Day 6: "Universal Soldier" (1992)

  30 Damme Movies in 30 Damme Days!

The 6th Damme Day:



"Universal Soldier" (1992)

To me, this is one of the best JCVD movies ever made. It's another one that I saw in theaters when it first came out. I've owned it on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, and now 4K. I've seen it many times over the years. It never gets old to me.
Besides JCVD, Dolph Lundgren is also center stage in this one as the villain. The movie opens in Vietnam, 1969, during the war. JCVD & Lundgren are Special Forces U.S. soldiers.

Lundgen's character snaps and he starts killing his own men, cutting their ears off and making a necklace from them. He's trying to kill innocent villagers. He just completely loses it. JCVD tries to stop him, but they both die.
Their freshly dead bodies are put on ice and they are declared MIA instead of KIA and their bodies are claimed for a secret government experiment. 
The film picks up decades later... JCVD & Lundgren's characters return as resurrected super soldiers, sort of like what they did with the dead police officer in Robocop, except there is no robotics involved.

They have been genetically enhanced by a serum that not only resurrects them, but it makes them regenerate wounds. They are pretty much unstoppable. They, along with others, are now part of the Universal Soldier program. They are deployed when needed as a special team that can go in and do the impossible when there are no other alternatives. The serum gives them super strength and stamina. The only drawback is that they must return to a mobile lab and cool down in a freezer and take another injection of the super serum or their bodies will shut down. Their memories have been erased and they obey any orders given to them by their commander.
Long story short, Lundgren's character starts remembering and he goes Bezek again, killing everyone in sight and targeting JCVD. With the help of a beautiful female reporter, JCVD is on the run, trying to stay a step ahead of the crazed Lundgren.
This is an awesome action film with two mega action stars pitted against each other. It is directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla, Stargate).
My favorite scene is when JCVD is in a cafe eating his weight in food and effortlessly fights several guys while still shoveling down food. Funny stuff.
This film has JCVD at his best with all the high flying, jumping, spinning, power kicks he's known for. Superb action all the way through with martial arts fights, guns, grenades, explosions, and everything else that a good action movie should have. This one won't let you down.
Now for my rating... I give "Universal Soldier" a 9 out of 10.
Check it out and let me know what you think about it.

See you tomorrow for my next Damme review!

- Patrick






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