Not being a big fan of Ken Wahls wooden style of acting (if you want to call it that), there was one reason I went and watched The Soldier": next to Wahls name on the promo-poster, stood the name Klaus Kinski and a Kinski-performance was always something special, no matter how mediocre the film itself.
Well, Kinski does appear as the informant 'Dracha' – for an estimated minute and a half. If ever there was a shorter cameo in any movie, the only thing that comes to mind is Harrison Ford's performance in "Bruno". Kinski, notoriously short on cash, looks like he just walked in on the set, while being on vacation in Switzerland, wearing his own ski-suit – let me correct me there: he actually was on vacation and it was his own suit. Though Harrison Fords mentioned guest-appearance in "Bruno" was shorter, the acting was infinitely better, leaving this one of Kinski's weakest performance ever.
So, what else do we get in "The Soldier"? We get a suitably no-brainer action flick, produced fast and cheap. No-brainer, because if you'd use that organ between your ears, you'd notice plot-holes that are big enough to swallow an entire galaxy. You'd also notice that director James Glickenhaus has stolen more stunts and action-sequences from more films then I care to remember – or you might not notice it at all, if you're the type of action-fan who'd reply to the question, whether you like James Bond films, with a puzzled, "James who?" At times it's good and wholesome to turn the thinking-apparatus off for a little while and wallow in cheap acting, cheaper special effects and lots of gunfire and explosions. "The Soldier" is perfect for moments like those – just don't expect a good movie. In other words, you'll get what you wanted, when you rent "The Soldier" – unless you expected "On the Waterfront", and that kid in the video-store gave you the wrong film.
7 out of 10 points.
Well, Kinski does appear as the informant 'Dracha' – for an estimated minute and a half. If ever there was a shorter cameo in any movie, the only thing that comes to mind is Harrison Ford's performance in "Bruno". Kinski, notoriously short on cash, looks like he just walked in on the set, while being on vacation in Switzerland, wearing his own ski-suit – let me correct me there: he actually was on vacation and it was his own suit. Though Harrison Fords mentioned guest-appearance in "Bruno" was shorter, the acting was infinitely better, leaving this one of Kinski's weakest performance ever.
So, what else do we get in "The Soldier"? We get a suitably no-brainer action flick, produced fast and cheap. No-brainer, because if you'd use that organ between your ears, you'd notice plot-holes that are big enough to swallow an entire galaxy. You'd also notice that director James Glickenhaus has stolen more stunts and action-sequences from more films then I care to remember – or you might not notice it at all, if you're the type of action-fan who'd reply to the question, whether you like James Bond films, with a puzzled, "James who?" At times it's good and wholesome to turn the thinking-apparatus off for a little while and wallow in cheap acting, cheaper special effects and lots of gunfire and explosions. "The Soldier" is perfect for moments like those – just don't expect a good movie. In other words, you'll get what you wanted, when you rent "The Soldier" – unless you expected "On the Waterfront", and that kid in the video-store gave you the wrong film.
7 out of 10 points.