Soldier a sci-fi Western about a gun-slinging born bred soldier who must protect a small community from his former comrades. Its a throwback to the '50s cowboy and cavalry flicks.Written by David Webb Peoples best known for his work on Unforgiven, Twelve Monkeys, and Blade Runner (though it's never overtly stated, Soldier is set in the same fictional universe as Blade Runner, and contains references to the earlier film). However, the movie's pulp charm belongs to its director, Paul W.S. Anderson—the genre maestro best known for directing video game adaptations (Mortal Kombat, the Resident Evil movies) and movies that feel like video game adaptations (The Three Musketeers, Alien vs. Predator).  Casting Kurt Russell a charismatic wise ass if there ever was one as an emotionless, antisocial killing machine might seem counter-intuitive, but his performance is so perversely committed (he spent 18 months preparing for the role) that it becomes compelling. Soldier is a seriously fun movieIt's pulpy but not campy, brisk but not frenetic. It's everything a B- movie should be.

Shane in outer-space. Soldier is from the writer of Blade Runner & Unforgiven. Kurt Russell plays Sergeant Todd a man who has been used as an automated tool for the military. Trained from birth to be the perfect soldier. The prologue depicting Todds relentless training is an effective set up for a story about the psychology of warfare, the challenges of re-adjusting to civilian life, and whether or not it's actually better to create a cold killing machine to survive the horrors of war. Soldier is relentless and you cannot resist watching as it makes points about the psychological aspects of being a soldier. It shows us a inhuman killer like Todd what it means to really feel and to have something worth fighting for. A simple classic cowboy science fiction/Western. Soldier is one of the most underrated films of all time it didn't deserve to bomb when it was released ,don't listen to the hate. Give it a watch. It's credit is finally due.

Here's another movie that was marketed to the wrong audience and therefore died at the box office. I found Soldier to be a profound meditation on violence and beauty. Kurt Russell delivers yet another exemplary-but-unclaimed performance. His Sgt. Todd is an Everyman who does his duty, no questions, and is tossed out with the rest of the garbage when the next new thing comes along. From that point, Russell's facial expressions combine with the sensuous camera-work of the cinematographer to provoke the questions: Do I deserve love, beauty, and community? and: When, if ever, is violence necessary? This is a flick I'd recommend to the content guardians who are knee-jerk haters of violence. Soldier uses violence appropriately, intelligently. It is a film for grown-ups. Then again, censors rarely get that point. Bottom line: When you watch this film, you have to watch everything that is going on. It's not just another action flick.Highly recommendation for a 90's and action sci-fi lovers! My ratings: 8 out of 10.

Soldier (1998):Dir: Paul Anderson / Cast: Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, Connie Nielsen, Gary Busey, Jason Isaacs: An ugly and repulsive bag of garbage that gives new meaning to the word "cheap." It contains perhaps the worst production all year. I have seen McDonalds commercials that contained better production effects that what is seen here. Title suggests one being born into an uncontrollable environment, such as someone being forced to watch this film. Kurt Russell is trained from birth to become a mindless fighter and comes to realize that fighting is all he knows once he is placed in a camp with peaceful civilians. He doesn't fit in but realizes that other soldiers are set to attack. So we are given endless gory scenes of Russell in combat including a scene where he plunges his fingers in an opponents eye sockets. Story is unrealistic, predictable and totally dense. Director Paul Anderson should not be proud of this or his efforts involved. Russell's dialogue consists of words like, "Duh." Jason Scott Lee makes more noise than most musicians. Other dull performances come from Connie Nielsen because the screenwriter obviously felt that a female lead or damsel is needed. Gary Busey also appears for whatever it is worth, and that is likely not much. This film is a pointless parade of graphic violence that should be smashed with a sledgehammer. Score: 1 / 10