The Soldier Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Soldier Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 11, 2018

After trying his luck with a “Death Wish” knock-off in 1980’s “The Exterminator,” writer/director James Glickenhaus ups his game to the international level, trying on the world of 007 in 1982’s “The Soldier,” which positions Ken Wahl as a James Bond-style superspy trying to prevent the end of the world, or at least the end of affordable gas and peace in the Middle East. Obviously, Glickenhaus doesn’t have the money to bring an expansive thriller to life, but he does have a few scrappy ideas for chases and confrontations. “The Soldier” is clunky, teeming with filler and drowsy acting, but when it makes the effort to lock into excitement and supply some crazy stunt work and multiple explosions, it remains passable entertainment, rarely working overtime to become something special. Wahl isn’t easy to buy as a world-class master of assassination and political relationships, but he’s much more appealing in panic mode, adding his special, slightly sluggish charms to Glickenhaus’s vision for big screen adventuring.

Rogue KGB agents have managed to steal a shipment of plutonium from a U.S. facility, with Ivan (Jeremiah Sullivan) creating a nuclear device, planting the bomb in Saudi Arabia, demanding that Israel remove settlements from the West Bank or else he’ll contaminate 50% of the world’s oil reserve with the simple push of a button. Under threat, the U.S. attempts to assess the danger, possibly going to war with Israel to prevent a global disaster. Hoping to figure out just who’s behind the bomb, CIA operative The Soldier (Ken Wahl) is sent in to investigate, using his extensive history with difficult political situations to locate clues and assess problems. However, trouble for The Soldier rises when the CIA director is murdered by the KGB, with the shadow agent framed for the crime, putting him on the run all the way to Israel, where he cooperates with Mossad agents, including Susan (Alberta Watson), hoping to turn the tables on his enemies. Rebuilding a team of assassins, The Soldier goes to war, planning revenge that takes him around the world, hoping to stop Ivan from destroying the flow of oil.

Glickenhaus has enthusiasm for “The Soldier,” but he lacks some resources to execute a few of his ideas, including tight wigs. It’s a small detail, but the story opens in Philadelphia, where The Soldier and his unit are tasked with taking out a target on the city streets, using raw power to stop an assassination. Unfortunately, part of the chaos involves a car hitting a woman with a baby stroller, and as the stunt performer takes a dive, the wig almost pops off completely, revealing that a male is actually portraying a female. Again, it’s a small mistake, and the gender exposure could easily be prevented with some careful editing, but such discipline isn’t interesting to Glickenhaus, who just leaves shot in the feature, hoping the whirlwind of violence will be enough to cover a few accidents. Such general disregard for production hospital corners keeps “The Soldier” looking shabby at times, unable to hurdle budgetary limitations and showcase its spy game in full. It’s a cheap-looking movie, but Glickenhaus’s enthusiasm for the material is palpable, it’s just his directorial eye that needs a check-up, often permitting filmmaking seams to show.

Perhaps the critique of bad wigs reads as nitpicking, but messiness of “The Soldier” comes into play frequently, including the central threat emerging from Ivan, which isn’t quite as forbidding as the screenplay imagines, leading to multiple scenes where government leaders assess the potential danger of the bomb, downplaying the villain’s reign of terror. Glickenhaus loves his expository sequences, keeping conversations lubricated throughout the picture, again keeping away from a direct menace to expand scope to a worldwide level. Ambition is fine, but “The Soldier” isn’t very exciting when its away from physical activity, finding dialogue dry and performances stilted. The feature also has a noticeable fixation on exploring mundane activities, with a sizeable chunk of screentime devoted to the particulars of bomb construction, as though the audience wouldn’t but any explosive threat unless they experience the arduous process of making it. There’s so much padding in the movie, which limps to the finish line, finding the screenplay sweating to make mundane details critical to the story when all anyone really wants to watch is Wahl taking on the baddies in silent-but-deadly mode.

Action beats perk up “The Soldier” considerably, with Glickenhaus staging shoot-outs, chases, a ninja attack (Steve James portrays a stealthy partner to The Soldier), and a bar fight, housed in a large honky-tonk venue that celebrates the “Urban Cowboy” nightlife trend and offers a glimpse of another feverish pastime from the 1980s: mud wrestling. The production saves its best material for a brief sojourn to Austria, where The Soldier has a run-in with a KGB creep (a cameoing Klaus Kinski), trigging a downhill chase on skis. The sequence is rough around the edges but manages to compete with the Bond franchise, also delivering pure thrills to a movie that could use more of the good stuff.

The Soldier Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Billed as "Newly mastered in HD," "The Soldier" shares its low-budget visuals with an AVC encoded image (1.86:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Detail is delivered throughout the viewing experience, bringing dimensional distances and location signage. Facial particulars are present, surveying icy stares and personal grooming choices. Costuming remains fibrous. Color stays true to period cinematographic interests, with a cooler palette reflecting the mood of the secret spy game, though period fashion offers bolder hues, and bar interiors bring out blazing reds. Skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable, dealing well with evening encounters and shadow play. Source is in fine shape, with only mild speckling and scratches.

The Soldier Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries noticeable age, offering a slightly muddier listening event. Precision isn't a selling point here, but the essentials of the movie are secured, leading with dialogue exchanges, which juggle numerous accents and performance exaggeration, while Wahl's periodic mumbling is easy enough to follow. Scoring isn't sharp, but the general synth movement is supportive, achieving some authority during chase sequences. Sound effects are louder, with snappy gunfire and boomy explosions. Atmospherics are limited.

The Soldier Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features writer/director James Glickenhaus.

• Commentary #2 features film historian Jim Hemphill.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:49, SD) is included.

The Soldier Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Glickenhaus strives to fashion violent, gritty entertainment, working to make "The Soldier" seem smarter than it actually is, also trying to give the effort a sizable globetrotting feel. The feature doesn't work as well as it should, but it's not without some strong ideas from B-movie confrontations and teamwork, supported by a Tangerine Dream score and solid stunt work. There's even a little bit of lovemaking to secure Wahl's sex appeal, though one has to wonder why a spy hunting for a ticking bomb would stop to enjoy intercourse, but these are questions that shouldn't be asked of "The Soldier." All Glickenhaus wants to do is make a James Bond movie with teeth, and he almost gets there. It just takes some work to hack through the clutter and endless conversations to find the buried treasures spread around the film.