Universal Soldier

"Almost human. Almost perfect. Almost under control."

1992 1h 43m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 2,011

ThrillerActionScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An American soldier who had been killed during the Vietnam War is revived 25 years later by the military as a semi-android, UniSols, a high-tech soldier of the future. After the failure of the initiative to erase all the soldier's memories, he begins to experience flashbacks that are forcing him to recall his past.

“Almost human. Almost perfect. Almost under control.”

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Cast

Jean-Claude Van Damme
Luc Deveraux / GR44
Dolph Lundgren
Andrew Scott / GR13
Ally Walker
Veronica Roberts
Ed O'Ross
Colonel Perry
Ralf Moeller
GR76
Jerry Orbach
Dr. Christopher Gregor
Leon Rippy
Woodward
Tico Wells
Garth

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roland Emmerich
Writers: Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch, Dean Devlin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

34 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Universal Soldier Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roland Emmerich, shot by Karl Walter Lindenlaub. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael J. Duthie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren and Ally Walker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Almost human. Almost perfect. Almost under control.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roland Emmerich directs. Karl Walter Lindenlaub behind the camera. Michael J. Duthie cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, France. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.2× over at the box office.
234 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.
4Part of the "Universal Soldier Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Roland Emmerich, shot by Karl Walter Lindenlaub. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Michael J. Duthie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren and Ally Walker carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Almost human. Almost perfect. Almost under control.".
9IMDB entry: tt0105698 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Editing: Michael J. Duthie
Production design: Holger Gross
Costume design: Joseph A. Porro
Makeup / hair: Zoltan Elek
Sound: John P. Fasal
Stunt coordinator: Vic Armstrong
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $23,000,000
Box office: $119,200,000
Return: 518% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Universal Soldier (1992)

Part of

Universal Soldier Collection

The Universal Soldier film series concerns soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead soldiers. This premise furnishes the plot framework for all the sequels.

Also by

Roland Emmerich

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522019-10-26
★ 6/10
Some similarities with Terminator, still kind of a fun if not also messy sci-fi actioner, with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgin going head-to-head. Oh, and forgot how much of a crush I had on Ally Walker back then. Anyway, not bad but certainly a movie that feels like it was from the 90s. 3.25/5
Sierbahnn2026-05-10
★ 6/10
A lot more like Rambo than it ought to be On rewatching this movie, it struck me how much it reminds me of Rambo: First Blood. It's all about how PTSD can mess up your life. The movie itself is, of course, a quintessential 90s action piece. It is furiously fast paced with cheesy dialogue and goofy narrative and plot. The casting is solid and the direction is exactly what it needs to be to make it an action classic.