and i'm almost positive that the upcoming WINDTALKERS directed by the famous renound action super director Jon Whoo starring Nicholas Cage will be one of the best this decade.....but all these movies lack ONE major ingredient, "the roots" of war....all great soldiers come from SOMEWHERE, and "fullt metal jacket" shows you exactly where to find them, this movie is my all time favortie and would recommend it to ANYONE.....whether your a collector or not, and even if it's not the LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR'S SET, the movie stands on it's own...a solid 5 star rating! without a doubt...WHOA!

Do you talk the talk?
Another great war movie, they even let us watch this in Marine bootcamp for Christmas. Skipping past that, it really brings out the madness of war, getting radio commands from someone far away that make no sense to those on the ground and under fire. How quickly civilians could turn into VC, the boredom between chaos, lots of aspects of war are covered here that you'll never find in the Bruckheimer-Simpson garbage. Moving flick, no Platoon, or Apocalypse Now, but one of the great war films.

The violence feels real, both physically and mentally
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this 1987 film packs a terrific wallop as it follows the dehumanization of marine recruits as they are first prepared for Vietnam and later sent there. As in other Kubrick films which deal with the dark side of human nature, there's a voice-over narrator and some extreme closeups, particular one called "the glare" in which a character tilts his head slightly down with his eyes looking up. The title itself refers to a shell casing, a metaphor for the tough hollow fighters that these men will eventually turn into. And from the first scene, which is that of an off-camera barber shaving the heads of the recruits, we see their depersonalization as their hair, which once made them unique individuals, is shaved off.

Boot camp takes up more than half of the film, with R. Lee Emery, a former marine sergeant himself, cast in the role of the drill sergeant. His creativity in insults and curses is amazing as he prods the weak spots of the men under his command, especially the chubby misfit he labels "Private Gomer Pyle", played brilliantly by Vincent D'Onofrio who won a Golden Globe award for his performance. Aggression is glorified, with serial killers used as examples of excellent marksmanship as the men are taught to worship their rifles, which they treat as objects of love and recite scripted allegiances to them. It's not surprising when this training results in an act of violence.

The scenes that follow in Vietnam are not as strong as the earlier ones, but clearly show how the training both saves the men's lives and dehumanizes them. Short, episodic scenes set the stage for the final one, where we see the men have come full circle from the recruits they used to be. And when they are finished with the battle, war weary and left with the visions of some hard choices they have had to make, they march back to base singing a popular child's song, in which they spell out the words "Mickey Mouse" to a familiar tune. The resulting effect is chilling.

The video moved fast, holding my attention in an iron grip. I was fascinated and horrified and couldn't keep my eyes off the screen as it bolted along. I felt the agony of the boot camp experience, especially for the misfit, and the horror of Vietnam, including what it must have been like for the Vietnamese. The film made a statement about inhumanity loud and strong. Clearly, it was one of the best war films I've ever seen. The violence is real, both physically and mentally. Highly recommended, but be prepared for discomfort.

Waste of time
Ugh i was so mad! I thought it was going to be a good funny yet serious movie, but it was horrible. First when i was watching it i thought it was about the fat guy then all the sudden its about the journalist, what the heck i didnt follow that story. It should have just ended right when boot camp was over. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Mayhem and Carnage and Arnold!
Arnold Schwartzenegger in the role of humorless, ultra-disciplined Soviet police-captain Vanya Danko, teamed with Chicago PD screw-up Art Ritsek (Jim Belushi), to track a Georgean drug kingpin... this is one of Arnold's greatest, but least-appreciated, action-films. The best scenes take place in Russia, in the banya (public bath), over the rooftops around Red Square, in the mafiya cafe. Arnold's Russian, spoken with his Austrian accent, is pretty terrific! What impressed me was the film's close attention to detail: Even Danko's handwriting and numbers were authentically Russian-style. The machismo of the personal battle between Ivan Danko and the smuggler was intensely Russian, as was Danko's unswerving conviction of Soviet superiority. His terse correction of the hotel clerk's question "Is [Viktor] another Russian, like you?" Danko: "Soviet.", is right-on -- Georgeans are not Russians, although many Americans don't know that. The scripting of a Georgean as the loathesome criminal is actually quite revealing, and surely a reflection of the film's "official" Russian input . Despite the grimness of the plot and Arnold's character, there is plenty of dark humor, mainly provided by Belushi's portrayal of undisciplined officer Ritsek. The humor frequently contrasts the strictly indoctrinated Soviet structure with the (to Danko) near-anarchy of American freedom. Much of the mayhem and carnage wrought during the process of Danko's personal war defies credibility; as Ritsek puts it: "Why aren't there any cops around when you need one!" The action genre's obligatory high-speed chase scene was ludicrous, yet appropriately Russian (everything Russian always seems so much "bigger"...). And the protagonists' exchange in the end, in which Vanya gets the better deal, is also typically Russian -- and proves that Danko is not so humorless after all. By the way, this movie (like all of Arnold's action-films) is extremely popular here, where it has been dubbed into the Russian language. Ironically, in the russkiy version, all the obscenities have been deleted from the dialogue.

Not the Team I would have Picked, but....
Not a team I would have chosen, but that is why I am not the casting director. Arnold Schwartzenegger plays the role of a humorless, over-disciplined Soviet police officer Vanya Danko. He is teamed with a Chicago Police Department screw-up Art Ritsek (Jim Belushi). Together the must track a Georgean drug kingpin. This is probably one of Arnold's greatest films even if it may be one of his least talked about.

This movie has it all. Humor, action, and what seems to be a budding romance. It won't dissapoint.

But it's a FUN "Heat"...
Ahh... nothin' like an over-the-top Schwarzenegger vehicle to get me over my 80s action flick D.T.s! And ya gotta admit, 'Red Heat' can be pretty hokey at times. Take Arnie's weird attempt at a Russian accent, for example. Except for switchin' his Vs with Ws like Chekov from 'Star Trek' (bet'cha ten-to-one Walter Koenig actually helped him out with his "accent"), he sounds pretty much the same as he always did... only with more of a monotone, if such a thing is possible. And his emoting of anger (the only emotion most of his characters seem capable of doing) is just as bad as ever. Needless to say, I love every campy moment of it!

Then there's Jim Belushi, the comedic side of this preposterous fish-out-of-water buddy-cop story as he plays the kinda character he does better than almost anybody: a wise-@$$ who's always got some kinda smart-aleck comeback for everything. Ya know, kinda like Bill Murray, except a bit beefier, thereby making him a more suitable action-film sidekick. Not only does he help the main man out by tracking down a Soviet drug dealer through the mean streets of Chicago, he also helps set up the smattering of culture-clash gags going throughout the movie for his stoic partner to knock down... and vice-versa. And just when ya thought all that 'glastnost' and 'perestroika' stuff wasn't gonna work out...

And what's an Arnie flick without a few hilariously implausible action scenes? They save the best for last here as both the bad guy and the good guys do a charter bus chase & game of 'chicken' through a seedy area of the windy city, with one of the buses meetin' up with a train. Warner Bros. would lift the latter part of this action sequence from this flick and do it a lot better in "The Fugitive" movie several years later. Which I'm sure was their revenge for 'Red Heat' lifting the infamous 'back-lit Dirty Harry emerging from the shadows to take on the bad guys at the amusement park' climax from "Sudden Impact" and using it as part of Arnie's one-on-one "High Noon"-type shootout with the main heavy. Adding to this amusing development was the fact that our Austrian hero used a .44 Magnum revolver to mete out final justice. Coincidence? I think NOT...

Speakin' of the .44 Magnum: there was one shootout scene where Arnie fired off more than six shots with the gun without reloading once! Even Dirty Harry hadda reload every once in a while! How d'ya think he came up with that "Did I fire six shots... or only five?" routine?! Sheesh-- whatever happened to realism in action flicks, huh?! I swear...

BTW this DVD includes the movie both in widescreen and pan-&-scan aspect ratios. Personally, I could care less whether or not I watch this in one format or the other, but at least the disc's producers had the common courtesy to give you, the Arnie-action-movie-loving DVDphile, a choice in the matter. And if you're deaf or hard of hearing, here's a bit of warning: the subtitles don't always completely match the spoken dialogue. So if ya really wanna know what's bein' said, you'd better have the screenplay handy, or learn to read lips...

'Late

An excellent action comedy.
In "Red Heat", Arnold Schwarzenegger plays an iron-man Russian police officer who chases a rather nasty drug czar to Chicago. There he is partenered with James Belushi, a good, but sloppy cop. The two shoot up half the city as they close in on Vicktor Roskov. This movie is pretty much what you'd expect out of an '80s action comedy, vulger and bloody. Walter Hill basicly reworks the same formula from "48 Hours", but he knows what he's doing. I think that it is funnier and more excellerating. There is even an air of mystery and clues that have to be figured out, so it's marginally smarter than your average action thriller. It also has a few future stars, Gina Gershon and Laurance Fishburne. But it is definatly Arnold and Jim's show all the way. It will not change your world, but it is good (not clean, though) entertainment

This is an awsome movie
This is an awsome movie. It stars Jim Bekushi and Arnold Schwarenegger. I like the part where they chicken with a bus and almost kill the bad guy. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Stanley Kubrick's 1987, penultimate film seemed to a lot of people to be contrived and out of touch with the '80s vogue for such intensely realisticportrayals of the Vietnam War asPlatoon and The Deer Hunter. Certainly, Kubrick gave audiences plenty ofreason to wonder why he made the film at all: essentially a two-part drama that begins on aParris Island boot camp for rookie Marines and abruptly switches to Vietnam (actually shoton sound stages and locations near London), Full Metal Jacket comes across as a seriesof self-contained chapters in a story whose logical and thematic development is oblique atbest. Then again, much the same was said about Kubrick's 2001: A SpaceOdyssey, a masterwork both enthralled with and satiric about the future's role in theunfinished business of human evolution. In a way, Full Metal Jacket is the whollygrim counterpart of 2001. While the latter is a truly 1960s film, both wide-eyedand wary, about the intertwining of progress and isolation (ending in our redemption,finally, by death), Full Metal Jacket is a cynical, Reagan-era view of the 1960s' hungerfor experience and consciousness that fulfilled itself in violence. Lee Ermey made filmhistory as the Marine drill instructor whose ritualized debasement of men in the name oftribal uniformity creates its darkest angel in a murderous half-wit (Vincent D'Onofrio).Matthew Modine gives a smart and savvy performance as Private Joker, the clowning,military journalist who yearns to get away from the propaganda machine and know firsthand the horrific revelation of the front line. In Full Metal Jacket, depravity andfulfillment go hand in hand, and it's no wonder Kubrick kept his steely distance from thematerial to make the point. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (317)

Kubrick Had His Duds, Too
...and this is one of them. People wouldn't defend this film so zealously if it had been made by someone other than Kubrick, but his cult of enigmatic personality drives many to believe that he could do no wrong. You'll see a similar blind loyalty to Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut."

This is NOT "one of the best war movies of all time"...that's silly. It doesn't even approach "Patton" in terms of character, nor does it rival "Tora Tora Tora" in scope. "The Deer Hunter" and "Apocalypse Now" are both superior psychological dramas, and "Saving Private Ryan" does a better job of portraying the simultaneous heroism/obscenity of battle. What you do get with "Full Metal Jacket" that you don't get with those other films is Kubrick's trademark pessimism about human beings, which is neither insightful nor particularly interesting. But then most people these days think that good art expresses only one thing--nihilism. At his worst, Kubrick fed that mistaken belief.

short & sweet
don't worry, this is not another one of those long, boring, meaningless not so desriptive reviews.....instead, i'm gonna make this short & sweet and to the point.....i own this DVD, and a big part about being a succcessful dvd collector's is determaining which movies are worth buying and keeping and trust me when i say this people....."FULL METAL JACKET" is definitely worth keeping....to my own personal opinion, FULL METAL JACKET has got to be the greatest war movie ever made, but don't get me wrong, there has been quite a few really great one's just recently released....Pearl Harbor....Black Hawk Down...We Were Soldiers....and i'm almost positive that the upcoming WINDTALKERS directed by the famous renound action super director Jon Whoo starring Nicholas Cage will be one of the best this decade.....but all these movies lack ONE major ingredient, "the roots" of war....all great soldiers come from SOMEWHERE, and "fullt metal jacket" shows you exactly where to find them, this movie is my all time favortie and would recommend it to ANYONE.....whether your a collector or not, and even if it's not the LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR'S SET, the movie stands on it's own...a solid 5 star rating! without a doubt...WHOA!

Do you talk the talk?
Another great war movie, they even let us watch this in Marine bootcamp for Christmas. Skipping past that, it really brings out the madness of war, getting radio commands from someone far away that make no sense to those on the ground and under fire. How quickly civilians could turn into VC, the boredom between chaos, lots of aspects of war are covered here that you'll never find in the Bruckheimer-Simpson garbage. Moving flick, no Platoon, or Apocalypse Now, but one of the great war films.

The violence feels real, both physically and mentally
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this 1987 film packs a terrific wallop as it follows the dehumanization of marine recruits as they are first prepared for Vietnam and later sent there. As in other Kubrick films which deal with the dark side of human nature, there's a voice-over narrator and some extreme closeups, particular one called "the glare" in which a character tilts his head slightly down with his eyes looking up. The title itself refers to a shell casing, a metaphor for the tough hollow fighters that these men will eventually turn into. And from the first scene, which is that of an off-camera barber shaving the heads of the recruits, we see their depersonalization as their hair, which once made them unique individuals, is shaved off.

Boot camp takes up more than half of the film, with R. Lee Emery, a former marine sergeant himself, cast in the role of the drill sergeant. His creativity in insults and curses is amazing as he prods the weak spots of the men under his command, especially the chubby misfit he labels "Private Gomer Pyle", played brilliantly by Vincent D'Onofrio who won a Golden Globe award for his performance. Aggression is glorified, with serial killers used as examples of excellent marksmanship as the men are taught to worship their rifles, which they treat as objects of love and recite scripted allegiances to them. It's not surprising when this training results in an act of violence.

The scenes that follow in Vietnam are not as strong as the earlier ones, but clearly show how the training both saves the men's lives and dehumanizes them. Short, episodic scenes set the stage for the final one, where we see the men have come full circle from the recruits they used to be. And when they are finished with the battle, war weary and left with the visions of some hard choices they have had to make, they march back to base singing a popular child's song, in which they spell out the words "Mickey Mouse" to a familiar tune. The resulting effect is chilling.

The video moved fast, holding my attention in an iron grip. I was fascinated and horrified and couldn't keep my eyes off the screen as it bolted along. I felt the agony of the boot camp experience, especially for the misfit, and the horror of Vietnam, including what it must have been like for the Vietnamese. The film made a statement about inhumanity loud and strong. Clearly, it was one of the best war films I've ever seen. The violence is real, both physically and mentally. Highly recommended, but be prepared for discomfort.

Waste of time
Ugh i was so mad! I thought it was going to be a good funny yet serious movie, but it was horrible. First when i was watching it i thought it was about the fat guy then all the sudden its about the journalist, what the heck i didnt follow that story. It should have just ended right when boot camp was over. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Before they made a mountain of money as the creators of Independence Day and Godzilla, director Roland Emmerich and screenwriter Dean Devlin teamed up for this action flick disguised as a science fiction thriller. Muscle hunks Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren play embattled Vietnam soldiers who killed each other in combat and are revived 25 years later as semi-android "UniSols" in a high-tech army of the near future. Their memories were supposedly wiped clean, but flashbacks occur to remind them of their bitter hatred (Lundgren committed wartime atrocities; Van Damme had tried to stop him), and the warriors resume their tenacious battle while a journalist (Ally Walker) uncovers the truth about the secret UniSol program. With energy to spare, the standard action sequences are adequate for anyone with a short attention span. And besides, with Van Damme and Lundgren in the lead roles, who needs dialogue? --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Universal Soldier with Van Damme
Universal Soldier realeased in 1993 is one of the best action flicks from Jean Claude Van Damme.

In fact, this film was done during Van Damme's increasing popularity.

Van Damme and Dolph play two 2 vietnam Vets who kill each other during the Vietnam War.

Actually the scene in Vietnam are intense and well directed.

Dolph, plays the psychotic and vindictive Staff Seargeant from the Army who wants to kill any Vietnamese (guilty or innocent) in path.

When Van Damme, tells the Sergeant that it's time to pull out , the crazy Sergeant sees him as a traitor and proceeds to beat up his comrade while Lungren tries to save the innocent Vietnam girl the Sergeant is holding hostage.

Eventually all of them die, or so we think.

The military eventuallys finds the dead bodies, but instead sends the Sergeant and Damme into a secret biochemical, regenerative expirement in which dead military soldiers are being revived as security soldiers known as the "Universal Soldiers".

The project at first is a success, but when Van Damme, starts recalling memories from his past, he remembers how his bloodthirsty Sergeant kills and all hell breaks loose.

It also reminds of the Robocop movie with Peter Weller, in which a dead cop is resurrected as a crime busting machine, but as the machine stars recollecting his past memories, the machine starts becoming more human.

The film has so many big budget stunts and fist fights and kickboxing action that you'll have to watch it a couple of times to appreciate the full value of this great sci fi film.

The other's film stars is the beautiful and sexy Alley Walker, who plays the reporter who joins Van Damne on his fight against the Universal Soldier.

Great critics like myself, remember Alley Walker from the great crime drama show "Profiler" on Nbc which lasted about 5 years.

Alley's character is great to watch, here character is very beautiful and has alot of humor and pizazz.

Lundgren, Van Damme Shine in Action Confrontation
Pitting two of the action genre's superstars against one another, Universal Soldier is surprisingly entertaining in its delivery of non-stop action and intensity.

Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Luc Deveraux, an American solider who is murdered in the line of duty during the Vietnam War by his deranged commanding officer, Sgt. Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren). Three decades later, Deveraux resurfaces as a Unisol, a human being that has been genetically juiced for combat by the U.S. armed forces. When his memory returns, Deveraux deserts the Universal Solider program with the psychotic Scott in hot pursuit.

Lundgren returns as the "antagonist," a role he successfully played earlier in his career as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and would later undertake in Johnny Nmemonic. Here, he plays it to he hilt, playfully shouting typical action movie dialogue - "Are we having fun yet?" - and reveling in his character's sinister plunge into post-traumatic stress disorder.

From the outset, director Roland Emmerich builds the tension that is so often lacking in today's action films. Lundgren is sinister and proves himself in the opening scene as a formidable match for Van Damme. As the film progresses, his descent into evil becomes more and more entertaining. Emmerich's approach succeeds at building the tension for the ultimate showdown. The audience wants to see this confrontation by film's end -- and it's worth the wait.

The DVD has few extra features, but what options that are present -- theatrical trailer, production notes, etc. -- are more than satisfying for an action film more than a decade old.

A good idea pretty well executed
I like this movie. Roland Emmerich turns out decent work when he starts with a decent idea.

And this movie is based on an extremely cool idea: a secret government project to use the reanimated corpses of dead soldiers as 'UniSols' ('UNIversal SOLdiers'). They're like killer combat zombies -- equipped to receive commands remotely, impervious to pain, quick to heal, and pretty much unstoppable although they tend to overheat if they stay active for too long.

The plot: Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren were in Viet Nam together, Lundgren wacked out and started killing innocent civilians, Van Damme tried to stop him, and they wound up killing each other. (This is all in the first five minutes of the film.) Their corpses were packed in ice and shipped off to the UniSol project, and after the opening credits roll, they're on an antiterrorist mission as part of a S.W.A.T. team from hell. But a few things start to jog their memories, and it isn't long before the two of them are at it again . . .

You don't have to be a particular fan of the Muscles from Brussels to enjoy the concept here, but Van Damme is actually pretty effective in his role. At any rate the story is briskly paced and about as believable as stuff like this ever gets. It's nicely done if you like this sort of thing (which I do).

Ally Walker does nicely here too, as a newswoman who winds up accompanying Van Damme in his, um, travels. If you enjoyed her in _Profiler_ (as I did, and I stopped watching the show after she left), you'll like her in this.

An entertaining action-SF flick, then, and a cut above the usual 'B-movie' fare. This probably isn't Emmerich's best work (it seems to me to try a little too hard to be _The Terminator_), but it's well done.

off the FN' hook awesome !!!!
Universal Soldier is one of the most awesome movies i've ever seen about 2 soldiers in the vietnam war played brilliantly by jean claude van damme and dolph lungren who both kill eachother but are bought back to life years later as UNI SOLS who are programmed to deal with hostage situations, any way after a while van damme starts to regain his memory of who he was when he was human and leaves the UNI SOL camp, the head of the UNI SOL corporation sends all the UNI SOLS out to find van damme, after a while dolph lungren starts to regain his memory as well and takes over the command of the project and commands the UNI SOLS to seek and destroy Van Damme.
With awesome fight scenes and many memorablelines and good special effects Universal Soldier is an explosive action packed ride thats enjoyable from start to the awesome climax of the film. Dolph Lungren is awesome as the evil psychotic sergent.
highly reccomended to buy on DVD with a few extra features like trailers, multiple sound options and a bonus music clip entitled 'body count's in the house' , great song played at the end of the movie.

Better than I expected...
It came as no suprise that the critics panned "Universal Soldier" upon it's original theatrical release. I always have hated Roland Emmerich films, this being the only one that I hadn't seen in theaters. But I did want to see it now, and the reson was Ally Walker.
I always liked the television show "The Profiler", which aired for sveral years in the mid 90s, and it's re-runs are on today. I always liked the actress who played "Sam", the main character.
Her name is Ally Walker. She hasn't been in many films, but "Universal Soldier" was one of her first, and most well-known.
... For some reason, the huge movie store in my nieborhood had lost thier copy of it, so I bought it on Amazon.com. I was pleasently suprised by the film, and I wish I would have reserved my judjement.
I give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars. This is because not only is Ally Walker great in it, but Van Damme and especially Lundgren are, too. Dolph Lundgren isn't exactly a great actor, but he does well here. For me, Lundgren's bad guy is the most memorable aspect of this film.
The action scenes are solid, and at times quite unique. The main problem with the film is that there is no real explanation of how or why these UniSols were created. How exactly did they do this (bring the dead back to life)? The answer in the film was too brief and simple.
This film will never be a favorite of any film critic. But, if you are looking for a fun Action-Adventure film with three good performances, look no further than "Universal Soldier". ... Read more

Description

Based on the TV series of the same name. A maverick cop is on the trail of a corrupt auto tycoon. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

incomprehensible
after viewing this tape, i felt as if i was trapped on the dark planet. the story is limp and aimless, with no real direction. badly written plot that makes no sense. who are all the characters supposed to be? i couldnt tell you. this movie must have been written by a seven year old.

dark planet
have just finished watching dark planet and enjoyed could not leave the room as i was glued to it great acting from paul mercurio as i had only seen him in strictly ballroom and think that is terrific read reviews about dark planet before watching and do not know what they are talking about i think paul mercurio is a great actor and wish he would do more

Bad? Did you say bad?
You want to know how bad this movie is? I watched for all of about 10 minutes then shut it off! The so-called special effects resemble those from arcade video games of 20 years ago! Avoid like the plague!

So bad it's bad
Michael York in an incomprehensible mess. One of the worst movies I've ever seen. No, not bad-good, just bad-bad.

Better than what I was expecting
I am a big scifi fan and a friend recommended this film. I was plesantly surprised to see Paul Mercurio. I have been a fan of his since Strictly Ballroom. He was quite believable as the hero "Hawke." What I liked was that he wasn't completely gung ho and he had a few good oneliners. The storyline was believable and the effects weren't bad considering their budget. The acting was good, especially the main characters. I liked this much better than the first Star Trek film (original cast) and I'm a big Star Trek Fan. I plan on buying the DVD to add to my scifi collection. A good Saturday Afternoon flick. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Replicant
Jean-Claude Van Damme (star of Timecop and Universal Soldier) plays two roles in this surprisingly good action thriller. Replicant also stars Michael Rooker (of Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer, The Replacement Killers) as Jake Riley, a cop who's been tracking a serial killer called "The Torch" (Van Damme). Frustrated, Riley decides to retire--and the National Security Department makes him an offer: they've cloned "The Torch" as part of a program to track down terrorists; they'll turn this replicant (Van Damme again, of course) over to Riley as a sort of test run for the program. The idea is that the replicant will slowly recall the original person's memories and lead the cops to the original. It's ridiculous, but no more ridiculous than the setup for the highly successful Face/Off, and it works just as well as the engine for an effective action flick. What makes Replicant more unusual is that the writers actually put some thought into the relationship between Riley and the replicant, which starts to mirror parent-child relationships in emotionally complex ways. Furthermore, while it's no surprise that Rooker gives a solid performance, it is surprising that Van Damme does just as good a job in both of his roles--he's perfectly creepy as the serial killer and genuinely affecting as the quickly developing replicant, projecting a mixture of innocence and turmoil. Replicant was directed by Hong Kong director Ringo Lam, the man behind Full Contact and City on Fire. He was clearly working on a limited budget, but the movie looks good, moves with lean efficiency, and has some riveting action sequences and good quality effects--the scenes where Van Damme (inevitably!) fights himself are completely convincing. A satisfying movie. --Bret Fetzer

Universal Soldier
Before they made a mountain of money as the creators of Independence Day and Godzilla, director Roland Emmerich and screenwriter Dean Devlin teamed up for this action flick disguised as a science fiction thriller. Muscle hunks Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren play embattled Vietnam soldiers who killed each other in combat and are revived 25 years later as semi-android "UniSols" in a high-tech army of the near future. Their memories were supposedly wiped clean, but flashbacks occur to remind them of their bitter hatred (Lundgren committed wartime atrocities; Van Damme had tried to stop him), and the warriors resume their tenacious battle while a journalist (Ally Walker) uncovers the truth about the secret UniSol program. With energy to spare, the standard action sequences are adequate for anyone with a short attention span. And besides, with Van Damme and Lundgren in the lead roles, who needs dialogue? --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (3)

What part is Navajo?
The acting and theme of this film is fictional and degrading of the culture it is trying to present. I rate this film next to zero because it does nothing but create more typical sterotypes of the Navajo people.

Bad, just plain bad
At one time, a few years ago, when I thought of Steve Bauer, I'd think of Thief of Hearts. Now, after seeing this, it just gives me shudders. Not only was his acting abdominable, his appearance was awful. Someone (Hollywood guru) help this guy through whatever he is going through!

CHEAP - But Irene is Gorgeous
Just like my summary says... this movie reeks of low budget and the poor acting that goes with it. But, if you just want to enjoy Irene Bedrad's beauty for an hour or so... why not... she's in it. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Universal Soldier with Van Damme
Universal Soldier realeased in 1993 is one of the best action flicks from Jean Claude Van Damme.

In fact, this film was done during Van Damme's increasing popularity.

Van Damme and Dolph play two 2 vietnam Vets who kill each other during the Vietnam War.

Actually the scene in Vietnam are intense and well directed.

Dolph, plays the psychotic and vindictive Staff Seargeant from the Army who wants to kill any Vietnamese (guilty or innocent) in path.

When Van Damme, tells the Sergeant that it's time to pull out , the crazy Sergeant sees him as a traitor and proceeds to beat up his comrade while Lungren tries to save the innocent Vietnam girl the Sergeant is holding hostage.

Eventually all of them die, or so we think.

The military eventuallys finds the dead bodies, but instead sends the Sergeant and Damme into a secret biochemical, regenerative expirement in which dead military soldiers are being revived as security soldiers known as the "Universal Soldiers".

The project at first is a success, but when Van Damme, starts recalling memories from his past, he remembers how his bloodthirsty Sergeant kills and all hell breaks loose.

It also reminds of the Robocop movie with Peter Weller, in which a dead cop is resurrected as a crime busting machine, but as the machine stars recollecting his past memories, the machine starts becoming more human.

The film has so many big budget stunts and fist fights and kickboxing action that you'll have to watch it a couple of times to appreciate the full value of this great sci fi film.

The other's film stars is the beautiful and sexy Alley Walker, who plays the reporter who joins Van Damne on his fight against the Universal Soldier.

Great critics like myself, remember Alley Walker from the great crime drama show "Profiler" on Nbc which lasted about 5 years.

Alley's character is great to watch, here character is very beautiful and has alot of humor and pizazz.

Lundgren, Van Damme Shine in Action Confrontation
Pitting two of the action genre's superstars against one another, Universal Soldier is surprisingly entertaining in its delivery of non-stop action and intensity.

Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Luc Deveraux, an American solider who is murdered in the line of duty during the Vietnam War by his deranged commanding officer, Sgt. Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren). Three decades later, Deveraux resurfaces as a Unisol, a human being that has been genetically juiced for combat by the U.S. armed forces. When his memory returns, Deveraux deserts the Universal Solider program with the psychotic Scott in hot pursuit.

Lundgren returns as the "antagonist," a role he successfully played earlier in his career as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and would later undertake in Johnny Nmemonic. Here, he plays it to he hilt, playfully shouting typical action movie dialogue - "Are we having fun yet?" - and reveling in his character's sinister plunge into post-traumatic stress disorder.

From the outset, director Roland Emmerich builds the tension that is so often lacking in today's action films. Lundgren is sinister and proves himself in the opening scene as a formidable match for Van Damme. As the film progresses, his descent into evil becomes more and more entertaining. Emmerich's approach succeeds at building the tension for the ultimate showdown. The audience wants to see this confrontation by film's end -- and it's worth the wait.

The DVD has few extra features, but what options that are present -- theatrical trailer, production notes, etc. -- are more than satisfying for an action film more than a decade old.

A good idea pretty well executed
I like this movie. Roland Emmerich turns out decent work when he starts with a decent idea.

And this movie is based on an extremely cool idea: a secret government project to use the reanimated corpses of dead soldiers as 'UniSols' ('UNIversal SOLdiers'). They're like killer combat zombies -- equipped to receive commands remotely, impervious to pain, quick to heal, and pretty much unstoppable although they tend to overheat if they stay active for too long.

The plot: Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren were in Viet Nam together, Lundgren wacked out and started killing innocent civilians, Van Damme tried to stop him, and they wound up killing each other. (This is all in the first five minutes of the film.) Their corpses were packed in ice and shipped off to the UniSol project, and after the opening credits roll, they're on an antiterrorist mission as part of a S.W.A.T. team from hell. But a few things start to jog their memories, and it isn't long before the two of them are at it again . . .

You don't have to be a particular fan of the Muscles from Brussels to enjoy the concept here, but Van Damme is actually pretty effective in his role. At any rate the story is briskly paced and about as believable as stuff like this ever gets. It's nicely done if you like this sort of thing (which I do).

Ally Walker does nicely here too, as a newswoman who winds up accompanying Van Damme in his, um, travels. If you enjoyed her in _Profiler_ (as I did, and I stopped watching the show after she left), you'll like her in this.

An entertaining action-SF flick, then, and a cut above the usual 'B-movie' fare. This probably isn't Emmerich's best work (it seems to me to try a little too hard to be _The Terminator_), but it's well done.

off the FN' hook awesome !!!!
Universal Soldier is one of the most awesome movies i've ever seen about 2 soldiers in the vietnam war played brilliantly by jean claude van damme and dolph lungren who both kill eachother but are bought back to life years later as UNI SOLS who are programmed to deal with hostage situations, any way after a while van damme starts to regain his memory of who he was when he was human and leaves the UNI SOL camp, the head of the UNI SOL corporation sends all the UNI SOLS out to find van damme, after a while dolph lungren starts to regain his memory as well and takes over the command of the project and commands the UNI SOLS to seek and destroy Van Damme.
With awesome fight scenes and many memorablelines and good special effects Universal Soldier is an explosive action packed ride thats enjoyable from start to the awesome climax of the film. Dolph Lungren is awesome as the evil psychotic sergent.
highly reccomended to buy on DVD with a few extra features like trailers, multiple sound options and a bonus music clip entitled 'body count's in the house' , great song played at the end of the movie.

Better than I expected...
It came as no suprise that the critics panned "Universal Soldier" upon it's original theatrical release. I always have hated Roland Emmerich films, this being the only one that I hadn't seen in theaters. But I did want to see it now, and the reson was Ally Walker.
I always liked the television show "The Profiler", which aired for sveral years in the mid 90s, and it's re-runs are on today. I always liked the actress who played "Sam", the main character.
Her name is Ally Walker. She hasn't been in many films, but "Universal Soldier" was one of her first, and most well-known.
... For some reason, the huge movie store in my nieborhood had lost thier copy of it, so I bought it on Amazon.com. I was pleasently suprised by the film, and I wish I would have reserved my judjement.
I give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars. This is because not only is Ally Walker great in it, but Van Damme and especially Lundgren are, too. Dolph Lundgren isn't exactly a great actor, but he does well here. For me, Lundgren's bad guy is the most memorable aspect of this film.
The action scenes are solid, and at times quite unique. The main problem with the film is that there is no real explanation of how or why these UniSols were created. How exactly did they do this (bring the dead back to life)? The answer in the film was too brief and simple.
This film will never be a favorite of any film critic. But, if you are looking for a fun Action-Adventure film with three good performances, look no further than "Universal Soldier". ... Read more