SOLDIER
US, 1998, 94 minutes, Colour.
Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, Connie Neilson, Gary Busey, Jason Isaacs, Sean Pertwee.
Directed by Paul Anderson.
Soldier is a futuristic action film. It has an impressive opening with the training of a young soldier born in 1996 and his nineteen years of training to make him a fighting machine by 2013. The future looks grim with this kind of totalitarian training of the military in robot-like fashion. The film then shifts another twenty years with the soldier in middle age. However, technology has developed the training of soldiers and the new generation is much more ruthless. There is combat between the two generations with the soldier losing and being deposited on a garbage planet.
Here begins the humanisation of the soldier. He meets a group of refugees who are stranded on the planet. While they take him in, he is still perceived as dangerous. However, when a military exercise to show how effective the new military are, attacks the refugee planet, the soldier then defends them, conquering single-handedly.
The film sometimes has its cake and eats it with its demonstration of the unimaginative and brutal training to make the military machine - but when there is difficulty for innocent people, this kind of training is what saves the day.
Kurt Russell is perfectly at home in the role of the soldier. Jason Scott Lee is the new generation. Jason Isaacs is a stern leader who collapses in cowardice. The film was directed by Paul Anderson, who made Shopping in the United Kingdom and then went on to action films like Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon.
1. The popularity of this kind of action film? Male audiences? Female? A macho film?
2. The 90s, the futuristic settings, the locations for the training of the children, the planets, the garbage disposal planet? The wreckage on that planet? Military hardware? Musical score?
3. The title, its indicating themes, its focus on Todd, the soldier?
4. The impact of the training sequences, hard, ruthless, the shooting of the boy running behind? Todd and his achievement? Seeing him in battle and the effectiveness for destruction of the military? The transition to his middle age, the soldiers sitting in rows, on parade for Colonel Mekum?
5. Mekum and his clashes with Captain Church, Church advocating the need for more personalised training, Mekum and his ruthlessness? Their assistants? The combat, the superiority of the new generation, Todd and his attempts to defeat Caine 607? His being put in the garbage disposal, deposited on the planet? His coming to consciousness, the winds, the dust? His being found by Mace? His being brought in, the meeting of the group, their welcoming him?
6. The nature of the group, travel, the crash, refugees, lost? Scavenging, surviving? Mace and his wife, Nathan? Family unit? Todd and his being with the family, his impassive face, registering what was happening? The attraction of Sandra? Kindness towards Nathan? The snakes, Todd saving them? Finally Nathan killing the snake to save his parents? The decision to bring him back?
7. The daily life of the group, the scavenging, the danger for the man who was almost destroyed by the machine - and saved by Todd? Their being beholden to him? Yet his military suspicion, emotions of fear and danger? His surviving by himself? His being put out of the camp?
8. The invasion, Mace's death? Mekum and his exercise, Church and his unwillingness? Todd and his wits, as a sniper, destroying the new soldiers, their weaponry? Using his skills, his wits? The families and the ordinary people being killed, escaping into the rooms, the flamethrowers and destruction?
9. Mekum, his wanting to get out, shooting Church, his ruthlessness? The confrontation with Todd, his being put off the plane, the explosion? The survivors on the spaceship, the old soldiers saluting Todd, their saving the people, flying off to a new future?
10. The themes of the film, about the military, dehumanised, yet necessary in times of danger?
